Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a New York, New York-based public charity focused on accelerating the development of drugs to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease. Founded in 1998, it supports research in academia and the biotech industry through a venture philanthropy model.
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation at a glance
In short: Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation gave $16.1M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $699K), top state California. 68% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $16,077,916
- -70.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -11.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $699,040
- -66.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $353,147
- Total assets
- $315,495,637
- +5.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 68% first-time grantees (15 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (40% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Review Cycle
- The website lists December 7, 2026, for invited full proposals under the Drug Development and Neuroimaging and CSF Biomarker RFPs; the LOI date has passed. It also lists the ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program RFP’s LOI and full-proposal dates as passed.
- Deadline
- The website lists December 7, 2026, for invited full proposals under the Drug Development and Neuroimaging and CSF…
- Contact
Mailing address: 57 West 57Th St 904, New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 901-8000
Website: https://alzdiscovery.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
7 open opportunities from Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
ADDF-Harrington Scholar Program Grant
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
Amount
Up to US $600,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Conference Funding
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Diagnostics Accelerator: Digital Biomarkers Program Grant
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Transposon Therapeutics ($5.0M). Together the top 10 received $12.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
127 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 36 grants of 127 (28%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ADDF says it funds academic centers and biotechnology companies around the world. In 2024, the largest shares of reported grant dollars went to recipients in California (38%), Massachusetts (16%), Missouri (13%), Texas (11%), and New York (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation open to new grantees?
68%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 22 grantees (68%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $933K; repeat grants $298K. How we count
Medians: $502K first-time, $353K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $16.1M (2025) to $54.8M (2024). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $16.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Transposon Therapeutics San Diego, CA | Alzheimers Research | $4,995,519 |
| Alzheimers Disease Data Initiative (Addi) Kirkland, WA | Alzheimers Research | $1,881,800 |
| Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO | Alzheimers Research | $1,687,500 |
| Superfluid DX San Francisco, CA | Alzheimers Research | $911,250 |
| Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | Alzheimers Research | $640,000 |
| The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Dallas, TX | Alzheimers Research | $600,000 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL | Alzheimers Research | $599,515 |
| Icahn School of Medicine New York, NY | Alzheimers Research | $598,982 |
| Indiana University Bloomington, IN | Alzheimers Research | $502,277 |
| Emtherapro Decatur, GA | Alzheimers Research | $499,415 |
Ready to take the next step with Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $315,495,637 | $82,162,763 | $47,597,883 | $16,077,916 | 23 | $4,154,966 |
| 2024 | $299,394,693 | $47,282,987 | $88,250,427 | $54,800,524 | 26 | $5,534,433 |
| 2023 | $324,173,528 | $37,742,020 | $61,943,588 | $35,675,288 | 26 | $3,119,933 |
| 2022 | $340,253,841 | $254,027,105 | $36,842,901 | $21,272,540 | 18 | $-2,054,312 |
| 2021 | $116,420,075 | $53,037,104 | $37,126,176 | $35,117,767 | 34 | $206,491 |
| 2020 | $97,381,722 | $27,631,350 | $28,251,909 | $16,790,220 | 24 | $1,230,614 |
| 2019 | $97,175,562 | $22,712,391 | $32,429,304 | $17,292,041 | 18 | $948,041 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
ADDF’s stated mission is to accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Its website describes funding for therapeutic and biomarker development, including early-stage drug studies and clinical trials, biomarker development and validation, and studies of whether drugs affect dementia risk or cognitive decline. Its Drug Development RFP includes novel, repurposed, and repositioned drugs, as well as devices, for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
ADDF supports academic and nonprofit institutions and biotechnology companies. Examples among its 2024 recipients include Johns Hopkins University, whose stated work spans education and research across disciplines, and USAgainstAlzheimer’s, which describes work on prevention, early detection and diagnosis, and access to treatments. The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation describes its work as coordinating with international partners on clinical-trial innovation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, ADDF reported 26 grants totaling $54,800,524. The grants ranged from $9,992 to $10,016,094, with a median of $694,460. The largest reported awards included $10,016,094 to Alamar Biosciences, $7,025,121 to C2N Diagnostics, $5,609,700 to Pharmatrophix, and $5,000,000 each to Coya Therapeutics and Metro International BiotechedEnroc. The filing listed the purpose of these awards as Alzheimer’s research. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 23 grants totaling $16.1 million.
ADDF’s website describes a two-step application process: applicants submit a letter of intent (LOI), and invited applicants submit a full proposal. LOIs are assessed for fit with ADDF’s mission and priorities; invited full proposals undergo external scientific and business review and further due diligence. The LOI requests project details, scientific rationale, specific aims or milestones, and supporting data. Biotechnology companies may submit one LOI and one invited full proposal per cycle; academic institutions may have multiple applicants for different projects. For therapeutic RFPs, applicants may resubmit up to twice if they address reviewer concerns. Under the policy effective in 2026, a full proposal must be submitted in the same cycle as its LOI. ADDF’s website says the current round of its Peripheral Biomarkers and Digital Biomarkers RFPs is closed and that it is no longer accepting unsolicited applications for those programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Howard Fillit as founding executive director and chief science officer. It also lists Adam Hoffman, Alice Shure, Ann Jackson, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, Carol Boulanger, David Weinreb, Gary M. Lauder, and Henrik Zetterberg as governors.
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is led by Mark Roithmayr, CEO on every filing since 2019; 8 of 41 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark Roithmayr
CEO
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$153K (2020) → $682K (2025)
Howard Fillit MD
Founding Executive Director & Cso
Founding Executive Director & Chief Sci. Officer → Founding Executive Director & Chief Science Officer, 2024
Founding Executive Director & Chief Science Officer → Founding Executive Director & Cso, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$426K (2019) → $692K (2025)
Laura Nisenbaum
Executive Director & Drug Development
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$430K (2022) → $496K (2025)
Ronald S. Lauder
Co-Chairman & Governor
Co-Chair & Governor → Co-Chairman & Governor, 2022
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eli Shobin
Senior Director Dxa
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$236K (2024) → $330K (2025)
Karen Harris
CFO & Head of Mission-Rel. Investing
CFO & Head of Mission → CFO & Head of Mission Related Investment, 2024
CFO & Head of Mission Related Investment → CFO & Head of Mission-Rel. Investing, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$110K (2021) → $385K (2025)
Jane McIntosh
Chief Ext. Affairs & Philanthropy Officer
Chief External Affairs & Philanthropy Officer → Chief External Affairs, 2023
Chief External Affairs → Chief Ext. Affairs & Philanthropy Officer, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$310K (2022) → $395K (2025)
Aaron Burstein
Head of Search & Eval.
Head of Search & Evaluation → Head of Search & Eval., 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$302K (2023) → $360K (2025)
Pizzone Kathryn D.
Atty. & Mission-Rel. Investment
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$219K (2025)
Alice Shure
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bonnie Pfeifer Evans
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary M. Lauder
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lanny Edelsohn MD
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
LAURENCE C LEEDS Jr.
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leonard A. Lauder
Co-Chair & Governor
Co-Chair & Governor → Co-Chairman & Governor, 2022
Co-Chairman & Governor → Co-Chair & Governor, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Corzine
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Goodes
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paula Zahn
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Randal Sandler
Co-Vice Chair & Secretary
Co-Vice Chairman, Secretary & Governor → Co-Vice Chairman & Secretary, 2023
Co-Vice Chairman & Secretary → Co-Vice Chair & Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard C. Mohs
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert A. Belfer
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Roberta Diaz Brinton PhD
Governor
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas F. McWilliams
Co-Vice Chairman & Treasurer
Governor → Co-Vice Chairman, Treasurer & Governor, 2022
Co-Vice Chairman, Treasurer & Governor → Co-Vice Chairman & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David R. Weinreb
Governor
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sharon T. Sager
Governor
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Miia Kivipelto MD PhD
Governor
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sally Susman
Governor
Governor → Honorary Governor, 2022
Honorary Governor → Governor, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas S. Smith Jr.
Governor
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Hoffman
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ann Jackson
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carol Boulanger
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Henrik Zetterberg MD PhD
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julieann Shanahan CFA
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Steele
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Niranjan Bose PhD
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Philip Scheltens MD PhD
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rachid Izzar
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ric Edelman
Governor
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Dolby
Governor
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gavin Cook
Governor
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (20)
- Former: Lakita Cavin (2023–2024) — Attorney & Mission-Related
- Former: Sandra Day O'Connor (2020–2023) — Honorary Chairman
- Former: Beatriz Illescas Putzeys-Claugus (2022–2023) — Governor
- Former: Melvin Goodes (2022–2023) — Honorary Governor
- Former: Christopher Carlson (2023) — Director, Search & Evaluation
- Former: Jennifer S. Iselin (2022) — Director & Special Events
- Former: Marina D'emic (2022) — Director of Finance
- Former: Sarah Giardina (2022) — Associate Director & Dxa
- Former: Beatriz Iiiescas (2020–2021) — Governor
- Former: Mel Goodes (2020–2021) — Governor
- Former: Shobha Prushothama (2020–2021) — Scientist
- Former: Giorgio Zeolla (2021) — Director
- Former: Janie Shissler (2021) — Scientist
- Former: Mark Forman (2021) — Scientist
- Former: BRUCE McEWEN PhD (2019–2020) — Governor
- Former: Kevin Dieterich (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Lisa Somar (2019–2020) — Assistant Treasurer & Secretary
- Former: Lauren Friedman (2020) — Scientist
- Former: Yuko Hara (2020) — Scientist
- Former: Steven Marc Paul MD (2019) — Governor
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $692K, to Howard Fillit MD (Founding Ed & CSO). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
How much does Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation give each year?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation gave $16.1M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $54.8M across 26 grants.
What is Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's typical grant size?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $353,147, and its average grant was $699,040, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation that year got $933K on average.
Where does Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation give grants?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's top state is California, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Washington (12%) and Missouri (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Stanford, CA (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Alzheimers Research" (23 grants).
Who are Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's largest grantees?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Transposon Therapeutics ($4,995,519), Alzheimers Disease Data Initiative (Addi) ($1,881,800) and Washington University in St Louis ($1,687,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation reported $315.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $82.2M.
What does Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation fund?
ADDF’s stated mission is to accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check alzdiscovery.org for any change to that policy.
What is Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's EIN?
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1082179. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 18, 2026)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS November 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/alzheimer-s-drug-discovery-foundation-morg_ad9e8ac1bfcb49ff96985f74ecaeb1ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201082179_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/alzheimer-s-drug-discovery-foundation-morg_ad9e8ac1bfcb49ff96985f74ecaeb1ad},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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