SUMMARY POINTS:
- The ADA is primarily focused on type 2 diabetes (in contrast to the JDRF, which focuses exclusively on type 1).
- Research grant support is only a minor part of ADA resource utilization. In 2015, the ADA generated $182 Million in income, of which only 17% was used to fund research grants.
- 83% of ADA annual income was spent on things other than research, such as publications, fundraising, education, and salaries.
- Only 2.7% of ADA annual income was spent on research specifically for T1D.
- 10-year trends in research funding by the ADA are relatively consistent. "Appendix A" shows the absolute amount spent on research grants over time; "Appendix 'B" shows the percent of income used for research grants.
- Despite the ADA's focus on T2D, fundraising materials continue to utilize images of children which implies a commitment to Juvenile Diabetes/T1D.
This is the fourth annual analysis of the ADA's funding for research. The main purpose of reviewing and sharing this data is to help ensure that the T1D community can make informed donation decisions. The ADA merits review because it is one of the two largest fundraising organization for diabetes in the United States, along with the JDRF.
In preparing the report, the JDCA team reviewed financial data for each of the past eleven years and reviewed all projects funded during 2015. Financial data is contained in the ADA's publicly available IRS Form 990, and project abstracts can be reviewed through the research project database.
