The Denice M Cunningham Foundation is a new fund in the fight against ALS. Denice was my mother, and the fourth member of our family to succumb to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis along with her sisters, Tina and Josie, and her nephew, Edward.
The Foundation is a Fund of Funds, distributing donations to charities and non-profits devoted to ALS research, patient care, advocacy and awareness.
The Foundation will have open donation periods each quarter, lasting 3 months, 4 times a year. Each Donation Period (one quarter) will raise capital for a specific cause, agency, non-profit, or research center. At the end of the quarter donations will be paid out as specified at the beginning of the capital raise. Don’t worry, if you miss a Donation Period we can direct your contribution as instructed at anytime!
The idea behind this Charitable Fund is to act like a private equity or venture capital fund. This makes the Fund more agile and able to send contributions to whomever. The quarterly grants allow for more substantial contributions, as the Fund will work specifically towards one goal for three months at a time.
If you are a non-profit agency devoted to the fight against ALS, providing patient care, family care-taker support, or bio-medical research seeking new cures, therapies, conducting clinical drug trials and the like, then we welcome your request to be considered in one of our upcoming capital raises. Just go to the Apply page and send us a request.
If you would like to make a donation please check out the current donation schedule by visiting the Donate page. At this time the Fund is accepting donations via check or money order. Soon we will be set up and ready for donations via credit card.
My reason for setting up The Foundation in my mother’s name is simple: I now believe I have a vocation in life to do everything I can to advance a cure and treatment for ALS. We are living in an exciting time as genetic discoveries are moving us forward faster than anticipated. I strongly believe that in my lifetime I will see the beginning of the end of this disease, and the next generation will have treatment options available to them. My hope is that future generations will live in a world where amyotrophic lateral sclerosis not only treatable, but avoidable. We have defeated diseases in the past, and I see this as being no different than any other affliction that can be eradicated.
Thank you. And God bless the patients and families that live with this disease everyday, and the caregivers that are on the front-lines of the fight against ALS. – BC
William E Cunningham, Jr. Founder & Chairman
