It’s the second day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is dedicated to funding research with the highest probability of preventing, slowing or reversing Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that causes problems with memory, reasoning, behavior and motor skills. Symptoms slowly worsen over time, and the disease is ultimately fatal. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which is defined as a loss of cognitive functioning and behavioral abilities that interferes with daily life. There is no known cure.
In 2004, three families who were frustrated by the slow pace of research into the disease established the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. The founders (Henry McCance, Phyllis Rappaport, and Jacqui and Jeff Morby) built a new Alzheimer’s research fund designed to “dramatically accelerate research, make bold bets and focus exclusively on finding a cure.”
Fully 100% of funds raised by Cure Alzheimer’s Fund go directly to research: the Board of Directors covers all overhead expenses. To date, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has contributed more than $50,000,000 to research. Its funded initiatives have been responsible for several key breakthroughs—including a potential treatment recently selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its “Blueprint” drug discovery program. You can read more about the Fund’s research projects and initiatives here.
So how can you help?
Donations can be made in memory of a loved one. To see the Fund’s Memory Board, go here. To make a donation by credit card, you can click over to the website. You can also donate via PayPal.
Donations may also be sent by mail. Simply complete and print this form (downloads as a pdf) and send it to:
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
34 Washington Street, Suite 200
Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
You can also donate by phone by calling 781.237.3800.
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund also participates in eBay for Charity. Here’s how it works: A seller can list any item for a charity and opt to donate between 10-100% of the proceeds to qualifying charities. After the item sells, PayPal Giving Fund, eBay’s nonprofit partner, collects the donated proceeds and eBay credits selling fees proportional to the amount donated. PayPal Giving Fund then processes the donation and distributes it to the designated charity (in this case, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund).
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is on the list. It’s worth noting that the organization is listed under the name “Alzheimer’s Disease Research Foundation” on the IRS site: that’s its corporate name while its DBA (“doing business as”) name is Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. That happens from time to time – especially, as is the case here, when the names of other charitable organizations may be similar – so check names and EIN (tax ID numbers) carefully. If ever in doubt, reach out to the organization directly. To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. You can also check out their YouTube channel.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. Charity Navigator gives Cure Alzheimer’s Fund a perfect score: 4 stars and 100%. You can see Charity Navigator’s summary of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s financials and other info here.
Remember: Submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart. Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, check out this prior post.
