The American Kidney Fund was founded in 1971 to save the life of one person who needed help paying for dialysis. Thirty-nine years later, AKF has become the leading source of direct, treatment-related financial assistance to people in the United States who are living with chronic kidney disease. In 2009, AKF provided nearly $155 million in treatment-related financial assistance to more than 87,000 dialysis patients nationwide.

Grants from the American Kidney Fund fall into three categories:

• Health Insurance Premium Program grants
• Medicare Part D Grants
• Safety Net Grants

The work of the American Kidney Fund goes beyond financial assistance. It is also our mission to provide health education to people with, and at risk for, kidney disease.

Our programs and services include:

• A health brochure series
• A toll-free HelpLine
• Advocacy for kidney patients and those who are at risk
• The MIKE program (Minority Intervention and Kidney Education)
• Educational offerings for renal health professionals
• Clinical research fellowships
• A nationwide art contest and "camperships" for children who have kidney disease

We conduct all of our activities with the highest commitment to financial stewardship, expending 97 cents of every dollar in 2009 on programs and services, not overhead. This stewardship has resulted in AKF consistently being named among the nation's top health charities.