Meningitis Foundation of America

What Meningitis Foundation of America does

The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA) is a 501c3 nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1997 by David Spilker, headquartered in El Mirage, Arizona, and operating across the United States. MFA's mission is to provide meningitis awareness education, symptom recognition guidance, vaccination information, and direct support services to individuals and families affected by the disease. The foundation serves four primary beneficiary segments: meningitis patients and survivors dealing with lifelong effects of the disease; families and caregivers seeking vaccination and after-care guidance; the general public requiring prevention education; and, secondarily, college campuses where outbreak risk is elevated. Its core products and services are non-technological in nature, consisting of an educational FAQ library on musa.org covering all meningitis variants (bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, non-infectious), a blog addressing survivor empowerment and disease impacts, direct phone-based support delivered by National Secretary Caroline Petrie, and annual community engagement events anchored by World Meningitis Day on October 5th.

Underlying technology is minimal: MFA does not build or sell technology products. Its digital footprint consists of a content website, email newsletter signup, social media campaigns using branded hashtags (#DefeatMeningitis, #105awareness), and standard third-party integrations including PayPal and GoFundMe for donation processing, iGive and Fry's Food community rewards for passive fundraising, and Google reCAPTCHA for form spam protection. The organization explicitly notes that its focus is awareness and support services rather than technology platforms.

MFA's business model is entirely donation-driven. The foundation is registered as a 501c3 charity and generates no revenue from product or service sales. Income is sourced from voluntary public contributions collected through PayPal, GoFundMe, the iGive shopping network (where a percentage of consumer purchases is donated), and Fry's Food community rewards (enrollment code TH007 via the Kroger family of stores). The organization employs 1-10 staff and operates without disclosed institutional funders, corporate sponsors, or grant programs. No financials, funding rounds, or budget figures are publicly disclosed in available materials.

Name

Meningitis Foundation of America

Legal name

Meningitis Foundation of America Inc.

Website

https://musa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Meningitis Foundation of America is a 501c3 nonprofit charity founded in 1997 providing meningitis awareness education, patient and family support, and community outreach. It serves patients, families, caregivers, and the general public through educational content, annual awareness events, and direct phone support, funded entirely by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meningitis Awareness and Patient Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Advocacy, Policy & Rights Organizations (HLAJAKAO), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Meningitis awareness education
• Patient support services
• Nonprofit health charity
• Vaccination guidance resources
• Community fundraising programs

Headquarters

HQ city

El Mirage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation operates entirely on charitable donations from the public. Donations are collected through PayPal, GoFundMe, iGive shopping program, and Fry's Food community rewards. Contributions fund the organization's mission of meningitis awareness, patient resources, and support services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Meningitis Foundation of America is a 501c3 non-profit charity that provides free meningitis awareness education, comprehensive FAQs covering all meningitis variants (bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, non-infectious), patient and family support services via telephone, and community fundraising. The foundation operates World Meningitis Day on October 5th and distributes educational content through its website, blog, email newsletter, and social media. All activities are funded by charitable donations collected through PayPal, GoFundMe, iGive, and Fry's Food community rewards.

Product overview

The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1997, not a technology company. MFA operates as a unified awareness and support platform offering educational meningitis resources, patient and family support services, and annual awareness events. The organization provides informational content through its website including FAQs, blog posts, and community resources, while facilitating donations through third-party payment platforms. MFA's National Secretary provides direct support via phone for vaccination guidance and post-diagnosis care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Meningitis Awareness Resources (FAQs) Free educational materials and information about meningitis including signs, symptoms, causes, prevention guidance, and treatments, covering various meningitis types and their impacts on health.
• Patient and Family Support Services Free support services for meningitis patients and families including guidance on proactive vaccination, after-care support, and educational resources, with direct phone support from the foundation's National Secretary.
• Annual Meningitis Awareness Day / World Meningitis Day (October 5th) Annual awareness event observed on October 5th to raise public awareness about meningitis as a medical emergency that can kill within hours or cause lifelong disability, coordinated with global World Meningitis Day activities.
• Donation and Fundraising Platform Free donation collection infrastructure enabling contributions through PayPal, GoFundMe, the iGive shopping network, and the Fry's Food community rewards program to support the foundation's mission.
• Educational Blog Free blog content covering meningitis variants, their impacts on communities, living with after-effects, and empowering survivors across mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health dimensions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000 Americans affected annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Fry's FoodminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFry's Food community rewards program allows shoppers to support MFA through grocery purchases using enrollment code TH007. This partnership provides a passive fundraising mechanism for supporters who shop at Fry's Food stores.
• iGiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriGive partner network enables supporters to turn daily shopping experiences into donations for MFA. A percentage of purchases made through the iGive portal is donated to the foundation.
• GoFundMeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoFundMe platform is used as the primary donation collection mechanism for the Meningitis Foundation of America, allowing supporters to make monetary contributions to support patients and families.
• PayPalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayPal is used as the primary payment processing platform for online donations to the Meningitis Foundation of America, enabling secure debit/credit card and PayPal account transactions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Meningitis Association: US-based nonprofit focused on meningitis prevention through vaccination awareness, especially among adolescents and young adults. Directly competes with MFA for the same donor base and disease awareness mandate in the US.
• Meningitis Research Foundation: UK-based nonprofit dedicated to meningitis research, awareness, and support. It is the closest international direct peer to MFA, sharing the same disease focus, awareness mission, and survivor support model, though it operates with a larger research-grant component.
• Meningitis B Action Project: Nonprofit founded by parents of meningitis B survivors, focused specifically on meningitis B awareness and vaccination advocacy. A narrower but directly comparable disease-specific peer competing for the same families and donor pool.
• Meningitis Now: UK-based meningitis charity providing research funding, awareness, and survivor support. Comparable to MFA as a dedicated meningitis-focused charity with a similar mix of education, family support, and fundraising operations.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Pediatrics: Professional association of pediatricians that publishes vaccine schedules and conducts broad immunization advocacy covering meningitis. Addresses an overlapping audience of parents and clinicians but with a far broader health mandate.
• CDC Foundation: US-based nonprofit that mobilizes philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the CDC's work, including vaccine-preventable disease initiatives. A vastly larger incumbent in the same public-health awareness and prevention space where MFA operates.
• World Health Organization: The leading global public health agency that runs the Defeat Meningitis by 2030 roadmap and observes World Meningitis Day. Operates on a much larger scale than MFA and is the dominant global authority on meningitis messaging and policy.

Emerging players

• Vaccine Confidence Project: Research and advocacy group focused on maintaining public confidence in vaccines. Operates adjacent to MFA's awareness mission in the vaccine-preventable disease space, with a more research-driven and policy-oriented approach.
• Immunization Action Coalition: US nonprofit focused on increasing immunization rates through education and provider resources. Overlaps with MFA on vaccine-preventable disease awareness but focuses on healthcare providers rather than the general public.

Others

• Shot@Life (UN Foundation): UN Foundation campaign that advocates for global childhood immunization, including vaccines that prevent meningitis. Not a direct competitor but a thematically adjacent advocacy organization operating in the same disease-prevention donor ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meningitisusa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Meningitis Foundation of America