About American Heart Association
To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
Focus Areas
Cardiovascular disease researchStroke research and preventionResuscitation science and CPR educationPublic health education and healthy livingClinical guideline developmentCommunity outreach and awareness campaigns (e.g., Go Red for Women)
Who They Fund
children and school-aged youthfamilies and early care populationsunderserved / community-based populations experiencing food insecuritypeople with or at risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseaseyouth/young people needing mental health support
About American Heart Association
A $75,000,000 One Brave Idea award shows the American Heart Association Inc’s willingness to back large, concentrated bets on coronary heart disease. The foundation pairs that kind of multi-million-dollar research investment with a broad portfolio of investigator support, including research grants, fellowships, and career development awards for cardiovascular, stroke, and related health topics. Its recent grant list is dominated by university and hospital research awards, with repeated support for major medical centers such as Stanford University, the University of California San Diego, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. That mix points to a funder that is deeply embedded in biomedical research while still using multiple grant mechanisms to support scientific talent at different career stages. The organization also funds collaborative structures, including research networks and centers of excellence, which suggests a preference for organized, field-shaping research efforts rather than isolated projects. Across its portfolio, the focus stays tightly aligned with heart disease, stroke, resuscitation science, and connected cardiometabolic and population-health work.
What American Heart Association Funds
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research sit at the center of the foundation’s giving. In 2025, it awarded $9,313,952 to Leland Stanford Junior University for research and $8,341,851 to the University of Pittsburgh for research, both examples of its large-scale support for academic science. The foundation also backs stroke-specific work through formal programs such as the American Stroke Association - Bugher Foundation Centers of Excellence in Hemorrhagic Stroke and the Health Equity Research Network on Disparities in Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes. Its portfolio extends into career development and early investigator support through the Early Career Investigator Research Opportunities program. Beyond traditional biomedical research, it also funds health innovation through the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator, which supports health tech-enabled products, services, and collegiate entrepreneurs.
How American Heart Association Gives
Typical awards cluster from small to mid-sized commitments, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $26,000, and a p75 of $150,000. The recent grants table shows that the foundation also makes much larger institutional research awards when a project is scoped that way, including seven-figure and multi-million-dollar grants. The recipient list is heavily weighted toward universities and medical schools, and several institutions appear more than once across 2023-2025, indicating recurring relationships rather than one-off support only. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, funds individuals is false, and it also makes program-related investments. Several active programs are explicitly non-unsolicited, while others, including EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator and the Health Equity Research Network RFA, accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$593.4M
Total Assets
$2B
Total Revenue
$1.1B
Total Expenses
$1B
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $150K, with a median of $26K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$26K
75th Percentile
$150K
Geographic Reach
National52 states funded
About 6% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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