American Federation for Aging Research

What American Federation for Aging Research does

American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 and headquartered in New York City that funds and advances biomedical research on healthy aging. Over 45 years, AFAR has awarded approximately $225 million in grants to 4,539 investigators, making it one of the longest-tenured private funders of aging biology and geroscience research in the United States. Its programmatic portfolio spans early-career investigator awards, postdoctoral fellowships (Ellison Medical Foundation), career development awards (Paul B. Beeson), the Glenn/AFAR Breakthroughs in Gerontology program, scientific recognition awards, and directed research initiatives including the SuperAgers Initiative, the FAST Initiative, and the TAME Trial.

The organization operates the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program and provides administrative infrastructure for three National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded initiatives: the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center, the Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN), and the Clin-STAR initiative, for which AFAR serves as National Program Office. It also leads the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative. AFAR's scientific leadership includes President Thomas A. Rando, MD, PhD (UCLA), and Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD (UAB), with board members Nir Barzilai, MD (Albert Einstein), Sara Espinoza, MD (Cedars-Sinai), and Sergey Young (Longevity Vision Fund).

AFAR's revenue model is philanthropic: it raises funds through individual donations, foundation grants (notably a $16 million grant from the Hevolution Foundation in December 2023), corporate partnerships, and fundraising events including its annual December 7 Awards Dinner. It does not sell products or services. Grants are awarded to early-career and established researchers at U.S. and Canadian academic institutions through formal application and peer-review processes. The organization maintains 4-Star Charity Navigator and GuideStar Platinum ratings and markets through its website, the EncourAGE newsletter, webinars, scientific meetings, and earned media coverage including a BBC StoryWorks 'Age Reimagined' documentary series.

Name

American Federation for Aging Research

Legal name

American Federation for Aging Research

Website

https://afar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AFAR is a 45-year-old New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds biomedical research on healthy aging, having awarded $225 million to 4,539 investigators. It grants fellowships, administers NIA coordinating centers, and runs the TAME Trial and SuperAgers Initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Aging Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Biomedical aging research
• Research grant funding
• Geroscience fellowships
• Scientific research awards
• Nonprofit research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations and Grants: AFAR operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds aging research through charitable donations, foundation grants, and corporate partnerships. The organization awards grants to researchers and hosts fundraising events including the Annual Awards Dinner.
2. Government and Foundation Grant Administration: AFAR receives funding from organizations such as the Hevolution Foundation ($16M grant) and National Institute on Aging (NIA) to administer research grant programs and coordinating centers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFAR is a nonprofit organization that funds biomedical research on aging through competitive grants, postdoctoral fellowships, and scientific awards to investigators and research institutions. It also operates as a managing center for federal aging research infrastructure and stewards large-scale scientific initiatives such as the TAME Trial, SuperAgers, and the FAST Initiative. Its primary deliverable is research funding and research-enabling infrastructure rather than a product sold to customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFAR Research Grant Competitive grant program for faculty-level investigators conducting biomedical research on aging biology and age-related disease.
• Hevolution-AFAR New Investigator Awards Awards program jointly with Hevolution Foundation that supports early-career investigators in aging research, providing bridge funding for newly independent faculty.
• Glenn/AFAR BIG Awards Co-funded postdoctoral transition awards with the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, supporting early-career researchers in aging biology.
• Clarence Pearson Fellowship Fellowship program supporting graduate students and postdoctoral trainees whose research focuses on aging and aging-related disease.
• MSTAR Program (Medical Student Training in Aging Research) Medical student research training program that provides summer research experiences in aging and geriatrics for medical students across U.S. institutions.
• Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction Senior scientific recognition award presented to a leader whose work has had a major impact on aging research.
• Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research Recognition award honoring an early-career investigator with exceptional promise in biomedical aging research.
• George M. Martin Award Scientific recognition award honoring investigators for contributions to the biology of aging and related biomedical science.
• Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award Recognition award honoring an early-career investigator who has demonstrated outstanding promise in aging research.
• TAME Trial (Targeting Aging with Metformin) Multi-site clinical trial coordinated by AFAR, evaluating whether metformin can delay the onset of age-related diseases as a translational geroscience intervention.
• SuperAgers Initiative Scientific research initiative that convenes studies of older adults who display exceptional healthspan and longevity, with AFAR serving as a coordinating and convening organization.
• FAST Initiative (Female and Age-related Science Translation) Scientific initiative led by AFAR focused on female-specific aging biology and the translation of geroscience findings into clinical practice.
• Amplifying Geroscience Initiative AFAR-led initiative to amplify and connect geroscience research across multiple biomedical disciplines and institutions.
• Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center Coordinating center for the NIA-funded Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, operated by AFAR on behalf of the National Institute on Aging.
• Research Centers Coordinating Network (RCCN) AFAR-managed coordinating network for NIA-funded aging research centers, enabling cross-center collaboration and shared resources in basic biology of aging.
• Clin-STAR Coordinating Center AFAR-operated coordinating center for Clin-STAR, the National Institute on Aging's clinical geroscience research network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 4,539 investigators and awarded $225 million in research grants over 45 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nathan Shock CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR provides leadership and infrastructure support for the Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, a network of NIA-funded research centers. Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, is founding director of UAB's Nathan Shock Center.
• Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR catalyzes cross-disciplinary research across NIA center programs through the Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN), bringing together researchers from different aging-focused centers.
• Clin-STARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR serves as National Program Office for Clin-STAR, a national platform to advance transdisciplinary aging research. Kristine Yaffe, MD serves as Multiple Principal Investigator of Clin-STAR.
• American Aging AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR partners with the American Aging Association (AGE), presenting the Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award at the AAA Annual Scientific Meeting. Thomas Johnson, PhD served on AGE's Board of Directors and became President of its Executive Committee.
• Gerontological Society of America (GSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR partners with the Gerontological Society of America, with the Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award recipient presenting at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting. Thomas Johnson, PhD held numerous leadership roles within GSA and received the Kleemeier Award.
• XPRIZE Foundation / Healthspan XPRIZEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSergey Young serves as development sponsor of XPRIZE Healthspan, with AFAR board members contributing as advisors. Healthspan XPRIZE has raised over $101 million and attracted over 600 teams from more than 40 countries.
• Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFAR is featured in 'Age Reimagined,' a branded content series produced by BBC StoryWorks for GCOA, exploring innovations in aging and longevity through documentary films and illustrated features.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Glenn Foundation for Medical Research: A private foundation that funds basic biological mechanisms of aging research through postdoctoral fellowships and research grants, including the joint Glenn/AFAR BIG Awards. Directly comparable as a peer grantmaker in aging biology.
• Hevolution Foundation: A Saudi Arabia-based foundation dedicated to advancing aging research and healthspan, which awarded AFAR $16M to expand the New Investigator Awards program. Operates as a parallel mega-funder in the same geroscience grantmaking niche.
• Ellison Medical Foundation: Long-standing private foundation supporting aging biology research through senior scholar and postdoctoral fellowship programs. Directly comparable to AFAR as a peer funder of basic aging science.
• SENS Research Foundation: Nonprofit that funds research into the seven hallmarks of aging and rejuvenation biotechnologies. Comparable to AFAR as a peer nonprofit grantmaker focused on translational aging biology, though with a more biotech-oriented portfolio.
• Alzheimer's Association: Largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's research, awarding grants and fellowships across basic, translational, and clinical research. Comparable as a peer disease-area research grantmaker that overlaps with AFAR's Alzheimer's-focused awards.
• BrightFocus Foundation: Nonprofit that awards research grants in Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Comparable to AFAR as a peer nonprofit research grantmaker focused on age-related diseases.
• American Aging Association (AGE): Scientific society that organizes annual meetings and presents awards in aging biology research. Directly comparable as a peer organization convening the same scientific community AFAR serves, and presents the Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award jointly with AFAR.
• Gerontological Society of America (GSA): Largest interdisciplinary gerontology professional society, hosting annual scientific meetings and recognizing aging researchers. Comparable to AFAR as a peer convener and award-giver in the aging research community, and presents the Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award jointly with AFAR.
• Methuselah Foundation: Nonprofit focused on extending healthy human lifespan through tissue engineering and regenerative medicine investments, including the Methuselah Mouse Prize and investment in organ preservation startups. Comparable to AFAR as a peer longevity-focused nonprofit grantmaker.

Broad incumbents

• Buck Institute for Research on Aging: Independent biomedical research institute dedicated solely to aging research, combining in-house lab science with grant and fellowship administration. Comparable as a larger, more research-focused peer in the aging biology ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFARorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Federation for Aging Research