ASTHMA A ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA NATIONAL
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
AAFA is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with asthma and allergic diseases through education, advocacy and research.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Patient and Family Online Community
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) provides education and support to patients and caregivers managing asthma and related conditions through two online patient communities, which are hosted on dedicated platforms that are integrated with our websites. The AAFA community, and one of the proposed services in this request, is one of the most active online health communities for people managing asthma, eczema, environmental allergy, urticaria, and nasal polyps. Additionally, AAFA administers a separate community through our Kids With Food Allergies (KFA) division, a pioneer of online communities. Our two online communities aim to help patients navigate these conditions throughout their disease journey.
ASTHMA Care for Adults
ASTHMA (Asthma Symptoms, Treatment, Health Management and Activities™) Care for Adults is a FREE self-paced course that helps adults and their caregivers learn how to manage asthma. It covers asthma basics, recognizing symptoms and triggers, asthma action plans and an overview of different types of asthma medicines. The information is presented in a variety of formats, including videos, handouts, animations and more.
Patient and Family Support Center
AAFA's Support Center provides personalized and timely support in navigating a variety of healthcare needs. It consists of a group of services through which we address inbound requests from patients, caregivers, family members, and the public. The Support Center is comprised of a hotline and a fulfillment center.
Our hotline and call/email center offer guidance, education, and referrals to additional community resources to patients, their caregivers, and the public 5 days a week for 8 hours each day. Patients and families can reach us through our 1800 number or [email protected]/[email protected] email accounts.
Through our fulfillment services, we send customized educational packets for patients, family members, and the public at no charge. These packets include relevant content and are sent to patients and/or caregivers or health care providers upon request by phone, email, or through our free online “storefront.”
Health Equity Program
AAFA's new Health Equity Advancement and Leadership (HEAL) program to address findings from our 2020 Asthma Disparities in America report. HEAL encompasses and aligns all of our work to reduce health disparities and promote health equity. The program aims to build and support effective, comprehensive, community-based interventions for asthma. The program targets populations where we can make the biggest difference: 1) Adults and adolescents (unmet need), 2) Racial/ethnic minority populations (higher risk), and 3) Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations (higher risk).
Asthma Management and Education - Online course
The AME-O course is based on the NAEPP’s “Four Components of Asthma Management” as presented in the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP)’s Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma Summary Report and the 2020 Focused Updates to the guidelines.
The course has 10 lessons and four exams that you complete at your own pace. Respiratory therapists and nurses can earn 8.75 contact hours from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (ANCC).
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of affiliates speaking to government leaders about relevant policy issues
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Patient and Family Online Community
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Hired staff director to lead advocacy efforts. Hosted Hill visits by Board members, community members, and staff.
Number of participants counseled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Patient and Family Online Community
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Over 250,000 people involved through Facebook and 46,000 people involved in our online community, accessing our education and resources.
Increase in number of persons participating in our online community to get education and support.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Patient and Family Online Community
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Over 250,000 people involved through Facebook and 46,000 people involved in our online community, accessing our education and resources.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Dramatically reduce the impact of asthma and allergies.
Grow the AAFA community.
Strengthen the AAFA team
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Develop and retain a high performing, inclusive, and diverse workforce
Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion internally and externally
Expand organizational capacity by positioning AAFA as an employer of choice
Better utilize volunteers to support the AAFA mission and the AAFA team
Improve (online/offline) community outreach and support to individuals/groups at higher risk of poor health outcomes
Expand support for regional AAFA Chapters, local affiliated support groups, ambassadors, and community health programs to establish community-based partnerships
Combat health misinformation to position AAFA and KFA as the leading trusted resources for our communities
Use and expand AAFA’s HEAL program to address health equity
Expand education portfolio to advance evidence-based care and self-management in populations at highest risk of morbidity or mortality
Build AAFA's current advocacy operations to lead on targeted national and state- based policies that prioritize health equity, climate change, and food allergy labeling
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Education - AAFA offers many educational programs and tools, such as:
Programs for all ages
Programs for caregivers and healthcare providers
Printed materials and tools
Online resources
Newsletters and magazines
Resources and tools in Spanish
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Validation
Look for a ribbon next to some of our health education programs. This means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has validated it as an effective educational tool.
National Health Council Standards of Excellence Certification - AAFA is certified by the National Health Council's Standards of Excellence Certification. This is given to reliable patient groups that practice high standards of accountability and ethics.
HONcode Certification - AAFA is certified by the Health on the Net Foundation. Websites receive HONcode certification for information that is ethical and trustworthy.
Advocacy - At AAFA, we want to be the voice for people with asthma and allergies. We work with the government to create laws that improve and protect quality of life. We support policies that include:
Clinical diagnosis, treatment and management
Outdoor and indoor air quality
Healthy settings in homes, schools and communities
Research - AAFA is the only patient group that awards research grants for the study of asthma and allergies. Our grants support research for:
Understanding the diseases
Developing better treatments
Finding cures
Advanced training
Social research
Support
Managing allergies and asthma can be tough on your own. We offer support through:
Regional chapters
Local AAFA support groups
Online communities, such as Kids With Food Allergies
Funding
AAFA is a not-for-profit charity. We are able to offer our services thanks to:
Donations
Fundraising
Sponsors
Public education programs
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have accomplished many achievements in expanding research, advocacy and education to make more people aware of asthma and allergies in an effort to help those with it, their families, care givers and medical professionals. Our community has grown across all of our social platforms, and so has the engagement. We have raised awareness of healthcare disparities and are bringing a new focus on health equity into our next strategic plan.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ASTHMA A ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA NATIONAL
Board of directorsas of 12/02/2022
Dr. Richard Murray
Spire Health
James Flood
Mary Ellen Conley
Phyllis Arthur
Mitchell Grayson
Chris Ward
Calvin Anderson
Prue Fitzpatrick
Richard Murray
Ritesh Patel
Lawrence Schwartz
Lynn Hanessian
Ranuka Brown
Katherine Lai
Sarbjit Saini
Jodi Daniel
Alex Buzby
Evalyn Grant
Jake Heller
James Dockery
Jerry Shier
Julie Jones
Kelli Cross
Mahlis Emmanuel
Meighan Girgus
Monica Randall
Peter Loupos
Shade Farri
Heidi Bayer
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data