Food Allergy Fund Receives Major Gift from the David Koch Jr. Foundation to Accelerate Research and Treatments for Food Allergies
New York, NY — [November 12, 2025] — The Food Allergy Fund (FAF), the leading nonprofit advancing scientific research to prevent, treat, and cure food allergies, today announced a major philanthropic gift from the David Koch Jr. Foundation to expand research aimed at uncovering the root causes of food allergies and accelerating new approaches for prevention and treatment.
The investment will support two of FAF’s flagship scientific initiatives: the Microbiome Research Collective and the Drug Repurposing Program. The Microbiome Research Collective is a multi-million-dollar, multi-institutional collaboration investigating how microbiome health influences allergic disease and uncovering why food allergies develop. The Drug Repurposing Program—the only global initiative focused on identifying new uses for existing FDA-approved drugs to treat food allergies—is testing whether safe, approved medicines can prevent anaphylaxis, reduce allergic inflammation, and increase tolerance. Together, these initiatives aim to deliver effective therapies to patients within years, not decades.
"Millions of families live each day with the fear that a simple meal could become life-threatening," said David Koch Jr. "We're excited to make this gift to help mobilize the resources to further the impressive work Food Allergy Fund has begun, helping to fast-track research that can turn that fear into confidence and safety."
"Food allergies remain one of the most overlooked and underfunded diseases, even though they impact nearly 10 percent of the population,” said Ilana Golant, founder and CEO of FAF. “This generous commitment will help close that gap and advance effective treatment options for patients."
Food allergies affect 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 13 children in the U.S., with an estimated 350 million people worldwide living at risk of life-threatening reactions. Despite the scale of the problem, research into the underlying mechanisms remains underfunded and fragmented. FAF’s mission is to change that—by convening scientists, funders, and innovators to accelerate discovery.
The David Koch Jr. Foundation's support marks a major step in FAF's broader effort to connect philanthropy and science around a shared goal: turning promising discoveries into treatments that improve lives.
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About the Food Allergy Fund
The Food Allergy Fund (FAF) is the leading nonprofit dedicated to funding cutting-edge research to prevent, diagnose, and treat food allergies—a growing public health crisis affecting 10 percent of people in the United States and more than 300 million worldwide. Through competitive research grants and convening global thought leaders at its annual summits, FAF unites scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs to accelerate breakthroughs. FAF's mission is to create a future where no one has to suffer from food allergies. Learn more at www.foodallergyfund.org.
Media Contact: Amy DiElsi, Director of Communications, amy.dielsi@foodallergyfund.org