Mission

Since its founding in 1987, the Association has invested over $17 million in support of its mission: to conquer CFIDS.

CFIDS is a serious and complex illness that affects over one million U.S. adults, more than multiple sclerosis (MS), AIDS or lung cancer. The illness is characterized by incapacitating fatigue, problems with information processing and memory, flu-like symptoms, pain in the joints and muscles, dizziness, nausea, sleep disorders, severe headache and numerous other symptoms.
The Association is proud to lead national efforts in CFIDS awareness and education, public policy and research and we are grateful to those who support our work.

Programs

The Association leads programs in CFIDS education, public policy and research.

We work to build awareness and recognition of CFIDS as a serious, widespread and life-altering illness. We are committed to meeting the varied information needs of people with CFIDS (PWCs) and the other audiences we serve caregivers, medical professionals, members of the media and general public, legislators and public health officials through our website, print publications, free materials and outreach efforts. Our medical education program is helping to improve health care providers abilities to detect, diagnose and manage CFIDS and bring a higher level of care to their CFIDS patients.

Since 1992, the CFIDS Association has maintained a consistent presence in Washington, DC, representing the healthcare concerns and medical research interests of people with CFIDS to policy makers and agency officials. The goals of our public policy program are to shift the burden of funding promising CFIDS research from patients to the federal government, ensure accountability for federal CFIDS programs and increase grassroots involvement in the process of developing federal health policy relating to CFIDS.

The Association has invested over $4.7 million in CFIDS research efforts, second only to the federal government. The Association pursues an entrepreneurial research strategy, funding innovative, scientifically sound pilot studies that often lack the preliminary data required by more traditional grant sources. We also work to improve the quantity and quality of CFIDS research, attract talented investigators to the field of CFIDS science and dedicated clinicians to the care of CFIDS patients.

Through these and all our efforts, the Association strives to speed progress toward better health to all those with CFIDS.