Following actions by Congress, the President recently enacted into law the largest Alzheimer’s policy victory in at least a generation. We are deeply grateful to our congressional champions for moving to increase Alzheimer’s research funding by $350 million per year, the largest such increase in history. This action brings the total of Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to nearly $1 billion per year.
CONGRATULATIONS to you and all of the Alzheimer’s Association's advocates who made this happen! This historic victory is a direct result of our combined efforts.
While much remains to be done in research, care and support at the federal and state levels, this historic development speaks directly to the Alzheimer's Association’s power to change the future of dementia on all fronts.
How far we've come:
Five years ago, Alzheimer’s research funding at the NIH stood at
$448 million per year. The now approved FY2016 budget includes a total
of $936 million. This marks more than a doubling since the Alzheimer’s
Association worked with Congress to unanimously pass the National Alzheimer’s
Project Act (NAPA) five years ago this month.
We will always give credit to our congressional champions who ultimately make these developments happen. Those who championed these developments deserve our deepest thanks, and they will hear that from us loud and clear.
But make no mistake. This doubling simply would not have occurred without the work of the Alzheimer’s Association, our advocates and supporters, and our sister organization, the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement. And this accomplishment is all the more remarkable because we succeeded in a period of government austerity when others in Washington advised us that such advances would just not be possible.
Again, thank you. Congress made Alzheimer's research funding a leading priority in this budget because of you!