AKF's 2025 wrapped: A recap of highlights from our year

We can hardly believe it, but another year is almost over and 2026 is less than a month away! Before we break out the new calendar and say goodbye to 2025, AKF is reflecting on another big year for our work fighting kidney disease on all fronts. Read on for the month-by-month highlights of AKF and our community's work in 2025. 

January

AKF started 2025 off with an exciting new addition to our team: Dr. Pranav Garimella, our first-ever Chief Medical Officer (CMO)! Dr. Garimella is a nationally recognized leader in nephrology and an expert in rare kidney diseases. As CMO, he has provided high-level clinical authority and insight, helping AKF better serve the 1 in 7 Americans living with kidney disease. 

February

On Rare Disease Day (February 28), AKF Rare Kidney Disease Action Network (RKDAN) members stepped in front of the camera to share their experiences living with IgA nephropathy, a rare kidney disease. RKDAN helps ensure that the voices of people fighting rare kidney diseases are heard and amplified — and we are grateful to these three patients for using those voices in these three new videos!

March

To close out our Kidney Month activities — including our annual Kidney Action Week® — on March 30, AKF went out West. Specifically, to Denver, Colorado, where we hosted our first Kidney Action Summit West Coast training. Representing 11 states, 18 advocates learned aspects of advocacy and committed to engaging with their state and federal officials. AKF hosts our Kidney Action Summit in Washington, D.C. every year (see more in our May highlight!), but not everyone can make that trip. This new West Coast event was created to provide this opportunity for those AKF Ambassadors. ​

April

As part of the second annual APOL1-mediated kidney disease (AMKD) Awareness Day, AKF was thrilled to have an article on the topic published in Essence magazine! Featured in the article, AKF Ambassador Emani McConnell-Brent was able to continue her efforts to "make AMKD famous." 

May

On May 7, AKF and 30 Ambassadors were on Capitol Hill to advocate for policies that help protect living kidney donors and people with kidney disease. Over the course of the day, our Ambassadors had 58 Congressional meetings, including six with their elected official in attendance. They met with senators and representatives and key staff members to make their voices heard.

June

AKF launched our third year of the Kidney Health Coach® (KHC) Health Equity Grant program on June 16. Our KHC's are health professionals and members of the general public that AKF provides with the knowledge and tools to educate their patients and community about preventing and managing kidney disease. As part of our Health Equity Grant program, we awarded grants to 18 coaches and eight organizations to help them reach at-risk communities and spread health messaging in chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevention and management. 

July

On July 1, we expanded our Living Donor Assistance Program™ (LDAP) to Illinois! The LDAP provides financial assistance to living kidney donors anywhere in the country who are donating to a transplant recipient in certain states. Grant recipients are given funds to reimburse out-of-pocket costs for living kidney donors that are often a barrier for people who want to donate a kidney. The program started with the David Atkins Fund in Massachusetts. In addition to Massachusetts, the LDAP now covers New York City, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Illinois. The LDAP has awarded nearly $300,00 in grants to living donors to date, including Julianne O'Reilly, Tracey Previti, Robin M., Kafayat Onanuga, Carmen Figueroa and Maura Smith.  

August

In another big first for AKF, we launched our first-ever podcast, "The Kidney Collective™" in August! Introduced as a seven-episode, limited series, The Kidney Collective gives an intimate voice to the many facets of living with kidney disease. Each episode, featuring a conversation with a member of the kidney community, was dedicated to a topic such as slowing kidney disease, crashing into dialysis, navigating mental health challenges, pushing for an accurate diagnosis, genetic testing, home dialysis and being a living donor. Each guest shared their unique experience and what they wish they had known at the start of their kidney disease journeys. All seven episodes are available now — and stay tuned for new episodes in 2026!

September

On Sept. 11, our third annual Rare Kidney Disease Advocacy Day brought 25 advocates, including people living with rare kidney disease, caregivers and health care professionals. Throughout the day, RKDAN members and AKF staff urged lawmakers to support two bills that (if passed) would help people living with rare kidney diseases. By the end of the day, advocates had helped the House version of one of these bills (the Living Donor Protection Act) gain three new cosponsors! 

October

Some well-deserved recognition! At our annual gala, The Hope Affair, AKF honored Tamara Walker as our 2025 Hero of Hope and awarded Matt Glazier, Julia Pepe Glazier and David Atkins with AKF's first Changemaker Award. This newly established award honors individuals who are making an impact by raising awareness and funds to support kidney patients nationwide. The Glaziers and David Atkins received the award for their partnership and support creating the LDAP.  

November

Over 1,000 people registered to join us for our Dialysis at Home event! A key part of AKF's Kidney Health for All® initiative is increasing awareness and usage of home dialysis. As a means toward that goal, AKF held its fourth annual Dialysis at Home event, a free, one-day virtual gathering for patients, advocates, care partners and health professionals to discuss home dialysis. The theme for this year's event was "Your Path Toward an Informed Decision," and featured sessions on adapting to life on home dialysis, recognizing mental health needs when dialyzing at home, overcoming barriers to increase access to home dialysis in underserved communities, advancements in home dialysis care and building a home dialysis community. 

We can't wait to see what's in store for 2026 and are looking forward to continuing our work for (and with) the kidney community!