Why JDRF?

JDRF is the leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world.  It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide.

The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, and can be fatal.  Until a cure is found, people with type 1 diabetes have to test their blood sugar and give themselves insulin injections multiple times or use a pump – each day, every day of their lives.  And even with that intensive care, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $101 million in FY2009.  In FY2009, the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants in laboratories, hospitals, and industry, and fellowships in 22 countries.

JDRF in the News

Charity Navigator
Awarded JDRF its highest rating, 4-stars, for the third consecutive year, and praised the foundation for “execut[ing] its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperform[ing] most other charities in America. This ‘exceptional’ designation . . . differentiates JDRF from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

Forbes
JDRF was awarded an efficiency rating of 92 out of 100 in Forbes Magazine’s most recent annual charity ranking. The accompanying article called JDRF “…a tightly run organization that puts almost every dollar spent to work curing disease….”

The New York Times
“The foundation typically outperforms, in lobbying and fundraising, nearly every other interest group built around a particular disease.”

The Wall Street Journal
“Since its founding in 1970, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has spent some $900 million on research. It has a pile of discoveries to show for it….”

AIP
For the tenth year in a row, JDRF was top ranked by the American Institute of Philanthropy in its most recent survey—the only national diabetes organization to earn an “A” grade.