AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY FOUNDATION INC

The AAAAI Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Our stated mission is to fund research that leads to the prevention and cure of asthma and allergic and immunologic disease. We work to provide major grants to at least three promising young investigators each year in the Allergy/Immunology field, who are doing important work that will ultimately improve outcomes for our patients.

The talented researchers funded each year by the AAAAI Foundation advance knowledge in the Allergy/Immunology field and ultimately provide better outcome for our patients. The awards each provide $240,000 in funding over a three-year period, and support a junior faculty member in the specialty of Allergy/Immunology in basic and/or clinical research. Our key strategy is to award promising researchers at a crucial career point, and to build the ranks of Allergy/Immunology trained investigators who can deeply explore the most complex problems of treatment and cure. We aim to fund diverse work from a variety of institutions and investigators.

The AAAAI Foundation enlists the expertise of a sophisticated Grant Review Committee to ensure that we target the very best science with the greatest potential for meaningful outcomes. The Grant Review Committee is comprised of top scientists in the field and runs an NIH-style review of each step of the application process, including letters of intent, full applications, regular progress reports and annual financial reporting to ensure that we fund only the highest quality research.

Since 1993, the AAAAI Foundation has awarded $7.1 million in major awards to young investigators. Those same investigators have gone on to secure $82 million more in funding from other sources after the Foundation provided initial support. Our awardees over the years have gone on to become program directors mentoring the next generation of Allergy/Immunology professionals, leading experts in the field publishing their findings in the world's leading journals, leaders in professional organizations and at universities and clinics around the world. We have provided support to more than 90 early-career investigators at a crucial time in their career development, who have achieved major research breakthroughs that improve patient care. Yet to come is the funding of even more investigators each year, and the optimal care of patients that can result from having enough A/I trained investigators to take on the research challenges ahead.