Press release

American Kidney Fund Announces Major Support from AstraZeneca to Address Health Equity in Kidney Disease

ROCKVILLE, Md. (November 3, 2021) — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced that AstraZeneca is committing a major foundational investment to support AKF's work to advance health equity by addressing racial disparities in kidney failure. With this investment, AstraZeneca deepens its partnership with AKF and provides critical support toward AKF's goal of delivering more equitable kidney care for all.

AstraZeneca's support will allow AKF to develop a platform of programs, resources and policies that tackle health disparities faced by communities of color, who are disproportionately impacted by kidney failure. The partnership will expand AKF's existing relationships with communities of color, organizations that represent and serve these communities and renal professionals.

"Kidney disease impacts people of all backgrounds and demographics; however, people of color disproportionately progress to kidney failure due to inequities in our health care system," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. "AKF is grateful to AstraZeneca for again partnering with us to tackle health disparities and provide kidney patients, especially those in underserved communities, with an equitable opportunity to attain their full health potential."

"AstraZeneca is committed to addressing health disparities and ensuring every patient who is a part of the kidney disease community has an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible," said Martha Orzechowski, Head of US Advocacy and Alliance at AstraZeneca. "We are honored to continue our partnership with the American Kidney Fund on this important effort to help eliminate discrimination from the delivery of health care."

About the American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. One of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, AKF invests 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, earning the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 20 years in a row as well as the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, formerly GuideStar.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.