Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a nonprofit founded in 1955, based in Bethesda, Maryland, recognized as the world's leader in the search for a cure for CF. It funds research through two distinct channels: conventional academic research grants and its pioneering venture philanthropy model. Its traditional grant programs, including Pilot and Feasibility, Clinical Pilot and Feasibility, and Clinical Research Awards, fund academic investigators pursuing CF-relevant research, functioning like standard foundation grants to individual researchers and institutions. Through its nonprofit drug-discovery affiliate, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics (CFFT), the Foundation also places capital directly into for-profit drug-development programs in exchange for royalty or milestone rights, looking for companies holding the most promise for delivering breakthrough treatments across the full range of CF-causing mutations. This model funded Vertex's development of Kalydeco, generating over $4 billion in returns from an original $150 million investment, most of which is reinvested into further drug discovery. CFF's grantmaking targets programs addressing the underlying cause of CF, including genetic therapies, gene-editing and gene-addition approaches, and treatments for mutations not yet served by existing CFTR modulators. In addition to capital, it offers negotiated deal structuring, reduced financial risk for pharmaceutical and biotech partners, and reinvestment of returns to sustain a continuous pipeline of CF-focused drug development.