About American Federation for Aging Research
To support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research.
Focus Areas
Aging researchBiology of agingGeroscienceCognitive aging and memory lossCareer development for scientists (grants, fellowships)Scientific conferences and meetings
Who They Fund
research scientistsacademic and research institutionsscientific conference organizers
Funding Style
research project fundingconference supportproject-restricted grants
About American Federation for Aging Research
American Federation for Aging Research Inc backs biomedical research aimed at healthy aging, with a clear emphasis on the biology of aging and related fields such as geroscience and cognitive aging. Its recent awards show support for both large university research projects and more targeted training and fellowship programs for students, junior faculty, and postdoctoral researchers. The foundation’s grantmaking includes major awards such as $1,155,485 to Yale University in 2024 and $1,125,000 to Pennsylvania State University in 2024, alongside a steady stream of support for research institutions working on aging-related science. The organization also funds specialized initiatives that connect research capacity with career development. Examples include the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty, both tied to biology of aging work. It also supports Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research through the Small Research Grant Program for the Next Generation of Researchers in Alzheimer's Disease (R03), and offers conference support through the Hevolution Foundation Scientific Conferences Fund. Across these programs, the foundation supports direct scientific inquiry, project-restricted grants, and research training.
What American Federation for Aging Research Funds
Aging research is the core of this funder’s work. It gave $905,000 in 2025 to Rockefeller University for scientific research and $750,000 in 2025 to the University of Minnesota for scientific research, reflecting sustained support for institutional research on aging. In cognitive aging and memory loss, the foundation awarded $750,000 in 2023 to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss, a program for independent assistant and associate professors. For aging-related -omics research, it gave $160,000 to the Sagol Network GerOmic Award for Junior Faculty. Career development is another clear theme. The Diana Jacobs Kalman/AFAR Scholarships for Research in the Biology of Aging provide $5,000 scholarships to MD, DO, PhD, or combined-degree students, while the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program offers short-term research training awards for medical students.
How American Federation for Aging Research Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7M
Total Assets
$42.1M
Total Revenue
$9.7M
Total Expenses
$11.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $56K and $375K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$56K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$375K
Geographic Reach
National30 states funded
About 16% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
STEPHANIE LEDERMAN
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