American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is a public charity based in Chicago, Illinois. It supports lung health through research, education, and advocacy, including research awards for scientists and work addressing lung disease, lung cancer, tobacco use, and air quality.
American Lung Association at a glance
In short: American Lung Association gave $13.5M across 51 grants in 2025 (avg $264K), top state Massachusetts. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $13,459,927
- +3.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 51
- +4.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $263,920
- -0.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $201,085
- Total assets
- $225,713,097
- +0.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (9 of 51, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (13% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to American Lung Association
- How to Apply
-
Applications are submitted through the Association’s research-award mechanisms. The Association says applications undergo an eligibility pre-review followed by external scientific peer review. Eligible applicants must conduct research at a nonprofit institution located in the United States that is owned and operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes. Indirect and overhead costs are not allowed. Applicants must certify that they are authorized to work in the United States, and the institution’s signing official must certify that the applicant’s employment is expected to continue through the grant period. The Association says it typically does not make grants outside its funding mechanisms. Its website reports that the process from submission to funding notification takes six to eight months.
- Contact
Mailing address: 55 W Wacker Drive 1150, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (217) 787-5864
Website: https://lung.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
12 open opportunities from American Lung Association
Allergic Respiratory Diseases Award
American Lung Association
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
American Lung Association Allergic Respiratory Diseases Research Award
American Lung Association
Amount
$75,000/year for up to 2 years
Deadline
Deadline not published
American Lung Association Interstitial Lung Disease Research Award
American Lung Association
Amount
$75,000/year for up to 2 years
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who American Lung Association funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Johns Hopkins University ($825K). Together the top 10 received $5.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
256 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 147 grants of 256 (57%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Association’s research-award eligibility information requires the research institution to be located in the United States. Its 2025 grants went to recipients in multiple states; the largest reported shares of grant dollars went to Massachusetts (13%), New York (12%), Illinois (10%), Texas (7%), and Maryland (7%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 51 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is American Lung Association open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 51 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $182K; repeat grants $282K. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $248K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
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 $8.8M (2019) to $14.0M (2023). In 2025 it made 51 grants totaling $13.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | Research | $825,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Research | $790,907 |
| Trustees of Boston University Boston, MA | Research | $600,000 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY | Research | $500,000 |
| Nemours Children Clinic Jacksonville, FL | Research | $474,465 |
| University of Kansas Center for Research Lawrence, KS | Research | $467,495 |
| Duke University Durham, NC | Research | $461,793 |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY | Research | $400,000 |
| Texas Biomedical Research Institute San Antonio, TX | Research | $400,000 |
| The Regents of the University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Research | $400,000 |
Ready to take the next step with American Lung Association?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing reported 51 grants; the 2024 and 2023 filings reported 49 and 48 grants, respectively.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $225,713,097 | $118,682,229 | $116,892,326 | $13,459,927 | 51 | $16,639,792 |
| 2024 | $225,692,916 | $107,743,323 | $113,812,580 | $12,989,701 | 49 | $7,063,670 |
| 2023 | $221,359,539 | $108,589,062 | $112,961,068 | $14,010,932 | 48 | $3,245,323 |
| 2022 | $215,049,116 | $129,392,936 | $101,926,705 | $13,330,378 | 53 | $9,862,711 |
| 2021 | $232,813,823 | $99,575,226 | $98,732,561 | $12,896,910 | 55 | $6,732,235 |
| 2020 | $196,583,744 | $104,443,385 | $106,028,618 | $12,015,131 | 52 | $5,995,176 |
| 2019 | $206,270,532 | $113,224,643 | $102,814,889 | $8,802,215 | 46 | $10,153,150 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Association’s mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy, and research. Its strategic imperatives are to defeat lung cancer, champion clean air, improve quality of life for people with lung disease and their families, and create a tobacco-free future.
Its research funding supports basic, translational, and clinical research, including early-career investigators and disease-specific research. The Association also describes work on asthma and COPD clinical trials through its Airways Clinical Research Centers network. In its other program areas, it advocates for clean-air protections, access to care, and tobacco control, and provides education and support for people affected by lung disease.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Association reported 51 grants totaling $13,459,927. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $825,000, with a median of $201,085. The largest listed awards were $825,000 to Johns Hopkins University for research; $790,907 to Northwestern University for research; $600,000 to the Trustees of Boston University for research; and $500,000 to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai for research.
Other large awards included $474,465 to Nemours Children Clinic, $467,495 to the University of Kansas Center for Research, $461,793 to Duke University, and $400,000 each to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and the Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles. The listed grants were for research.
The grantees’ stated missions illustrate the types of institutions supported. Johns Hopkins University describes itself as a research university with work across fields including medicine and public health; Northwestern University emphasizes teaching, research, and student development; and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai describes its work as advancing science, medicine, and health care. Texas Biomedical Research Institute says it works on scientific breakthroughs addressing infectious disease.
The Association’s research awards are offered through specified mechanisms, including mentored early-career awards, innovation and clinical awards, public-policy research awards, and multi-year awards. Published program descriptions list awards in ranges such as $50,000 per year for up to two years, and $50,000–$100,000 per year for up to three years, depending on the mechanism. The Dalsemer Interstitial Lung Disease Award is described as providing $50,000 per year for two years; the Hasting Innovation Award for Interstitial Lung Disease is described as providing $75,000 per year for up to two years.
The Association announced applications for its 2027–2028 research awards and grants cycle in August 2026. No deadline for that cycle is stated in the available program information. The 2025 cycle dates listed elsewhere are past dates and should not be treated as current.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David G. Hill, MD, as chair; Michael V. Carstens as chair-elect; Cheryl A. Calhoun, CPA, MBA, as past chair; and Mark C. Johnson, CFA, MBA, as secretary/treasurer. Directors listed include Julian Coy, Anne E. Dixon, MD, Afif El-Hasan, MD, Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, Joy Kleinmaier, and Wendy Lawson, MPH, RRT.
American Lung Association is led by Harold Wimmer, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; 15 of 36 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Harold Wimmer
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$500K (2019) → $815K (2025)
David G. Hill MD
Chair
Director → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anne E. Dixon MD
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathon K. Rosen Ba
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sterling Ql Yee MBA
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joe Ochipinti
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Johnny A. Smith Jr Ma
Director
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colleen M. McIntosh Jd Llm
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sean R. Muldoon Md Mph Fccp
Director
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Afif El-Hasan MD
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Lawson Mph Rrt
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Claude A. Robinson Jr.
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Juanita Mora MD
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Sylvia Spriggs CPA
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan B. Padernacht Edd Pcc
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joy Kleinmaier
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Julian Coy
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laurie M. Shelby Ma
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vin Gupta Md Mpa
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allison Hickey
Executive Vice President & Mountain Pacific
Exe. Vice President & Mountain Pacific → Executive Vice President & Mountain Pacific, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$193K (2019) → $219K (2025)
Deborah Brown
Chief Mission Officer
Chief Mission Officer → Cheif Mission Officer, 2022
Cheif Mission Officer → Chief Mission Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$226K (2019) → $303K (2025)
Emily Murphy
Division Senior Vice President & Development
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$161K (2019) → $189K (2025)
Jeff Seyler
Chief Field Officer
Chief Division Officer & East → Cheif Division Officer & East, 2022
Cheif Division Officer & East → Chief Field Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$247K (2019) → $288K (2025)
Laura Scott
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer → Cheif Financial Officer, 2022
Cheif Financial Officer → Chief Financial Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$254K (2019) → $324K (2025)
Neil Ballentine
Chief Technology Officer
Vice President, Digital Strategy & Info Tech → National Vice President & Digital Strategy, 2021
National Vice President & Digital Strategy → Chief Technology Officer, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$149K (2019) → $213K (2025)
Paul Billings
National Senior Vice President & Public Policy
Senior Vice President & Advocacy → National Senior Vice President & Public Policy, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$205K (2019) → $217K (2025)
Sarah Krikorian
Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief Human Resources Officer → Cheif Human Resources Officer, 2022
Cheif Human Resources Officer → Chief Human Resources Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$117K (2020) → $288K (2025)
Sue Swan
Chief Development Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$222K (2019) → $303K (2025)
Susan Rappaport
National Vice President & Research
Vice President, Research & Scientific Affairs → National Vice President & Research, 2022
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$193K (2019) → $202K (2025)
Joenell Henry-Tanner
Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President Governance
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$208K (2023) → $282K (2025)
Anita Oruche
Chief Inclusion & Engagement Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$216K (2025)
Sophie Reeds
Vice President & Digital Marketing
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$185K (2025)
Stacy Dilling
Chief Marketing Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$270K (2025)
Mark C. Johnson CFA MBA
Secretary & Treasurer
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael V. Carstens
Chair-Elect
Director → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
Secretary & Treasurer → Chair-Elect, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl A. Calhoun CPA MBA
Past Chair
Chair-Elect & Director → Chair, 2023
Chair → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (32)
- Former: Rabih I. Bechara Md Fccp (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Stephen R. O'Kane (2019–2024) — Past Chair
- Former: Laurie Shelby (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Lea Gutierrez (2023–2024) — Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer
- Former: Maria Vanegas-Zea (2023–2024) — National Assistant Vice President & Human Resources
- Former: Julia Fitzgerald (2019–2023) — Chief Marketing Officer
- Former: Sumita B. Khatri Md Ms (2019–2023) — Chair Elect & Director
- Former: Felix Aguilar MD MPH (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Larry Blumenthal MBA (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Lewis Bartfield (2019–2022) — Cheif Division Officer & West
- Former: Penny J. Schilz (2019–2022) — Past Chair
- Former: Sally Draper (2019–2022) — National Senior Vice President, Development, Corporate & Foundation
- Former: William Pfeifer (2019–2022) — Exe. Vice President, Governance & Strategic Initiatives
- Former: Victor Waters Md Jd Fclm (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Kathleen M. Skambis JD MBA (2022) — Director
- Former: Cheryl A. Calhoun Ba MBA (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Kathleen M. Skambis Bs JD MBA (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Colleen McIntosh JD (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Sean R. Muldoon MD (2021) — Director
- Former: John F. Emanuel JD (2019–2020) — Past Chair
- Former: Johnny A. Smith Jr. (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Karin A. Tollefson Pharm D. (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Martha Bogdan (2019–2020) — Exe. Vice President & Employee Relations
- Former: Michael F. Busk MD MPH (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Al Rowe (2019) — Director
- Former: Barry Gottschalk (2019) — Exe. Vice President & Midland States Region
- Former: Craig Finstad (2019) — Assistant Vice President & Direct Response Ops
- Former: David Casey (2019) — Director
- Former: Jennifer M. Bazante (2019) — Director
- Former: Linn P. Billingsley Bsn (2019) — Director
- Former: Rita Redaelli (2019) — Exe. Director & San Diego
- Former: Robert K. Merchant Md Ms (2019) — Director
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 $815K, to Harold Wimmer (President & CEO). 15 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about American Lung Association
How much does American Lung Association give each year?
American Lung Association gave $13.5M across 51 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $13.0M across 49 grants.
What is American Lung Association's typical grant size?
American Lung Association's median grant in 2025 was $201,085, and its average grant was $263,920, across 51 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from American Lung Association that year got $182K on average.
Where does American Lung Association give grants?
American Lung Association's top state is Massachusetts, with 13% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (12%) and Illinois (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Boston, MA (5 grants), Philadelphia, PA (3 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does American Lung Association give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 51 grants with a stated purpose on American Lung Association's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Research" (51 grants).
Who are American Lung Association's largest grantees?
American Lung Association's largest 2025 grantees include Johns Hopkins University ($825,000), Northwestern University ($790,907) and Trustees of Boston University ($600,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is American Lung Association?
American Lung Association reported $225.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $118.7M.
What does American Lung Association fund?
The Association’s mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from American Lung Association?
Applications are submitted through the Association’s research-award mechanisms. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is American Lung Association's EIN?
American Lung Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-1632524. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 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
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 26, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 17, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in American Lung Association's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). American Lung Association funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/american-lung-association-morg_5d201ca17847472f944666ad4920d991
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_131632524_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{American Lung Association funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/american-lung-association-morg_5d201ca17847472f944666ad4920d991},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 American Lung Association'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.
American Lung Association down — hundreds of funders to go?