Annual Report

"FY18 was a year of landmark achievements for the Alzheimer’s Association — the result of creating and maintaining crucial strategic partnerships and working with volunteers and supporters in aggressive pursuit of our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s." 

Harry Johns
President and CEO

Christopher Binkley
Chair, Board of Directors


  Read More in the Report

Increasing Concern and Awareness

The Association drives the nationwide discussion of Alzheimer’s and other dementias and establishes the organization as a dedicated and reliable resource to support community needs. By growing the conversation about the number of affected individuals, and the staggering and growing economic and societal impact of Alzheimer’s, the public and policymakers can take appropriate actions to change the course of the disease. Families can gain the knowledge needed to seek diagnosis, begin available treatments and plan for the future. Awareness of the Association helps these families to access needed resources during their journey with the disease.

The definitive compilation of national statistics and information conveying the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias on individuals, families, government and the nation’s health care system, the Alzheimer’s Association 2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report is the pre-eminent source covering the broad spectrum of Alzheimer’s issues. The 2018 edition included a special report on the benefits of early diagnosis highlighting the significant medical, emotional and social benefits.

Read More in the Report 

 

Advancing Public Policy

The Association is the leading voice for Alzheimer’s disease advocacy, successfully fighting for critical Alzheimer’s research, care and support initiatives at the state and federal level. The organization is tireless in its efforts to make Alzheimer’s a national priority while speaking up for the needs and rights of people with Alzheimer’s and their families. Across the country, the Association mobilizes hundreds of thousands of Alzheimer’s advocates in the movement for better care and support and increased research funding to end the disease.

In response to the relentless efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) — the Association’s advocacy arm — and dedicated advocates nationwide, Congress approved and the president signed into law a historic $414 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the federal fiscal year 2018 budget. This is the largest-ever increase and brings annual funding at the NIH to $1.9 billion.

Enhancing Care and Support

The Association is instrumental in enhancing care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Through our commitment to reliable resources, support and information, we are available wherever and whenever we are needed in communities nationwide, In addition to our respected role in face-to-face support services across the country, we provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year through our website and Helpline.

As the number of individuals affected by dementia grows, the Association remains a leader in care and support. Our award-winning website, alz.org, and free nationwide 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900) serve as entry points to our robust resources. In FY18, the Association engaged with constituents more than 4.3 million times. Constituents continue to report in surveys that they are highly satisfied with Association programs and services and would recommend them to others.

Accelerating Research

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research and the nonprofit with the highest impact in Alzheimer’s research worldwide, behind only the Chinese and United States governments as measured by Thomson Reuters InCites™. In our role as the leading convener, collaborator and coordinator, we unite the global research community to accelerate the pace of discovery toward methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure.

In aggressive pursuit of its vision of a world without Alzheimer’s, the Association made its largest-ever research investment in FY18, granting more than $30 million to 131 scientific investigations. Investments included awards to 112 projects funded through the International Research Grant Program, representing proposals ranked highest by a peer-reviewed process in a highly competitive field. As the world’s leading nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s and dementia research, the Association is currently investing over $160 million in more than 450 projects in 25 countries.

Growing Revenue Support of the Mission

Individuals, corporations and foundations further the Association’s mission through their dedicated involvement and support. From Walk to End Alzheimer’s® events to galas, the Association calls on constituents to help raise funds to fight Alzheimer’s. These generous donors also support the mission through individual, family and estate gifts, demonstrating their powerful, ongoing commitment to ending Alzheimer’s through advancing research and enhancing the Association’s care and support efforts.

In FY18, Association donors and partners across the country contributed to total revenues of $352 million. This critical support makes a long-lasting impact on the lives of those facing the disease and continues to move us closer to our vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.

More from the FY18 Annual Report

Annual Report Archive

The Alzheimer's Association is a nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Association continues to meet and exceed the standards set by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.