The ALS Association

The ALS Association is a national nonprofit and the world's leading ALS organization, working across research funding, public policy advocacy and care services to find treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It describes itself as the largest private funder of ALS research and the only national nonprofit addressing the disease on every front. Its work is directed at an estimated 20,000 people living with ALS in the United States, where roughly 5,600 new diagnoses are made each year.

Research and clinical management funding, over $138m invested since 1985, is channelled into six areas: identifying ALS genes, understanding disease mechanisms, stem cell research, biomarker discovery, therapy development and the improvement of clinical trials. Alongside global research initiatives, the organisation runs a nationwide network of Certified Centers of Excellence, which provide multidisciplinary care and support to people with ALS and their families, and a local chapter network delivering services across the United States.

A national public policy advocacy programme represents people affected by ALS. The organisation's stated aim is to serve, advocate for and empower those affected by the disease, combining research, policy and clinical care in an integrated approach. Presence is United States-wide, with global reach through its research initiatives.