American Association of Kidney Patients

What American Association of Kidney Patients does

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), founded in 1969 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is the oldest and largest fully independent kidney patient organization in the United States. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating with 1-10 employees, AAKP delivers patient education, advocacy, peer support, and community engagement services to individuals affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis patients, transplant recipients, and their families, as well as healthcare professionals and working-age CKD patients. The organization reaches over one million individuals annually across more than 100 countries through its programs, magazine, and digital channels. Its founders helped create the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program in 1972-73, which has saved over one million lives.

AAKP's core technology and content assets include the AAKP OnDemand video platform (YouTube-based), AAKP HealthLine webinar series, a bi-monthly aakpRENALIFE print and digital magazine with 27,500+ circulation, five e-newsletters reaching 30,000+ subscribers, and embedded third-party patient decision-support tools (Emory's iChoose Kidney risk calculator, Medical Education Institute's My Dialysis Choice). The organization also operates the Peer Mentorship Program (developed with Emory University and Kaiser Permanente Georgia, funded by PCORI), the Ambassador volunteer initiative, the KidneyVoter™ advocacy program, and clinical trial partnerships with multiple pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors.

AAKP's business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue mix combining individual donations (monthly giving, planned giving, Facebook fundraising), paid professional memberships ($45 healthcare professional, $100 physician, $200 institutional, $1,000 lifetime), free patient/family memberships (designed for reach rather than revenue), corporate memberships and tiered sponsorships from pharmaceutical and medical device companies (Ardelyx, AstraZeneca, Bayer, CorMedix, Novartis, Otsuka, Sanofi, Veloxis, Vertex), magazine subscriptions, event registration fees for the National Patient Meeting, Global Summit, and Public Policy Summit, and modest e-commerce sales through the AAKP online store. Distribution leverages direct-to-consumer channels (website, email, mobile apps, YouTube) and institutional channels (dialysis centers, transplant centers).

Name

American Association of Kidney Patients

Legal name

American Association of Kidney Patients

Website

https://aakp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969, serving as the oldest and largest independent kidney patient organization in the U.S. It provides education, advocacy, peer support, and community engagement to CKD patients, dialysis and transplant patients, families, and healthcare professionals across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Management Clinics (HLAKAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home Dialysis Support & Training Providers (HLAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Kidney patient advocacy
• Patient education programs
• Nonprofit membership organization
• Healthcare policy advocacy
• Patient engagement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Free patient/family memberships with premium paid tiers for healthcare professionals ($45/year), physicians ($100/year), institutions ($200/year), and lifetime memberships ($1,000).
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations through various programs including monthly giving (Samuel Orenstein Legacy Program), memorial gifts, Facebook fundraising, planned giving, and general contributions. The organization emphasizes that every dollar supports kidney patient programs.
3. Product Sales: E-commerce sales through the AAKP shop including educational brochures, recipe card series ($15-$25), branded merchandise, and magazine subscriptions.
4. Magazine Subscriptions: aakpRENALIFE magazine published 6 times annually, available as part of membership or separately for $12/year. Also available as $2 sample copies.
5. Corporate Memberships and Sponsorships: Corporate membership program with pharmaceutical and medical device companies including Ardelyx, AstraZeneca, Bayer, CorMedix, Novartis, Otsuka, Sanofi, Veloxis, and Vertex. Includes support for specific programs and initiatives.
6. Event Registration: Revenue from registration fees for the National Patient Meeting, Global Summit, Public Policy Summit, and other programs. Members receive discounted registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

AAKP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit patient organization that provides kidney disease education, advocacy, and peer-support services to people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis patients, transplant recipients, and their families. Its core offerings include tiered memberships (free patient/family plus paid professional, physician, institutional, lifetime, and corporate tiers), the aakpRENALIFE published magazine, educational brochures and recipe cards, HealthLine webinars, AAKP OnDemand video content, peer mentorship, the Ambassador volunteer program, and signature events such as the National Patient Meeting, Global Summit, and Public Policy Summit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Patient Engagement and Advocacy: Center focused on leveraging AAKP's national profile in public policy, patient engagement, and advocacy within federal legislative and executive branches.
• Decade of the Kidney™
• KidneyVoter™
• Patient Voice Patient Choice™
• AAKP Intergalactic™
• AAKP Global™
• Global Kidney Patient Voice™

Products and services

• AAKP Professional Membership (Healthcare Professionals) Annual membership at $45/year for healthcare professionals including academia/researchers, dietitians, nurses, social workers, dialysis technicians, and industry representatives. Includes annual print subscription to aakpRENALIFE magazine, discount on National Meeting registration, CE credits, ability to speak at AAKP events, article submission privileges, and certificate of membership.
• AAKP Physician Membership Annual membership at $100/year for physicians. Includes annual subscription to aakpRENALIFE magazine (1 print copy), 15% discount on bulk orders of educational brochures (phone orders only), and ability to participate as speaker in AAKP programs/events.
• AAKP Institutional Membership Annual membership at $200/year for institutions. Includes annual subscription to aakpRENALIFE magazine (5 print copies), 1 set of printed educational brochures, 25% discount on bulk brochure orders, discount on National Meeting registration for up to 5 employees, CE credits, speaking and article submission privileges.
• AAKP Lifetime Membership One-time $1,000 payment for lifetime membership. Includes annual print subscription to aakpRENALIFE magazine, Life Member Certificate, Life Member Lapel Pin, Decade of the Kidney Commemorative Coin, and discount on National Meeting registration for up to 2 individuals.
• AAKP Corporate Membership Corporate membership program with tiered sponsorship levels (Pioneer, Sustaining, Supporting) for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Includes annual subscription to aakpRENALIFE magazine (10 prints), 5% discount on bulk brochure orders, and CE credits for AAKP National Meeting. Pricing available by contacting Erin Kahle at [email protected].
• aakpRENALIFE Magazine Subscription Bi-monthly printed and digital magazine covering patient education, kidney disease treatment options, industry news, and advocacy content. Available by subscription at $12/year or as $2 sample copies; included free with AAKP membership. Circulation of 27,500+ readers per issue distributed to patients, dialysis centers, transplant centers, and AAKP members.
• AAKP Educational Brochures and Recipe Cards Printed educational brochures and recipe card series ($15-$25) covering kidney disease diagnosis, treatment options, dialysis, transplantation, nutrition, and related conditions. Sold through the AAKP online store (aakp.org/shop) with bulk discounts available for institutional and physician members.
• AAKP HealthLine Webinar Program Webinar-based education series educating patients and family members on kidney healthcare topics from home or office, with continuing education credits available for professionals. Open to members and the public.
• AAKP OnDemand Video Platform Video-on-demand platform featuring policy roundtables, innovator series, and patient education videos accessible to members and the public via YouTube.
• AAKP National Patient Meeting Annual flagship event featuring patient education, advocacy training, awards, networking, and continuing education for kidney patients and healthcare professionals. Members receive discounted registration.
• AAKP Global Summit International conference focused on kidney health innovation and patient-centered care with global reach across 100+ countries.
• AAKP Public Policy Summit Annual policy-focused event bringing together patients, policymakers, and industry for advocacy engagement, including Hill Days and direct legislative outreach.
• AAKP Peer Mentorship Program Structured peer mentorship program pairing CKD patients with trained AAKP mentors for one-on-one peer mentoring connections, aimed at increasing patient engagement and improving well-being.
• KidneyWorks Program Research and policy collaboration program aimed at helping Americans with CKD who are not on dialysis maintain employment and slow disease progression.
• AAKP Veterans Health Initiative Program supporting veterans managing kidney disease within and outside the VA medical system, providing healthcare navigation, peer support, and advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million individuals reached each year through programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Emory UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Emory University to develop the Peer Mentorship Program aimed at increasing patient engagement and improving CKD patients' well-being through peer mentoring connections.
• Kaiser Permanente GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kaiser Permanente Georgia in the Peer Mentorship Program for CKD patients, pairing patients with trained AAKP mentors for one-on-one peer mentoring.
• Medical Education Institute (MEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with MEI to launch KidneyWorks, a research and policy collaboration aimed at helping Americans with CKD maintain employment and slow disease progression.
• American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Health Initiative (KHI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide Understanding Clinical Research guide for patients and caregivers, linking ASN KHI resources to AAKP patient education.
• Serious Fun Children's NetworksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help families find children's programs and camps for kids with chronic illness, including kidney disease.
• Healthcare ReadysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral resource for kidney patients during emergencies and disasters, helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from health emergencies.
• Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCER helps kidney patients with information and resources before, during, and after emergencies. Helpline: (866) 901-3773 or [email protected].
• Corporate Members (Ardelyx, AstraZeneca, Bayer, CorMedix, Laminate, Novartis, Otsuka, Sanofi, Veloxis, Vertex)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate membership program with pharmaceutical and medical device companies supporting AAKP's mission through various sponsorship and partnership levels.
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)secondaryOthersAAKP references NIDDK GFR calculators for adults and children as official resources for kidney function assessment.
• Emory University (iChoose Kidney)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationEmbedded iChoose Kidney risk calculator tool created by Emory University researchers, funded by NIH and Carlos and Marguerite Mason Trust Foundation, to educate patients about treatment option risks.
• Medical Education Institute (My Dialysis Choice)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationEmbedded My Dialysis Choice tool, an online application created by MEI to help patients choose the right dialysis treatment for their lifestyle.
• The Kidney ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeaturing The Kidney Project (Shuvo Roy, PhD, Technical Director) updates on artificial implantable kidney development through AAKP OnDemand video platform.
• CorMedix, Inc.secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in AAKP Policy Roundtables on government determinants of health and patient access to innovations. CorMedix executive Chris Bowlin participates in policy discussions.
• Ardelyx, Inc.secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in AAKP Policy Roundtables with CMO Dr. Laura A. Williams discussing regulatory and payment decisions affecting patient access to innovations.
• CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDC and AAKP launched partnership to limit dialysis-related bloodstream infections through patient education and awareness initiatives.
• Alexion PharmaceuticalssecondaryOthersClinical trial partnerships for CONCORD (AMR after kidney transplant), AUTUMN (primary membranous nephropathy), I CAN and I CAN Junior (IgAN) studies testing ALXN2030, ALXN1920, and ravulizumab.
• aXess (Pivotal Trial)secondaryOthersPartnership for aXess US Pivotal trial evaluating innovative vascular access device designed to reduce infection and reintervention rates in ESKD patients.
• ProKidneysecondaryOthersFeatured in AAKP Innovator Series with CEO Dr. Bruce Culleton discussing PROACT 1 Phase 3 trial testing rilparencel cell therapy for advanced CKD and Type 2 diabetes.
• NaterasecondaryOthersPartnership for DYADS sample collection study to develop non-invasive prenatal genetic screening test for ARPKD.
• HansabiopharmasecondaryOthersPartnership for ConfIdeS Phase 3 trial evaluating imlifidase for highly sensitized kidney transplant patients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Alzheimer's Association: The Alzheimer's Association is a major disease-focused patient advocacy nonprofit with comparable revenue model (memberships, donations, corporate partnerships, Walks/events, magazine, research funding). It serves as a relevant peer for nonprofit operations and patient advocacy strategy.
• American Heart Association: The American Heart Association is a large chronic disease advocacy organization with a comparable operating model (patient education, advocacy, events, corporate sponsorships). Cardiovascular disease and CKD are closely linked, making AHA a comparable patient advocacy and fundraising peer.
• American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is one of the largest U.S. health-focused nonprofits, operating patient education, advocacy, research funding, and donor-driven events. It is a relevant peer for AAKP at scale for benchmarking nonprofit governance and revenue diversification.
• American Lung Association: The American Lung Association is a long-standing disease-focused patient advocacy nonprofit with comparable programs in research funding, advocacy, education, and events. It serves as a relevant peer for benchmarking long-running nonprofit patient advocacy operations.
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society: The National MS Society is a chronic disease patient advocacy organization with a comparable structure (chapters, advocacy, research funding, professional education, fundraising walks, magazine). It serves as a comparable peer for patient advocacy operations and donor engagement.
• American Diabetes Association: The American Diabetes Association is a major chronic disease patient advocacy organization serving an overlapping patient population (diabetes is a leading cause of CKD). It is comparable in business model (memberships, donations, corporate sponsorships, events, education content) and scale.

Direct peers

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a disease-specific patient advocacy nonprofit that funds research, advocates for patients, and operates educational programs. It is directly comparable in mission scope (single-disease patient advocacy), pharma partnership model, and event-driven engagement.
• National Patient Advocate Foundation: The National Patient Advocate Foundation is a patient advocacy nonprofit focused on health policy and patient-centered care for individuals with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It is directly comparable to AAKP in its policy-focused patient advocacy model and federal-level engagement.
• National Kidney Foundation: The National Kidney Foundation is the largest U.S. kidney disease organization, focused on awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease. It is the most direct peer to AAKP, operating in the same patient/community space with overlapping mission, donor base, and corporate sponsorship competition.
• Pulmonary Hypertension Association: The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is a smaller, disease-specific patient advocacy nonprofit offering peer support, education, advocacy, and a research portfolio. Its size and structure closely mirror AAKP, making it a strong comparable for nonprofit patient advocacy benchmarks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@americanassociationofkidne3513
• Facebookfacebook.com/kidneypatient
• Xx.com/KidneyPatients
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-association-of-kidney-patients

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Association of Kidney Patients