ROCKVILLE, Md., July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of the American Kidney Fund (AKF)’s continuing efforts to increase living kidney donation, AKF announced today that its Living Donor Assistance Program is now open in Illinois. The program, which aims to remove financial barriers to living donation, provides financial assistance to living kidney donors anywhere in the country who are donating a kidney to a recipient in Illinois, Massachusetts, New York City, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.  

To date, AKF has distributed more than 100 grants to living kidney donors totaling more than $185,000 as part of the Living Donor Assistance Program, which AKF hopes to expand to other areas of the country as it receives additional funding. Living kidney donors who donated a kidney within the 12 months before their application submission date are eligible to receive grants that cover out-of-pocket expenses that often come with donating an organ.  

“Living kidney donors are selfless individuals who save lives,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “They should not have to worry about finances as they prepare for and recover from this incredible act of generosity. We are thankful to the many supporters who have played a vital role in the expansion of the Living Donor Assistance Program—together we will continue to make a life-changing impact and work to make more lifesaving kidney transplants possible.” 

 AKF is able to expand the Living Donor Assistance Program to Illinois because of the generous support of the Friends of David Atkins. The Living Donor Assistance Program, which is also supported by the Sievers Family Charitable Fund, provides grants of up to $2,500 for living donors who either do not qualify for state financial support or who have out-of-pocket supplemental expenses they need covered, such as travel-related and dependent care costs. 

Over 105,000 Americans are on the organ transplant waiting list and over 93,000 of them are waiting for a kidney, with over 3,700 waiting for a kidney in Illinois. Out of the 28,492 kidney transplants performed in the United States in 2024, fewer than 25% (6,418) were made possible by living donors. 

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 96 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. 

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