Helping patients through COVID-19: American Kidney Fund

When COVID-19 hit the United States, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) shifted its priorities, goals, and messaging to become the go-to resource for kidney disease patients—all 37 million of whom are high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19—during this public health emergency.

On March 20, 2020, AKF established its Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF) to provide critically needed financial assistance to low-income dialysis and transplant patients facing unexpected expenses as a result of the pandemic. AKF reallocated $300,000 from its existing budget to provide emergency grants of $250 to patients for kidney-friendly food, transportation to dialysis and other medical appointments, and medications. The need for these grants was so extreme, the original $300,000 was depleted on the first day of the CEF. AKF began an urgent appeal to corporate and individual donors to help raise funds for kidney patients, with 100% of all donations going directly to patients in need, not overhead.

In addition to the CEF, AKF launched an ongoing COVID-19 education campaign in March 2020 to bring vital health education information to this extremely vulnerable patient population, which had previously been lacking in official federal- and state-level COVID-19 communications.

The primary objectives of AKF\'s COVID-19 efforts were to:

1. Provide emergency grants to low-income dialysis and transplant patients via the Coronavirus Emergency Fund

2. Raise funds for the Coronavirus Emergency Fund so grants could be distributed to patients

3. Provide breaking news and up-to-date critical COVID-19-related information relevant to the kidney disease audience via AKF\'s website, blogs, social media platforms, and email.