July 2023

The Alzheimer’s Association has more than 1,000 best-in-field scientific investigations in 53 countries spanning six continents and increases its total active commitments to more than $360 million.

Scientist in lab

February 2023

The Alzheimer’s Association increases its active funding commitments to more than 1,000 best-in-field scientific investigations in 54 countries spanning six continents. In 2022, we committed more than $91 million to accelerate research — the most we have ever committed in one year — bringing total active commitments to more than $320 million.

Active Projects Funded infographic

January 2023

Zenith Society member Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation grants $3.275 million to establish the Fred A. Erb Clinical Research Science Fellowship. “This initiative will help accelerate research globally to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, while expanding and strengthening the field of early-career scientists,” says Dr. Neil Hawkins, the foundation’s president (pictured here with Dr. Heather Snyder and Leslie Erb Liedtke). The Erb Family Foundation has previously made Zenith-level gifts to support the Association’s International Research Grant Program and U.S. POINTER study.

Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation

December 2022

A $226 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is signed into law, bringing the annual federal investment to more than $3.7 billion. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate of the Association, have led the charge for increased federal funding for dementia research.

NIH infographic

July 2022

The Alzheimer’s Association increases its active funding commitments to best-of-field scientific investigations to more than $310 million to 950 projects in 48 countries. This represents an almost threefold increase over the past five years.

Active research investment infographic

New commitments include $4.75 million in new Part the Cloud grants to enable six clinical trials investigating six promising therapies for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Founded by Mikey Hoag, Part the Cloud has invested a total of $65 million in 65 research projects since 2013.

Mikey Hoag

June 2022

Donors including Zenith Society members James and Elizabeth MacDonnell (pictured with Randall Bateman, M.D.) fulfill the Association’s $14 million funding commitment to DIAN-TU Tau Next Generation. GHR Foundation made the lead gift. The Alzheimer’s Association has invested more than $44 million in DIAN-TU since 2012.

McDonnell Family

March 2022

A $289 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is signed into law, bringing the annual federal investment to $3.4 billion — a more than sevenfold increase since 2011. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate of the Association, have led the charge for increased federal funding for dementia research.

The Alzheimer’s Association increases its active funding commitments to best-of-field scientific investigations to more than $300 million to 920 projects in 45 countries. This represents an almost 300% increase over the past five years.

Graph image

February 2022

The American Brain Foundation announces that its 2022 Cure One, Cure Many Award will provide $3 million to a Mayo Clinic research team to drive the development and validation of a blood-based biomarker for dementia with Lewy bodies. The award is funded in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and others.

December 2021

GHR Foundation provides $7 million to inspire other philanthropic partners to join in fulfilling the Association’s commitment to raise $14 million for DIAN-TU Primary Prevention. Others who have made significant gifts to advance the study include financial services firm Edward Jones. The Alzheimer’s Association has invested more than $44 million in DIAN-TU since 2012.

GHR Foundation also provides $2 million to help fulfill the Association’s commitment to raise $4 million to increase diverse representation in AHEAD 3-45 and future clinical trials via Equity AHEAD. GHR and other Association donors previously provided $10 million to support Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN) by the same research team.

Picture of Fred Miller, Reisa Sperling, Mary Dalsin from the GHR Foundation

November 2021

The Alzheimer's Association announces plans to launch, in partnership with other institutions, a national registry to track “real world” effectiveness and side effects data as patients start to receive FDA-approved Alzheimer’s disease-modifying therapies. The Alzheimer's Association will provide the initial seed funding to launch the National Treatment and Diagnostic Alzheimer's Registry and then seek additional funding from government and philanthropic sources.

The DIAN-TU Tau Next Generation research team announces they will test an anti-tau therapy and an anti-amyloid therapy in combination — a first in the Alzheimer’s space.

October 2021

Part the Cloud supporters gather to celebrate raising more than $33 million over the previous two years, including a record $2.1 million that was raised in the room, for cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research. Founded by Mikey Hoag, Part the Cloud has raised more than $65 million to fund Alzheimer’s Association research grants since 2012.

Picture of supporters for Part the Cloud

September 2021

The Alzheimer's Association finalizes its largest-ever annual research investment — more than $57 million in grants for 253 scientific investigations. This represents a 21% increase over 2020 and brings the Association’s active research investment to $250 million in more than 750 best-of-field projects in 39 countries on six continents.

June 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants accelerated approval of the first drug to affect the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease, ushering in a new era in Alzheimer’s treatment and research. History has shown that approval of the first drug in a new category leads to more investment and more innovation.

March 2021

GHR Foundation provides $7 million to inspire other philanthropic partners to join in funding the Association’s $14 million commitment to DIAN-TU Tau Next Generation. Others who have made significant gifts to advance the study include Zenith Society members Dick and Marianne Kipper, F.M. Kirby Foundation, Saltzman Family and Mary Barton Smith, as well as financial services firm Edward Jones. The Alzheimer’s Association has invested more than $30 million in the innovative clinical trial platform since 2012.

GHR Foundation

February 2021

To help ensure the successful continuation of research projects delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alzheimer’s Association awards Rapid Program in Dementia (RAPID) grants to 34 researchers in seven countries. With significant gift commitments from the KAAB Family Foundation, Women's Alzheimer's Movement and Dr. Ellen Yankellow and William Chapman, the Association has raised nearly half of the $1.65 million needed to fully fund the grants.

December 2020

A $300 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is signed into law, bringing the annual federal investment to $3.1 billion — a more than sevenfold increase since 2011. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM), a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate of the Association, have led the charge for increased federal funding for dementia research.

August 2020

The Alzheimer’s Association announces more than $24 million in Part the Cloud research grants to enable 16 early phase clinical trials of potential treatments for Alzheimer’s and other dementia. The grants are being funded by donors including Ellen and John Drew, Stephanie and Fred Harman, Paula Robichaud and Mary and Mark Stevens, who joined Part the Cloud founder Mikey Hoag in the Zenith Society with their generous responses to Gates Match Challenge. Read more.

July 2020

Generous donors push the U.S. POINTER study past the $10 million fundraising milestone. To date, the Alzheimer's Association has received 22 five-figure gifts, 10 six-figure gifts and five seven-figure gifts, including $1 million from the women of Sigma Kappa, for the $35 million lifestyle intervention clinical trial.

The financial services firm Edward Jones renews its strategic alliance with Alzheimer’s Association, committing another $25 million over the next five years. As part of the alliance, Edward Jones has invested with the Association in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) and supports the U.S. POINTER study and the International Research Grant Program.

February 2020

The Alzheimer’s Association awards more than $19 million to 105 research projects through the International Research Grant Program. This brings its total active research investment to over $185 million in more than 540 active best-of-field projects in 30 countries.

December 2019

Dick and Marianne Kipper make their second Zenith-level gift to the Association’s research program.
The Erb Family Foundation makes a Zenith-level gift to the Alzheimer’s Association U.S. POINTER study.

November 2019

Bill Gates makes a personal $10 million gift to the Alzheimer’s Association to stimulate an additional $20 million in private funding for the Part the Cloud global research grant program. Led by Mikey Hoag, the Gates Match Challenge will double the program’s total investment in clinical research to $60 million. Read more.

An anonymous donor gives $10 million to the Alzheimer’s Association to support an international and interdisciplinary group of geneticists, immunologists, neurosurgeons and other scientists who have come together to characterize the role of immune cells in Alzheimer’s and apply these findings to the detection and treatment of the disease.

A $350 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health is signed into law. This brings annual NIH funding for dementia research to $2.8 billion — a six-fold increase since 2011. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, a separately incorporated advocacy affiliate of the Association, have led the charge for increased federal funding for dementia research.

September 2019

The Alzheimer's Association announces our largest-ever annual research investment — granting more than $42 million to 162 scientific investigations. This represents a 40% increase over 2018 and brings the Association's current research investment to $167 million in more than 500 active best-of-field projects in 27 countries.

July 2019

Fulfilling the Part the Cloud Challenge on Neuroinflammation, the Alzheimer's Association announces a $3 million grant to Longeveron LLC to advance the company's adult stem cell Alzheimer's research.

Nearly 6,000 scientists attend the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® (AAIC®) in Los Angeles, where Zenith Society member Dagmar Dolby and her son David Dolby receive the Jerome H. Stone Philanthropy Award for Research.

May 2019

A gift from Mary Barton Smith completes the Association's $800,000 funding commitment to the SPRINT MIND 2.0 Study. Principal investigator Jeff Williamson, M.D., (pictured) and team are investigating the impact of intensive blood pressure treatment on the risk of dementia.

March 2019

Clay and Debbie Jones make their second Zenith-level investment, establishing the Tish Smith Alzheimer's Research Fund at the Alzheimer's Association.

NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association) pledges $1 million for the International Research Grant Program. NARFE members have raised more than $13 million to sponsor Association research grants since 1985.

The Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society welcomes two new members who designate their gifts to support research: the Saltzman Family and an anonymous couple.

February 2019

The Part the Cloud luncheon in Menlo Park, California, raises more than $1 million for the International Research Grant Program. Founded and chaired by Mikey Hoag (pictured with luncheon chairs Stephanie Harman and Heather Pietsch), the Part the Cloud movement has raised more than $30 million to advance clinical trials of experimental Alzheimer's disease treatments since 2012.

December 2018

Bob Thistle (pictured with Rebecca Edelmayer, Ph.D.) joins the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society, designating half of his leadership gift to support the Association's research mission.

November 2018

California-based Mary Oakley Foundation joins the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society, designating their gift to support the International Research Grant Program, as well as the LEADS and LEARN studies.

October 2018

Texas-based Samuels Family Foundation joins the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society, designating the majority of their gift to support the International Research Grant Program.

September 2018

The Alzheimer's Association announces our largest-ever annual research commitment — granting nearly $30 million to 131 scientific investigations including 112 projects funded through the International Research Grant Program. These grants include five made as part of the Tau Pipeline Enabling Program (T-PEP.)

July 2018

Alzheimer's Association President and CEO Harry Johns announces that Step Up the Pace achieved nearly $110 million in its first four years. Dick Kipper and John Beuerlein co-chaired the first phase of the initiative, in which nearly 140 donors, including individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations, made gifts ranging from $100,000 to $5 million to advance research with the Alzheimer's Association.

Researchers report promising preliminary results of the SPRINT MIND study at Alzheimer's Association International Conference® 2018. Trial findings provide the strongest evidence to date about reducing risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia through the treatment of high blood pressure.

May 2018

Zenith Society members Joan and Paul Rubschlager make their second Zenith-level commitment to advance research, supporting the U.S. POINTER study. Zenith Society members Vicky Patel and Mary Barton Smith make their own U.S. POINTER gifts shortly thereafter.

April 2018

Led by Mikey Hoag, the Part the Cloud movement raises $11 million for the Association's research program via its April 28 gala in Menlo Park, California. Proceeds from the event bring Part the Cloud's fundraising total to more than $29 million since 2012.

March 2018

Following a lead gift from the Jeanne N. Hunter Foundation, Lynda and Larry Jodsaas (pictured) invest in the Association-led U.S. POINTER study — which will test how a multidimensional lifestyle intervention may preserve cognitive function in at-risk older adults.

December 2017

John and Linda Tracy join the Zenith Society with an unrestricted gift to support the Alzheimer's Association research program.

October 2017

Carol-Ann O’Mack joins the Alzheimer’s Association Zenith Society with her philanthropic investment in research via the Step Up the Pace initiative.

In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association awards $1.85 million to support a clinical trial of an investigational therapy that combines two existing drugs to target two distinct Alzheimer’s disease processes. Funding for Alzheimer’s Combination Therapy Opportunities (ACTO) was provided by Zenith Society members Ned Goodnow and the Pine Family Foundation, as well as by the Kahlert Family Foundation and Dennis Mullen.

September 2017

The Alzheimer's Association announces an annual research commitment of more than $28 million to over 129 scientific investigations — a 101 percent increase over our 2014 commitment. Projects included 112 investigations funded through the International Research Grant Program.

August 2017

Dan and Diane Riccio join the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society with their philanthropic investment in research via the Step Up the Pace initiative.

July 2017

Step Up the Pace co-chairs John Beuerlein and Dick Kipper announce that the initiative has raised $75 million to advance the Association's research priorities.

Researchers report promising interim findings from the IDEAS Study at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® 2017. As a result of undergoing an amyloid PET brain scan, approximately 60 percent of nearly 4,000 participants enrolled in the study saw changes in medical management such as changes in drugs prescribed and reduced need for spinal taps and other diagnostic testing.

June 2017

Edward Jones commits an additional $3.9 million to the Association’s research program.

John and Crystal Beuerlein, the Borman Family Foundation, James and Elizabeth McDonnell (pictured with Randall Bateman, M.D.), Mary Barton Smith and others give $2.6 million to enable the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) High-Dose Escalation Study. Researchers are now administering an increased dose of Solanezumab, an experimental drug that recent research indicates may have a greater impact on slowing the progression of the disease at a higher dose.

McDonnell Family

April 2017

The Gelfand Family donates $500,000 to complete philanthropic funding for grants awarded as part of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Research Initiative and to support the International Research Grant Program via The Judy Fund, their family fund at the Alzheimer’s Association.

Gelfand Family

December 2016

Jim Hunter makes a Zenith Society-level gift to establish the Jeanne N. Hunter Alzheimer’s Research Fund at the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of his wife. In its first year, the Jeanne Hunter Fund supports the Association’s commitment to the Vascular Contributions to Dementia in APOE4 Carriers Study.

Zenith Society member the Pine Family Foundation makes a philanthropic investment to complete funding for Alzheimer’s Combination Therapy Opportunities (ACTO), an innovative new grant competition that is enabling a clinical trial of two or more FDA-approved medications taken simultaneously to delay, slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

September 2016

The Alzheimer's Association announces research commitments totaling nearly $25 million in 135-plus scientific investigations— a 77 percent increase over our 2014 total commitment. The International Research Grant Program more than doubled our awards to early-career investigators thanks to giving by Debbie and Clay Jones and other philanthropic partners.

August 2016

The Alzheimer's Association announces $2.2 million in grants to nine research projects investigating the role of sex and gender in Alzheimer's disease — a new area of research. The grants are funded by gifts to the Women's Alzheimer's Research Initiative by John and Crystal Beuerlein, Michele and Lawrence Herbert, Debbie and Clay Jones, Carol-Ann O'Mack, Sigma Kappa Sorority and Dr. Ellen Yankellow.

The Association announces four $1 million grants to scientists conducting clinical trials that target brain inflammation as an innovative avenue for Alzheimer's disease therapy. The grants are funded by donors to the Part the Cloud Challenge on Neuroinflammation including Mikey Hoag and Dagmar Dolby.

WARI

July 2016

Co-chairs John Beuerlein (pictured with Alzheimer's Association Chief Science Officer Maria Carrillo, Ph.D.) and Dick Kipper report that Step Up the Pace has passed the $50 million fundraising mark, with 87 philanthropic gifts of at least $100,000.

Cheryl Gross joins the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Society with her investment in research via the Step Up the Pace initiative.

The API Generation Program launches GeneMatch, a program that uses genetic testing (through free cheek swab kits) to match volunteers with opportunities to participate in Alzheimer's prevention trials. Funding for the Generation Program is being provided by the Fineberg Foundation, GHR Foundation and Ned Goodnow.

April 2016

Founded and chaired by Mikey Hoag and generously supported by Dagmar Dolby, the Part the Cloud gala raises a record-breaking $10.8 million for the Alzheimer's Association research program — funding the Challenge on Neuroinflammation and bringing Part the Cloud's five-year fundraising total past $17 million.

Part the Cloud gala

The Alzheimer's Association announces a $4.3 million research grant to the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) Next Generation (NexGen) — made possible by investments by Zenith Society members John and Crystal Beuerlein and Mary Barton Smith and the financial services firm Edward Jones. Adding new drug candidates to the trial could potentially speed up the identification of disease-modifying interventions.

Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) Next Generation (NexGen) logo

March 2016

Patient enrollment begins in Imaging Dementia – Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS). Created and co-chaired by the Alzheimer’s Association, IDEAS has received philanthropic investments from The Kahlert Foundation and the Pelletier Family Foundation.

January 2016

The Alzheimer's Association announces a historic partnership with St. Louis-based financial services firm Edward Jones. The firm's commitment to the Association's mission includes $2.6 million for the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) Next Generation (NexGen) study, led by Dr. Randall Bateman of Washington University in St. Louis.

October 2015

John and Crystal Beuerlein make a Zenith Society-level investment in Step Up the Pace's Global Innovation Fund. They later designate their gift to support the DIAN-TU NexGen study, the International Research Grant Program, the Vascular Contributions to Dementia in APOE4 Carriers Study and the Women's Alzheimer's Research Initiative.

Zenith Society member Mary Barton Smith makes her third Zenith Society-level commitment — investing in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) Next Generation (NexGen). DIAN-TU is testing whether experimental medications can prevent Alzheimer's in people who have a 50/50 chance of inheriting a gene mutation that causes the disease by middle age.

September 2015

The Alzheimer's Association announces commitments totaling more than $17 million in 80-plus scientific investigations for fiscal year 2015.

June 2015

Ned Goodnow makes a Zenith Society-level investment in Step Up the Pace's Global Innovation Fund. He later designates his gift to the API Generation Study, Alzheimer’s Combination Therapy Opportunities (ACTO) and the Vascular Contributions to Dementia in APOE4 Carriers Study.

The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation invests $5 million in the Association's Zenith Fellows Awards — the largest gift to the program to date. The Zenith Fellows Awards are the most prestigious grants in the International Research Grant Program.

May 2015

GHR Foundation partners with the Association and FBRI to invest $10 million to expand the API Generation Program, which includes two clinical trials testing whether drugs can prevent or delay dementia symptoms in people at elevated genetic risk of developing Alzheimer's at older ages. The foundation previously invested in LEARN.

GHR Foundation

Dick and Marianne Kipper make a Zenith Society-level investment in Step Up the Pace’s Global Innovation Fund, later designating their gift to enhance the pioneering Vascular Contributions to Dementia in APOE4 Carriers study.

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September 2014

An anonymous donor makes a $2.3 million gift to complete philanthropic funding of the Association's $8 million commitment to the Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN), a first-of-its-kind study to identify the earliest signs of Alzheimer's and its risk factors.

Step Up the Pace logo

Step Up the Pace is a special initiative to increase philanthropic investment in four key dementia research outcomes areas: Discovery Science, Early Detection, Treatment and Prevention.



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