California Taxpayers Can Now Fund ALS and Neurodegenerative Disease Research through Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- California has introduced a new initiative to advance critical research for ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzeheimer's, and frontotemporal dementia.

California taxpayers can make contributions of $1 or more using code 447 to support the California ALS Research Network Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund on income tax returns: 540 2EZ, 540, 540NR Long or Short Form, and 541, Schedule C. At least $250,000 must be raised annually for the program to remain on the California income tax return form.

"ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases can impact anyone, so it's on all of us to be a part of the solution," said Sheri Strahl, MPH, MBA, president and CEO of the ALS Network. "The tax donation program enables a funding source to support some of the brightest minds in disease research, bridging the gap between the researcher's bench and the patient's bedside."

Established by Assembly Bill 511, the fund gives Californians filing their state income taxes an opportunity to contribute to research projects selected by a world-class Scientific Advisory Committee facilitated by the ALS Network, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting the ALS community via care services, research and advocacy.

About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

• The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from diagnosis.
  
  
• As the disease progresses, people with ALS lose the ability to move, speak, swallow, and, eventually, to breathe – all while, in most cases, their minds and senses continue to function.
  
  
• ALS is not contagious and does not discriminate – it affects men and women of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic communities around the world. 
  
  
• Most people with ALS remain at home throughout the course of the disease and managing the progression of the disease is emotionally, physically and financially draining on families.
  
  
• Currently, there are no known cures for ALS.

About the ALS Network
The mission of the ALS Network, formerly ALS Golden West, is to partner with the ALS community as we drive the discovery of prevention strategies, treatments, and cures for ALS; provide access to quality care and connection; and promote initiatives to improve health outcomes. We connect need with support, questions with answers, thought leaders with new ideas, research to funding, and advocates to challenge the status quo.

For more information about ALS and the ALS Network please visit our website at alsnetwork.org or email us at info@alsnetwork.org. You can also find us across social media channels at @yourALSnetwork.

Media contact:
media@alsnetwork.org
415-967-2572

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SOURCE ALS Network