Celiac Disease Foundation

What Celiac Disease Foundation does

The Celiac Disease Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 21300 Victory Blvd, Suite 300, Woodland Hills, California. Founded in 1998 (per copyright notice), it operates as the leading patient advocacy organization for celiac disease in the United States, serving individuals with celiac disease and their families, healthcare practitioners, academic and industry researchers, K-12 and higher education institutions, and state and federal policymakers. The foundation addresses a condition affecting approximately 3 million Americans and 1 in 100 people globally, with an estimated 70-80% of cases remaining undiagnosed.

The foundation's core technological asset is the iCureCeliac® Patient-Powered Research Network, a digital registry that collects longitudinal health data from celiac patients to support academic research, enable clinical trial recruitment, and accelerate therapeutic development. Additional product offerings include the iQualifyCeliac™ clinical trial qualification tool, an online Symptoms Assessment Tool, a Healthcare Practitioner Finder, virtual celiac and nutrition education classes, the Raising Celiac Podcast, the Eat! Gluten-Free recipe platform, a curated Gluten-Free Candy List, the educational Glutle game, Research Awards and Prizes, and Patient Recruitment Services for researchers. In March 2026, the foundation launched the $15 million Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund in partnership with Triple G Ventures, a first-of-its-kind venture philanthropy vehicle for the celiac disease ecosystem, governed by an independent investment committee.

The foundation operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through tax-deductible individual donations via give.celiac.org (one-time and recurring), corporate sponsorships through the Proud Sponsors program (20+ gluten-free brands including General Mills, Schar, Caulipower, Ardelyx, and Promise Gluten Free), employer matching, gifts of stock, grants, and reinvested returns from the Impact Fund. All services and resources are provided free of charge to patients and families. The foundation holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of transparency, a Charity Navigator 4-star rating, membership in the National Health Council, and approval as a Combined Federal Campaign charity, and is led by CEO Marilyn Geller.

Name

Celiac Disease Foundation

Legal name

Celiac Disease Foundation

Website

https://celiac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Celiac Disease Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating the iCureCeliac® patient registry and a $15M venture philanthropy Impact Fund to accelerate diagnosis, treatment, and a cure for celiac disease. It serves patients, families, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Disease Research

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Malabsorption (Celiac/Short Bowel) (HLAKAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Celiac disease advocacy
• Patient registry services
• Disease research funding
• Gluten-free education
• Health policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodland Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, including one-time and recurring contributions through its website give.celiac.org.
2. Venture Philanthropy Returns: The $15 million Impact Fund operates as a mission-aligned investment vehicle that reinvests any financial returns back into future initiatives, generating potential revenue through exits or distributions from portfolio investments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Celiac Disease Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the iCureCeliac® Patient Registry, provides gluten-free living and nutrition education resources, funds celiac disease research through grants and the $15 million Impact Fund, and runs federal and state policy advocacy campaigns. Its core sellable offerings center on patient data collection for research, clinical trial recruitment services for researchers, and educational programs and tools for the celiac community.

Product overview

The Celiac Disease Foundation operates as a nonprofit patient advocacy organization offering a comprehensive ecosystem of digital products and services for the celiac disease community. The core offerings include the iCureCeliac® Patient Registry, a patient-powered research network that connects individuals with clinical trials and enables data contribution for research; the iQualifyCeliac™ tool for qualifying patients for studies; and the Symptoms Assessment Tool for risk evaluation. The Foundation also provides educational resources including Virtual Celiac and Nutrition Education Classes, the Raising Celiac Podcast, recipe platforms (Eat! Gluten-Free and Recipes), and a Gluten-Free Candy List. In 2026, the Foundation launched the $15 million Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund, a venture philanthropy initiative in partnership with Triple G Ventures to accelerate innovation in diagnosis, prevention, education, and curative therapies. Additional services include a Healthcare Practitioner Finder, Research Awards and Prizes, Patient Recruitment Services for researchers, and the Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Centers Directory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iCureCeliac: Patient-powered research network and registry for celiac disease research
• iCureCeliac Registry
• Team Gluten-Free
• Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund
• Celiac Cruise
• iQualifyCeliac

Products and services

• iCureCeliac® Patient Registry

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of diagnosed patients still report symptoms while on gluten-free diet, indicating need for better treatments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Celiac CruisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for gluten-free travel experiences. The foundation trains cruise staff, prepares educational materials, and provides on-board oversight to ensure safe gluten-free dining for travelers.
• Boston Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership to study celiac disease in children, informing state legislation like the CAPE Act for screening 12-year-olds alongside cholesterol screenings.
• Massachusetts General Hospital for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical research partnership with pediatric gastroenterology team to develop evidence-based screening and treatment recommendations.
• Society for the Study of Celiac DiseasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the annual National Celiac Disease Policy Symposium, bringing together clinicians, regulators, and insurers to align policy for celiac therapeutics.
• Takeda PharmaceuticalsminorOthersSponsor of educational content series raising awareness for celiac disease and supporting foundation's research acceleration efforts.
• Proud Sponsors (20+ gluten-free brands)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood brands including Ardelyx, Promise Gluten Free, Cafe Spice, Caputo Flour, Caulipower, Nairn's, CrunchMaster, Jones, Wasa, Lance, Snyder's, Nature Valley, Cheerios, Chex, General Mills, King Arthur Baking, Bfree, and Schar who sponsor the foundation and are featured on the website.
• ArdelyxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Sponsor featured on celiac.org website
• Promise Gluten FreeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Sponsor featured on celiac.org website
• CaulipowerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Sponsor featured on celiac.org website
• General MillsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Sponsor featuring Cheerios, Chex brands on celiac.org website
• ScharminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Sponsor featured on celiac.org website

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crohn's & Colitis Foundation: Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is a disease-specific health nonprofit focused on inflammatory bowel diseases, with overlapping gastroenterology research, patient registry infrastructure, advocacy, and grantmaking functions. It is one of the closest comparables in scale, structure, and revenue model within the GI disease space.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: CFF pioneered the venture philanthropy model in disease research and is the gold-standard analog for CDF's Impact Fund. It runs a patient registry, funds drug development, and reinvests royalty revenues back into research — directly comparable business architecture to CDF at a much larger scale.
• Susan G. Komen: Komen is a disease-specific health nonprofit running research grantmaking, advocacy, and large-scale fundraising events. It shares CDF's reliance on cause-based events, corporate sponsors, and policy advocacy in a disease-specific mission.
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society: NMSS is a disease-specific health nonprofit combining research funding, patient services, advocacy, and chapter-based fundraising — a structurally close analog to CDF at significantly larger scale.
• Muscular Dystrophy Association: MDA is a disease-specific health nonprofit funding neuromuscular disease research, running clinics, and advocating for affected populations — comparable in mission scope, research funding model, and policy advocacy focus.
• JDRF (Breakthrough T1D): JDRF is a disease-specific health nonprofit funding type 1 diabetes research with a research-driven mission, advocacy arm, and clinical trial recruitment infrastructure — directly comparable in structure and strategic priorities to CDF.
• ALS Association: ALS Association is a disease-specific health nonprofit with national advocacy, research grantmaking, and patient services — directly comparable in organizational shape, donor-driven funding model, and policy advocacy focus to CDF.
• Beyond Celiac: Beyond Celiac (formerly NFCA) is the other major US-based patient advocacy nonprofit focused exclusively on celiac disease. It runs research funding, patient education, and advocacy programs, competing head-to-head with CDF for donor share, researcher partnerships, and policy influence in the same celiac-specific niche.

Others

• PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute): PCORI funds patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research and operates patient-powered research networks that overlap with CDF's iCureCeliac registry mission. It is an ecosystem peer — adjacent enabling infrastructure rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: ACS is the largest US health-focused nonprofit, operating across research, advocacy, and patient services at massive scale. It is a broader-incumbent analog for CDF's overall business architecture, though its scope dwarfs any single-disease nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/celiacdotorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/celiacdiseasefndtn
• Facebookfacebook.com/CeliacDiseaseFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/celiacdiseasefoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celiac-disease-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Celiac Disease Foundation