About
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at 57 West 57th Street in New York City. Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the ADDF describes itself as the only charity solely focused on finding drugs for Alzheimer's disease. It uses a venture philanthropy model to fund breakthrough drug and biomarker research in academia and the biotech industry around the world.
Mission
The mission of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is to rapidly accelerate the development of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.
What they do
- Fund drug development programs in academic labs and biotechnology companies through a venture philanthropy model, reinvesting any returns into new research
- Run the Diagnostics Accelerator, a research initiative focused on developing biomarkers and diagnostic tools for Alzheimer's disease
- Support SpeechDx, a program in its biomarker research portfolio
- Award the Melvin R. Goodes Prize recognizing innovation in Alzheimer's drug discovery
- Support prevention-focused research alongside treatment-focused drug development
History
The ADDF was founded in 1998 by Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder. Howard Fillit, MD, is a co-founder and serves as Chief Science Officer Emeritus.
Scale and impact
According to the foundation, it has awarded nearly 400 million dollars to date, funding 792 programs across 21 countries, spanning drug development, biomarker research and prevention initiatives.
Financials
Per its IRS filings summarized by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 20-1082179), for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 the ADDF reported total revenue of approximately 47.3 million dollars, total expenses of approximately 88.3 million dollars, and net assets of approximately 217.0 million dollars.
Governance
The ADDF is governed by a Board of Governors chaired by co-founder Ronald S. Lauder, with Thomas F. McWilliams as Co-Vice Chair and Treasurer and Randal Sandler as Co-Vice Chair and Secretary.