The mission of the DragonFly Fund is to improve access to assisted reproductive technologies, specifically in vitro fertilization for eligible individuals and couples. The fund aims to provide grants to help defray the financial burdens of such treatments. If you are interested in donating to this fund, go to The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital Give Now page to donate electronically. Make sure under “Area of Support” you select “Other” and write “Dragonfly fund” in the comment section.
Grants will be awarded annually, and the amount of the grants and the total number of grants awarded each year will be dependent upon fundraising. Grant awards may not exceed $5,000 per recipient. Past procedures and reimbursement for previously incurred expenses are not eligible for Grants.
Grant Specifics
Financial Assistance:
Grants up to $5,000 will be awarded to individuals who need financial assistance to aid with services associated with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) only. Please note that financial grants can only be used with WASHU/BJH Fertility and Reproductive Medicine services.
- All grants are to be used solely towards future costs/services.
- Disbursements will be made directly to WASHU and/or BJC to cover eligible expenses, not the patient.
- Grant funds must be utilized within 12 months of the award date.
- Grants may not be used to reimburse any patient, clinic or other provider, entity or individual for services that have already been performed, or loans that have already been secured.
Eligible expenses (see FAQ page for more details):
- All WASHU and BJH related professional fees associated with a self-pay IVF cycle, including ovulation monitoring, egg retrieval, select lab services, and embryo transfer.
- Excluded expenses
- Anesthesia fees
- Cryostorage fees
- PGT (Preimplantation Genetic Testing)
Eligibility: (see FAQ page for more details)
- Current patients of WASHU/BJC Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center with:
- Annual household income < $170,000
- Diagnosis of infertility and/or miscarriage
- Patients must meet the following criteria
- Age < 41 by January, 1 2024
- BMI <41
- Cycle day 2-5 FSH < 15
- AMH > 0.5
Commitments on behalf of the patient:
We do require grant recipients to be willing to share their story via Facebook, Instagram, our web page and or the BJH Foundation. We will be respectful of your privacy to the degree that you are comfortable, but we do publish our success stories to inspire others to donate.
Application Instructions
The following are required for consideration:
- Submit Personal statement This is the best way to let the selection committee get to know who you are and why you should receive a grant. It is a large part of the scoring process and is a wonderful way to increase your chances of getting a grant. You can choose to submit the personal statement in Video OR Written form.
- Video – applicants should link their video via YouTube or some other file sharing service and send the video URL. Video submissions must be no more than 5 minutes.
- Written – Written applications must be no more than one page. Please upload written personal statements as a PDF.
- Submit 1040 Tax form should be from prior year
- Notify Your Fertility Physician. Applicants should let their physician know they are submitting a DragonFly application. No written letter or formal statement of support from your physician is required. Since the grant is for current patients, your physician may be asked to comment on your personal statement.
Relevant history, labs and imaging* Since Dragonfly Grants are only available to current patients, who have undergone a workup or treatment, candidates should have had much of this testing already done. If these tests are not done within the last 2 years, your personal statement will be ranked lower.
- Day 3 FSH, Estradiol
- AMH
- HSG or sonohysterogram
- BMI (Body Mass Index)
- Semen analysis or IUI (intrauterine insemination) prep
Winner(s) will be announced on or before December 22, 2023. Applications close December 20th. All decisions are final. Please submit all questions about the application to fertility@wustl.edu. Faculty and staff will not be able to answer all inquiries. *Please note that sending an email to the above address will be received unencrypted.