ROCKVILLE, Md., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and MAVEN Project announced a new partnership that will support primary care clinicians, amplifying AKF and MAVEN Project’s shared commitment to addressing challenges surrounding the early identification and treatment of kidney disease, and the importance of frontline community health center staff having access to up-to-date educational resources to improve patient outcomes.

By working with MAVEN Project, a nonprofit whose mission is to address inequities in health care by connecting providers at safety net clinics with expert physician volunteers, AKF will increase its reach to community physicians, primary care providers and rural health care providers more broadly. These efforts align with the educational goals of AKF’s Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Project, which works to advance understanding and patient care of undiagnosed or misdiagnosed causes of kidney disease and includes outreach and education to community providers. The MAVEN Project will expand its reach to health care professionals who look to incorporate evidence-based materials developed by AKF.

“Working with and supporting health care providers is a critical part of AKF’s efforts to fight kidney disease and help people live healthier lives,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “AKF is pleased to collaborate with the MAVEN Project, an organization that plays a key role in delivering specialty health care to communities with limited access. Our work together will ultimately help ensure that more people with kidney disease get the care they need.”  

As part of the partnership, AKF will develop content for an educational activity for community health centers and safety net clinics and provide subject matter expertise for subsequent educational activities, when possible. MAVEN Project will provide continuing medical education accreditation to health care providers for this educational activity. Additionally, AKF will review and analyze ways to improve MAVEN Project’s existing nephrology content, provide educational resources and materials for MAVEN Project’s network of community health centers and safety net clinic sites, and recruit up to four nephrologists to increase MAVEN Project’s pool of nephrologists available for referrals. In addition, MAVEN Project will submit data to AKF on common themes and gaps in clinical knowledge to help guide the creation of clinical content in the future.

“Frontline clinicians at MAVEN Project partner clinics are dedicated medical professionals working to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients with kidney disease, often in difficult circumstances. The resources, education and referral capacity through our partnership with AKF will help us increase much-needed support to clinicians in the multiple sectors we serve, including Indian health services and federally qualified health clinics,” says Meredith Schanda, chief operating officer and interim chief executive officer of MAVEN Project.

About the American Kidney Fund 

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nonprofit with the greatest direct impact on people with kidney disease. AKF works on behalf of 1 in 7 Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease — from prevention through transplant. AKF fights for kidney health for all through programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy. AKF is one of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and it has received 24 consecutive 4-Star ratings from Charity Navigator as well as the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, formerly known as GuideStar.  

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

About MAVEN Project

MAVEN Project is a 501c3 nonprofit expanding access to high-quality comprehensive health care in under-resourced communities across the U.S.  

It virtually connects its network of volunteer medical experts across 70+ specialties to provide immediate and long-term support for clinicians working in community health centers and safety net clinics — resulting in higher-quality, lower-cost care delivered locally to under-resourced patients.  

Nancy Gregory
American Kidney Fund
(240) 292-7077
ngregory@kidneyfund.org