Arthritis Foundation

The mission of the Arthritis Foundation is to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. As the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, the Arthritis Foundation is the leading health organization addressing the needs of millions living with arthritis in the United States. Arthritis Foundation efforts center on the three-fold mission of the organization: research, prevention and quality of life. In 2007, the Foundation provided nearly $14 million in grants to more than 200 researchers to help find cures, preventions or better treatments for arthritis. Over its 60-year history, the Arthritis Foundation’s $400 million investment to more than 2,200 researchers has resulted in major treatment advances for most arthritis diseases. The Arthritis Foundation also provides a large number of community-based services nationwide to make life with arthritis easier, including: •Self-help courses •Water and land-based exercise classes •Instructional videotapes •Public forums •A wide variety of free educational brochures and booklets •The national, bimonthly consumer magazine Arthritis Today •Continuing education courses and publications for health professionals Arthritis Foundation volunteers serve as advocates to local and national governments on behalf of the 46 million Americans with arthritis and chronic joint symptoms. Their successes include the federal establishment of a national institute for arthritis among the National Institutes of Health, increased federal funding for arthritis research and state funding for arthritis medications. An Arthritis Foundation telephone and e-mail information service answers questions from nearly 150,000 people per year.