American Kidney Fund

Nation's leading voluntary health organization serving people with, and at risk for, kidney disease through direct financial assistance, comprehensive education, clinical research and community service programs.

How do you help people in my community?

Dialysis patients across the nation in every community benefit from the American Kidney Fund’s Patient Assistance Programs. We helped 1 out of every 5 dialysis patients with treatment-related expenses, providing more than $155 million in financial aid in 2009.

Even more important, dialysis patients and the family members and friends who care for them – driving them to dialysis and assisting them in countless ways – form a community of their own. Dialysis providers, social workers, nurses, dialysis technicians and physicians are also part of this community. The American Kidney Fund is well respected by local dialysis communities and nationwide.

The larger community of people at risk for kidney disease or in early-stage kidney disease seeks information from the American Kidney Fund about kidney health, receiving our kidney health education materials free of charge upon request or downloading them from our website. Anyone in your community or in communities throughout the country can call our toll free HelpLine, 866-300-2900, with their kidneyquestions and speak directly to our kidney health educators. We provide CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) Prevention Toolkits to community groups, faith communities or employee wellness programs to be used in kidney health workshops.

Why do you need my support?

The American Kidney Fund envisions a world without kidney disease. We know it won’t happen overnight, but each time one person understands his or her risk for kidney disease and takes action to protect the kidneys, we are one step closer to our vision. At the same time, we continue to help those already living with kidney failure. A gift of any size can help cover a kidney patient’s treatment-related costs, from bus fare to the dialysis center to insulin syringes for a diabetic kidney patient to a blood pressure cuff for checking blood pressure at home.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

The American Kidney Fund uses 97 cents of every $1 for programs and services, and just 3 cents for administrative and fundraising costs. We have received Charity Navigator’s highest “Four Star” rating for seven consecutive years. We hold an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy, and we adhere to the National Health Council Standards of Excellence. We are a member of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. The American Kidney Fund is governed by a National Board of Trustees whose membership is listed on our website. Our financial documents—including our IRS 990 filing and the results of our annual independent, external audit—are available on our website.

Can I Volunteer? How?

The American Kidney Fund holds fundraising events throughout the year in different regions of the country. Visit our website at www.kidneyfund.org and click on “Special Events” to view upcoming fundraising events. We also invite you to join our Advocacy Network as a way to raise awareness of kidney disease issues among our nation’s policy makers.