Our Mission
Why inflammation
Chronic inflammation underlies most of the diseases that shorten and degrade modern life. Cancer. Neurodegenerative disease. Autoimmune skin and joint disease. Inflammatory bowel disease. Different presentations, same biological process – the body’s defense system, scaled up and turned against the body it was built to protect.
The science of inflammation is moving fast. The Inflammatory Disease Research Foundation exists to help it move faster, and to make sure the people already living with these diseases aren’t navigating the cost of doing so alone.
To advance scientific understanding of inflammatory disease, accelerate breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and improve daily life for people living with these conditions today. We do this by funding independent research and by providing direct financial assistance to individuals whose care insurance has failed to cover.
Two programs, one purpose
Research funding
We accept full grant proposals from researchers, clinicians, and institutions whose work targets one or more of our five focus areas. Proposals are reviewed quarterly by the Foundation’s board.
Individual assistance
We reimburse out-of-pocket costs for medical equipment, supplies, and related expenses for individuals with a documented inflammatory diagnosis whose insurance has denied coverage. Because medical equipment generally requires a prescription tied to the patient, we operate on a reimbursement basis rather than purchasing equipment on a recipient’s behalf.
Where we focus
Five categories of inflammatory and inflammation-driven disease:
Cancer
Including cancers with known inflammatory drivers and the inflammatory complications of cancer treatment
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Including the role of neuroinflammation in cognitive decline
Psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions
Including eczema, dermatitis, and related autoimmune skin disease
Inflammatory and immune-mediated gastrointestinal disease
Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease
Arthritis and inflammatory joint disease
Including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and related conditions
Research Grants
Get funding for research
Individual Assistance
Get help with medical costs
Donations
Contribute to the IDRF
The Inflammatory Disease Research Foundation
What we are not
We are not a medical provider. We do not endorse specific treatments, supplements, or products. We do not give medical advice. Our role is to fund research and to reimburse documented expenses – and to do both with as little overhead and as much transparency as possible.