Financial support for living kidney donors

Living Donor Assistance Program

The American Kidney Fund's (AKF) Living Donor Assistance Program aims to increase access to living kidney donation by reimbursing living kidney donors in the United States for out-of-pocket costs they incurred as part of the donation process. The program is funded with the generous support of the Friends of David Atkins and the Sievers Family Charitable Fund, who have partnered with AKF in the fight against kidney disease.

This program currently assists living kidney donors who have provided a kidney to a recipient in Massachusetts, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, or New York City. As additional funding from generous donors becomes available, AKF is committed to expanding the program to more areas of need in the United States.

[As a living donor] you don't realize how much you [pay] for parking, meals and gas – as well as wear and tear on your car – until you start adding it up. All of a sudden, it became apparent, and [the grant] really took a lot of pressure off.

- Robin Murphy, kidney donor and Living Donor Assistance Program grant recipient

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Grant Specifics

  • Grants are for reimbursement of out-of-pocket travel-related and childcare expenses incurred by living donors
  • Grants are up to $2,500 per donor 
  • One, lifetime grant available per living kidney donor

Eligibility

  • Open to individuals who donated a kidney within the 12 months prior to their application submission date
  • Kidney recipient’s evaluation and/or surgery took place at a hospital in Maryland, District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, New York City or Massachusetts.
  • Donor incurred out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance or reimbursed by a similar assistance program
  • Donor must permanently reside in the U.S. or its territories
  • Living donor or recipient financial information is not required or considered  when evaluating applicants for program eligibility.

The Living Donor Assistance Program is currently only available to living kidney donors who provided a kidney to a recipient in Massachusetts, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, or New York City. However, this program is growing — if you do not currently meet the location requirements, we encourage you to check back  soon.

Contact Us:

For questions regarding the Living Donor Assistance Program, please reach out to livingdonor@kidneyfund.org.

The Living Donor Assistance Program is made possible in part by support from the Sievers Family Charitable Fund and the Friends of David Atkins.

History of the Living Donor Assistance Program

The Living Donor Assistance Program was launched in fall 2023 in collaboration with Matt and Julia Glazier. Originally known as the David Atkins Fund in honor of Matt Glazier's kidney donor, the program later expanded to New York City and was replicated in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in October 2024 with support from the Sievers Family Charitable Fund.  

Read Matt Glazier's story

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"Julia and I often think about how difficult the donor process is for most people, and how lucky we were to have such an amazing network willing to support us. Our goal now is to pay it forward. We're so thrilled to be able to give back, and are honored to help my kidney patient peers, and the heroes who give them a second chance." 

— Matt Glazier  

About Kidney Donation and Transplant

There are over 104,000 Americans are on the organ transplant waiting list and over 92,000 of them are waiting for a kidney. A kidney transplant can be a lifesaving treatment for a person in kidney failure, and kidneys can be transplanted from a deceased donor or a living kidney donor.

Living kidney donation is when a healthy person donates one of their two kidneys. If the individual has two healthy kidneys, they may be able to donate one of their kidneys to enhance or save someone else's life. Both the kidney donor and the recipient of the kidney can live with just one healthy kidney.

If interested in donating a kidney, the individual will work with a transplant center at a hospital. The transplant center will make sure they are healthy enough to donate, do the surgery, and help them recover.

For more information on kidney donation and transplant, click here.

 

LaVarne A. Burton President and Chief Executive Officer

"Giving an organ to someone in need is one of the most selfless choices a person can make; living donors should not be saddled with expensive out-of-pocket costs after being so generous. We are proud to have helped over 50 living donors to date give the gift of life and we are excited about the potential to grow the Living Donor Assistance Program and ultimately play a part in saving more lives" 

- LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO