named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
AFAR Webinars
Hosts educational webinar series featuring experts discussing breakthroughs in aging research, biotech innovations, and lifestyle interventions to extend healthspan.
Amplifying Geroscience Initiative
Leads efforts to promote geroscience research and its societal and economic implications through conferences, publications, and policy engagement.
Ask the Expert Interviews
Features in-depth interviews with leading scientists and AFAR grantees on topics including geroscience, translational research, and mentorship in aging science.
Grant Programs and Fellowships
Funds early- and mid-career scientists through competitive grants and awards to advance research in the biology of aging and geroscience.
SuperAgers Initiative
Supports research into individuals who age exceptionally well, including the SuperAgers Family Study, to identify factors contributing to healthy longevity.
TAME Trial (Targeting Aging with Metformin)
Helps guide the development of clinical trials to test whether targeting aging biology can delay multiple age-related diseases.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
-
Advancing Geroscience Research and Translation 3 activities
- Administering scientific awards, annual meetings, and research impact reportingAdministers scientific awards, conducts annual meetings, and publishes annual reports highlighting the impact of grantees on aging research, such as the 2024 report featuring four grantees.
- Guiding innovative research initiatives in aging biologyLeads and guides research studies including the FAST Initiative, the SuperAgers Initiative, and the TAME Trial, with ongoing coordination of scientific activities and expert input on topics such as economics and bioethics of healthy aging.
- Supporting national aging research infrastructure and capacity-building initiativesSupports the infrastructure of three National Institute on Aging (NIA) initiatives and leads the Amplifying Geroscience Initiative to strengthen collaboration and visibility in geroscience. Also offers the free six-month Research to Impact program for early career investigators to translate aging research for broader audiences.
-
-
Medical Research & Education Dissemination 1 activity
- Co-hosting and hosting educational webinar series on aging and geroscienceCo-hosts and hosts public and scientific webinar series including Live Better Longer with Prevention Magazine, Biotech and Beyond, and briefings with the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center and the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research to disseminate research-backed science on healthy aging, wellness, and next-generation gerotherapeutics.
-
-
Medical Research Funding 1 activity
- Funding grant programs and fellowships to advance aging researchFunds grant programs and fellowships supporting biomedical research on aging, including support for junior faculty at premier research institutions nationwide. The organization has supported 4,539 investigators through its grant programs over 45 years.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$15.86M
Contributions & grants$14.40M91%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1.45M9%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$17.69M
Program expenses93%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$2.55M
Grants paid out$12.88M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$48.39M
Cash$10.11M
Investments$16.76M
Liabilities$18.27M
Net assets$30.12M
Liquid reserves18.2 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -30.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 11
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEPHANIE LEDERMAN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $524K |
| ODETTE VAN DER WILLIK | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 40 | $314K |
| FREDERICA BLUM | FINANCE DIRECTOR | 40 | $227K |
| JOHN CHAICH | COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR | 40 | $198K |
| HATTIE HERMAN | SR PROGRAM OFFICER I | 40 | $177K |
| KELLY WHALEN | DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR | 40 | $160K |
| LEE NUNLEY | STRAT PROG MGR/DEV OFF | 40 | $156K |
| CATHERINE CULLAR | ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER | 40 | $154K |
| STEVEN N AUSTAD PHD | SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR | 2 | $42K |
| SARA E ESPINOZA MD MSC | DIRECTOR | 2 | $4K |
| HARVEY J COHEN MD | DIRECTOR | 2 | $1K |
board members · 14
- ALEX COLVILLE — DIRECTOR
- ALEXANDRA L GATJE — DIRECTOR
- ANA MARIA CUERVO MD PHD — DIRECTOR
- ANDRE BERTRAM — DIRECTOR
- CATHERINE KACZOROWSKI PHD — DIRECTOR
- CHARLES BEEVER MBA — SECRETARY & TREASURER
- DAVID L EIGEN — DIRECTOR
- DAVID SNCLAIR — DIRECTOR
- DENISE LEFEBVRE — DIRECTOR
- GARETH W SHEPHERD PHD — DIRECTOR
- JAMES FICKEL — DIRECTOR
- JAMES L KIRKLAND MD PHD — DIRECTOR
- JAMES MELLON — DIRECTOR
- KEITH E WHITFIELD PHD — DIRECTOR
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- Academy for Health and Lifespan Research Partner — Co-hosts special briefings on gerotherapeutics and healthspan extension
- Cedars-Sinai Partner — Conducts expert interviews with Cedars-Sinai’s Director of the Center for Translational Geroscience.
- Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Partner — Cofunds the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Grants for Junior Faculty and the Glenn Foundation Discovery Award.
- Hevolution Foundation Partner — Features the CEO of Hevolution Foundation in an expert interview series on aging research.
- Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center Partner — Co-hosts webinars on aging and geroscience research
- National Institute on Aging Government — Collaborates with the National Institute on Aging by supporting the infrastructure of three of its initiatives.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Funds three research initiatives for which AFAR provides infrastructure support and leadership.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Provides infrastructure support and leadership for three NIA-funded initiatives.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Supports and provides leadership for three NIA-funded initiatives: the Research Centers Collaborative Network, Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence, and Clin-STAR.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Supports infrastructure for three NIA Initiatives
- National Institute on Aging Government — Supports infrastructure for three NIA initiatives.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Supports initiatives that AFAR helps coordinate and provides funding for collaborative aging research efforts.
- National Institute on Aging Government — Supports the infrastructure of three NIA initiatives.
- National Institute on Aging (NIA) Government — Supports the infrastructure of three NIA Initiatives.
- Prevention Magazine Partner — Co-hosts the Live Better Longer webinar series to discuss science-backed wellness and aging interventions
- Sagol Network Partner — Cofunds the Sagol Network GerOmic Award for Junior Faculty.
- The Jackson Laboratory Partner — Engages with The Jackson Laboratory's Nathan Shock Center through expert interviews and collaborative research dissemination.
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Partner — Collaborates with the UAB Nathan Shock Center through expert interviews and joint focus on the energetics of aging.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Field-Building Through Research Infrastructure and Coordinationmethodology: research_infrastructure_coordinationBy building centralized infrastructure and coordinating large-scale research initiatives, the organization strengthens the aging research ecosystem, because sustained collaboration, shared resources, and strategic leadership accelerate scientific progress and translational impact in a fragmented field.
- Geroscience Framework for Translational Researchmethodology: geroscience_frameworkBy promoting geroscience—the integration of aging biology with chronic disease research—the organization advances interventions that target shared biological pathways of aging, because this framework enables the development of therapies that prevent or delay multiple age-related diseases in parallel.
- Talent Incubator Model for Scientific Advancementmethodology: talent_incubator_modelBy investing in early-career and established investigators through competitive fellowships and grants, the organization drives innovation in aging research, because long-term support for scientific talent ensures continuity, risk-taking, and leadership development essential for transformative discoveries.
- Target Aging as a Modifiable Biological Process to Delay Diseasemethodology: targeting_aging_as_a_modifiable_processBy targeting aging itself as a biological process rather than individual diseases, the organization aims to delay multiple age-related conditions simultaneously and extend healthspan, because addressing root mechanisms of aging can yield broader and more efficient health outcomes than disease-specific approaches.