2010 Accomplishments of the REF

2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the ACR Research and Education Foundation.We are very proud to reach this milestone and very excited about the future of the foundation. Because of ACR member support, and ACR and REF leadership and dedication to the future of rheumatology, the REF is now the second largest funding source of rheumatology research and training programs in the U.S.

2010 also marked the beginning of a new strategic plan. The plan itself focuses on strategies and objectives that will continue to advance research and training to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases.

Continuing to Foster and Provide Financial Support for Career Development
As a goal, the REF will strive to fund 100 percent of core awards applications that achieve "outstanding" ratings in the peer review process. In the peer review process, applications are ranked on a scale similar to the National Institutes of Health. Applications that receive a score within the highest range are considered to be "outstanding." It is the REF's goal to be able to fund 100% of applicants who achieve this high honor.

In July 2010, REF core awards and grants provided more than 150 physicians, researchers, health care professionals, students and institutions with over $4.5 million in funding. This represents a 75 percent acceptance rate for those applications which received outstanding scores.

To ensure these awards are funding in perpetuity, the REF continued to contribute to the REF General Endowment to grow the fund to $25 million by 2012. As of November 30, 2010, the REF general endowment was valued at $19.4 million.

Maintaining Commitment to Rheumatic Disease-Targeted Research
In addition to an extensive portfolio of research, education and training awards, the REF's Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign continued to fund novel approaches in RA research. This campaign is focused on accelerating innovative RA research not normally funded by the National Institutes of Health or other peer-reviewed funding sources.

The fourth round of Within Our Reach grants totaling $6 million were awarded in July 2010 and included a new category called Collaborative Projects. These collaborative projects are multi-site, multi-investigator interdisciplinary collaborative projects and are needed to address research questions that are beyond the capacity of any investigation conducted at a single institution. This program aims to support multidisciplinary research that brings together researchers from different disciplines to focus on a circumscribed problem. Combining particular aspects of different disciplines to develop entirely new ways to approach disease targeted research is increasingly important in order to create and apply new knowledge to the field of RA. Since 2007, fifty-four Within Our Reach grants have been funded, totaling $24 million.Additionally, the REF hosted the third Within Our Reach Investigators' Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas.

Increasing Support for the Foundation
As part of the new strategic plan the foundation has several objectives related to diversifying funds. In fiscal year 2010, the foundation received more than $3.2 million from non-pharmaceutical sources which represents more than 40 percent of the REF's income.

The REF also receives funds through its annual giving campaign. Gifts to the REF Annual Giving Campaign support an extensive awards program that provides research, education and training opportunities for individuals and institutional grant recipients. The REF is excited to report 16.8 percent of funds raised for core awards and grants came from first-time donors, either through ACR membership or from the community-at-large.

REF Industry Roundtable members continued to strengthen the national rheumatology training environment through their ongoing support of the REF Education and Training Awards through the core awards and grants program.

Ensuring Organizational Efficiency
As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support. The ability of the REF to maintain this trust is evidenced by its second consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator.Only 20 percent of the charities rated by Charity Navigator have received a four-star rating two consecutive years, indicating that American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in the U.S.

On average, 90 cents of every dollar donated to the REF directly supports its awards and grants program to recruit and train the next generation of rheumatologists, as well as fund cutting-edge research in the area of rheumatic diseases.

View a brief video highlighting REF leaders, award recipients and donors—the many faces and different perspectives that make the REF so unique. Learn about the REF story which is one of success and hope.

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