​The Funding Project founder Tammy Simmons never imagined how her family’s medical emergency would transform her life or end up helping so many others.

In 1992, Tammy’s brother Hal and his wife gave birth to premature triplets. One of the three, Jacob had a brain bleed two days after his birth and was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy. When Jacob was ten years old, his parents heard about a new and promising treatment that their insurance company refused to cover. Her brother was heartsick with disappointment, and Tammy promised him she’d raise the money herself. Despite knowing nothing about fundraising, she sat down at the computer to do home-grown research. She raised over $12,000, enough to provide Jacob with three rounds of treatment.