Alzheimer Forschung Initiative

What Alzheimer Forschung Initiative does

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI) is a German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1995 and headquartered in Düsseldorf. The organization independently funds Alzheimer's disease research and provides free public information about dementia, serving three primary constituencies: individuals affected by Alzheimer's and their families, scientific researchers at German public universities and research institutions, and corporate partners seeking CSR-aligned engagement. Its core offering is a portfolio of grant programs, including Research Grants (up to €200,000 over three years), Early Career Grants (up to €60,000), Cross Border Grants in collaboration with European partners, and Travel, Publication, and International Training Grants, supplemented by a newly launched Care Research Grant (€500,000 in 2025). Grant applications are managed through the AIMS online platform and reviewed by an independent European Scientific Advisory Board comprising members from AFI, Alzheimer Nederland, and Fondation Vaincre Alzheimer.

AFI's business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. It accepts individual donations (including recurring monthly giving at suggested tiers of €15/€30/€50), cryptocurrency donations, testamentary bequests, corporate partnerships, condolence donations in lieu of flowers, and court-ordered monetary penalties (Geldauflagen). All educational materials, brochures, online courses (prevention and caregiver support), and informational services are provided free of charge. The organization maintains active multi-channel outreach across its website, newsletter, WhatsApp Channel, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and BlueSky, and holds transparency certifications from the Deutscher Spendenrat and the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Stiftung Alzheimer Initiative gGmbH (SAI), extends foundation-level grant-making capacity. Financial details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative

Legal name

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V.

Website

https://alzheimer-forschung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI) is a German non-profit founded in 1995 that funds independent Alzheimer's research through grants and provides free educational resources to patients, families, caregivers, and researchers across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Alzheimer's Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Dementia/Alzheimer’s Care Management & Behavioral Support (HLADALAF), Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes (EDAAAEAJ)

Keywords

• Alzheimer's research funding
• Dementia education resources
• Non-profit medical grants
• Caregiver support services
• Peer-reviewed research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting Alzheimer's research. The organization promotes monthly giving options (suggested amounts of €15, €30, €50).
2. Cryptocurrency Donations: Acceptance of cryptocurrency as a donation method.
3. Testamentary Bequests: Legacy giving through wills and inheritances.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Companies can support the organization through corporate donations and partnerships.
5. Condolence Donations: In lieu of flowers donations made in memory of deceased individuals.
6. Court-Ordered Fines (Geldauflagen): Acceptance of court-ordered monetary penalties as donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. is a German non-profit association that funds independent Alzheimer's and dementia research through multiple grant programs and disseminates free educational information to patients, families, caregivers, and the public. Its grant portfolio includes Research Grants (up to €200,000 over three years), Early Career Grants, the new Care Research Grant (launched 2025), Cross Border Grants with European partners, and Travel/Publication/International Training Grants. Supporting this, AFI provides free online courses on Alzheimer's prevention and caregiver support, downloadable brochures, and a research project database.

Product overview

Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V. (AFI) is a non-profit organization that operates primarily as a research funding body and information provider rather than a technology product company. The core offering is a portfolio of research grant programs (Research Grants, Early Career Grants, Care Research Grants, Cross Border Grants, and smaller Travel/Publication/Training Grants) that fund Alzheimer' s disease research at German universities and institutions. Supporting this, AFI provides free educational resources including online courses on Alzheimer' s prevention and caregiver support, downloadable brochures, and information through its website and social media channels. An online application platform (AIMS) handles grant submissions. A European Research Academy offers workshops for young researchers. The organization also operates a WhatsApp channel for direct information delivery to supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Grants (Forschungsförderung) Annual grant program funding innovative Alzheimer's disease research projects with up to €200,000 over three years, open to researchers at German public universities and research institutions. Applications are reviewed through a multi-stage peer-review process coordinated by the European Scientific Advisory Board.
• Early Career Grants Funding of up to €60,000 for up to two years supporting young researchers who completed their PhD within the last six years and are working on Alzheimer's and dementia research at German institutions.
• Care Research Grant Grant program launched in 2025 for care research projects that improve quality of life for people with dementia and their relatives, funding up to €200,000 over three years. The first project funded in 2025 received €500,000 to develop and validate a training program.
• Cross Border Grants International collaborative research grants operated jointly with partner organizations Alzheimer Nederland and Fondation Vaincre Alzheimer for cross-border Alzheimer's research projects, also coordinated with the BrightFocus Foundation for researchers transferring between funded projects.
• Travel, Publication & International Training Grants Smaller grants supporting conference travel, publication costs, and international training opportunities for dementia researchers at German universities and research institutions.
• Online Course: Alzheimer vorbeugen (Alzheimer Prevention) Free online course providing information about Alzheimer's prevention through healthy lifestyle choices including diet, exercise, and cognitive activities. Open to the general public at no charge.
• Online Course: Hilfe für Pflegende (Help for Caregivers) Free online course supporting caregivers with practical knowledge and concrete help for everyday life with dementia. Available to family members and other caregivers at no charge.
• Free Brochures & Downloads (Ratgeber) Free informational materials including brochures on Alzheimer's prevention, dementia care, vascular dementia, and other dementia types, available for download or mail order to patients, families, and caregivers.
• European Research Academy on Alzheimer's Disease (ERA-AD) Educational workshops and training programs for early-career researchers in the field of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, including dedicated workshop editions (e.g., Workshop 2024 and Workshop 2026).
• AIMS Application Platform Online platform for submitting research grant applications. Letters of intent and full proposals are submitted through this system for Research Grants, Early Career Grants, Care Research Grants, and Cross Border Grants.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alzheimer NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Alzheimer Nederland in the European Scientific Advisory Board for peer review of research grant applications. Both organizations contribute members to the joint advisory board that reviews and evaluates research proposals.
• Fondation Vaincre AlzheimercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench partner organization participating in the European Scientific Advisory Board for joint evaluation of research grant applications. Part of the trilateral European collaboration for Alzheimer's research.
• BrightFocus FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner for Cross Border Grants, enabling joint funding of research projects across borders. Coordinates with AFI when researchers transfer between funded projects.
• Stiftung Alzheimer Initiative gemeinnützige GmbH (SAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 100% subsidiary foundation of AFI, created to support and fund research projects. Operates the SAI funding projects and provides additional grant-making capacity.
• European Scientific Advisory BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advisory board consisting of members from AFI, Alzheimer Nederland, and Fondation Vaincre Alzheimer. Provides independent peer review of all research grant applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alzheimer Nederland: Dutch Alzheimer's foundation focused on research funding, information, and support. Most direct peer to AFI given their trilateral co-operation on the European Scientific Advisory Board for joint peer review of research grants.
• Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft: Germany's national Alzheimer Society, representing self-help groups for people with dementia and their families. Closest in-country peer to AFI with overlapping mission in supporting patients and families, though it focuses on advocacy and support services rather than research funding.
• Alzheimer's Research UK: UK-based charity dedicated to dementia research funding and public information. Direct peer to AFI with virtually identical operating model — donation-funded research grants, free information resources, and awareness campaigns — and overlapping scientific advisory infrastructure.
• BrightFocus Foundation: US-based nonprofit funding research on Alzheimer's, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Direct peer to AFI on research grantmaking and explicitly an AFI partner on Cross Border Grants for international research collaboration.
• Fondation Vaincre Alzheimer: French Alzheimer's research foundation funding scientific research and providing information. Direct peer to AFI through their shared participation in the European Scientific Advisory Board and Cross Border Grants program.
• Hirnliga e.V. German non-profit supporting research on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's. Direct in-country peer to AFI with overlapping mission of funding German-language dementia research and providing patient information.

Regional players

• Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) - Alzheimer Research Panel: Belgian research-funding body that includes dementia-relevant grant programs. Broader regional peer in European disease-specific research funding, though it funds all scientific domains rather than being Alzheimer-specific.

Emerging players

• Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation: US-based nonprofit focused specifically on accelerating drug discovery for Alzheimer's. Comparable to AFI's research-funding function but with a narrower translational/drug-discovery mandate and biotech-industry connections AFI does not have.
• Cure Alzheimer's Fund: US nonprofit funding targeted Alzheimer's disease research with a research-focused, donor-advised funding model. Comparable to AFI in being a focused Alzheimer's research funder but smaller in scale and US-centric.

Broad incumbents

• Alzheimer's Association (US): The largest Alzheimer's disease nonprofit globally, funding research and providing information/support. Directly comparable to AFI in mission (Alzheimer's research funding and information dissemination) but operates at far larger scale across the US with international research programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Alzheimer_eV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AlzheimerForschung
• Facebookfacebook.com/zukunft.mitgestalten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alzheimer-forschung-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/alzheimerforschunginitiative
• Pinterestca.pinterest.com/alzheimerforschung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alzheimer Forschung Initiative