Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America

MISSION

The mission of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

CCFA sponsors basic and clinical research of the highest quality. We also offer a wide range of educational programs for patients and healthcare professionals, while providing supportive services to help people cope with these chronic intestinal diseases. These programs are supported solely through our donors, grants, fundraising efforts, and sponsors

WHERE YOUR SUPPORT GOES

Research Programs—CCFA has provided more than $267 million for research on the treatment and cures of IBD. We fund a set of priority research initiatives: multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, collaborative research projects targeting areas of science with a high probability of advancing treatment. CCFA-sponsored research has led to breakthrough discoveries in the role that genetics and the human microbiome play in IBD onset and progression, and we are establishing the largest research and information exchange ever created to accelerate the development of better treatments and cures. Our grants and fellowships nurture and enable researchers at every stage of their careers.

    Education Programs—CCFA provides information and education for the more than 1.6 million IBD patients and their families through a variety of channels at the national and local level. Our webcasts, support groups, IBD Help Center, and printed materials provide accurate and up-to-date information. CCFA also offers professional education through our professional journal, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, as well as through health professional workshops, and our annual Advances in IBD Conference.

    Support Services—CCFA support services are delivered through local chapters, which offer more than 200 support groups annually, as well as through Camp Oasis (our summer camps for children living with IBD), and a wide range of educational and training programs for communities nationwide.

    Advocacy—CCFA recruits and organizes IBD patients, as well as their family members, friends, caregivers and doctors, to raise their voices and become actively involved in advancing our public policy goals (i.e., better access to insurance and medication) and increased research funding (i.e., National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration). Our Crohn's and Colitis Caucus engages active members of Congress, and our special events (i.e., CCFA Day on the Hill) and special communications campaigns (i.e., IBD Awareness Week, PSAs, etc.) build awareness and support.

    Quality of Care—IBD Qorus™ is CCFA's national quality of care initiative that seeks to identify, implement, and improve standard practices for treating patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The initiative's innovative model of patient-provider collaboration and co-facilitation of treatment is designed to lead to enhanced health outcomes, as well as a better quality of life, for millions of IBD patients.

    Clinical Trials Community—CCFA is educating and supporting patients interested in participating in clinical trials, an essential step in the drug development process, to accelerate time to market and expand the number of treatment options for IBD patients. In addition to patients, our Clinical Trials Community includes gastroenterology professionals and researchers working together to increase clinical trial awareness and improve efficiencies and enrollment.

    Fundraising Initiatives—Essential to CCFA's mission, our ongoing fundraising efforts enable us to fund further research, as well as educational and patient support activities. Last year, we raised more than $80 million through memberships, fundraising events, sponsorships, and other programs. Local CCFA Chapters generate revenue through Take Steps, Team Challenge, spin4 Crohn's & colitis cures and other special events; and innovative commercial partnerships with aligned businesses (i.e., pharmaceutical, nutrition) are providing new sources of revenue to fund mission-critical programming. Find out how you can support CCFA.

THE RESULTS

• Provided a cumulative total of more than $267 million for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research.
• CCFA's 2015 research portfolio included $28.4 million in funding for 192 research projects.
• Maintain and support several professional scientific committees to identify appropriate and effective research projects.
• With thousands of grants and fellowships awarded CCFA has played a role in every major scientific breakthrough in IBD, from generating data that led to new therapies to the discovery of the first gene for Crohn's disease, and breakthroughs in our understanding of the role of the human microbiome in IBD onset and progression.
• CCFA's Clinical Trials Community educates patients and healthcare providers about clinical trials to help accelerate the drug development process.