Food Allergy Project and Food Allergy Initiative Merge to Find a Cure
We are proud to announce the merger of The Food Allergy Project and the Food Allergy Initiative. By combining forces, the new organization, which will use the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) name, will represent the largest private source of funding for food allergy research and will serve as a voice for millions of families to call on the federal government and private sources to collaborate in search of a cure. The combined entity has already contributed more than $60 million to basic scientific research and educational efforts.
"For a number of years, FAI and The Food Allergy Project have worked toward a common goal of finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies," said Todd Slotkin, FAI's chairman and president. "After partnering on many important research and advocacy initiatives, our two organizations have now formally joined together with a renewed commitment to bring families affected by food allergies the treatments that we are all so eager to find."
Following the merger, David Bunning, co-founder of The Food Allergy Project, joined FAI's board of directors. He and his wife, Denise, are the parents of two severely food- allergic sons. The Bunnings founded The Food Allergy Project after privately funding research for a number of years and leading local family support groups in their Chicago-area hometown. Since 2006, The Food Allergy Project has championed increased federal funding for food allergy research, resulting in commitments from leading federal agencies for the disease. In addition, the organization and its founders have supported vital research initiatives at leading scientific institutions such as Duke University, Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
View an inspiring video produced by The Food Allergy Project.
"This merger represents the joining together of like-minded parents, advocates and researchers who are committed to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies," said David Bunning. "Our children deserve the right to reach their full potential, and Denise and I are thrilled to merge our organization with FAI to bring hope for a cure to millions of children."
Hugh A. Sampson, MD, professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), noted that the two organizations have played a key role in advancing food allergy research over the past decade. "Food allergy research was very limited until concerned families founded these organizations," he said. "This merger couldn't have come at a more critical moment. In this challenging economy, competition for federal research grants will be more intense than ever. If we want to attract more investigators to the field, they need to know that they have a powerful voice in Washington -- and that substantial funds are available from a sound, trusted private source as well."
The new organization is poised to meet this challenge and to accelerate the progress of food allergy researchers, who are making exciting discoveries. The merger will enable us to expand our efforts to increase public awareness, empower advocates and family support groups, and encourage the nation's leaders to increase funding to eradicate this potentially deadly disease.