ALS Northwest

Programs

1. Outreach and advocacyALS Northwest provides ongoing financial support to support federal and state public policy initiatives to improve the lives of families living with als, outreach efforts to raise public awareness about als, as well as cutting edge global research working toward an effective treatment and ultimately a cure for als. The organization contributed to a national effort that funded significant projects to understand the cause of als, the disease mechanism, genetics, biomarkers for als, environmental factors, and translational research to move therapy ideas from the lab bench to therapy. Public policy accomplishments during the year ended january 31, 2026, include advocacy of people with als to connect with legislators in washington dc to advocate for continued funding for the national als registry, the als research program at the department of defense, the act for als act and federal support for als research. Awareness events sponsored by the organization include walk als, ski als, ride als, may als awareness month, als research symposium, creation of public service announcements, mission connected social media, and creation of videos that illustrate what als is and…

   $847,879 spentof which $247,937 as grants
   36% of program spending

2. Independence programsto support and empower people living with als to live independently and as fully as possible, the organization provides services that help people with equipment and tools to assist in their daily lives. The medical equipment loan program provides equipment such as manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, bathroom equipment and patient lifts to families for short and long-term loan. Partnering with medical equipment companies across the chapter, the organization fulfilled 429 medical equipment loan requests during the year ended january 31, 2026.the organization also has a unique program to assist families living with als in accessing augmentative and alternative communication (aac) equipment as well as adaptive technology for computer access and environmental controls for people with als. This program provided support, training, assistive and communication equipment loans, technical assistance, and home-based support to 75 families during the year ended january 31, 2026.the organizations financial assistance program is designed to provide help with the high costs of care for families living with als. Over $128,990 in grants were made to 190 families for…

   $565,259 spentof which $120,542 as grants
   24% of program spending

3. Education and support programsstrategically based in and near patients home communities, care services coordinators work directly with people with als and their families to help them navigate management of als as well as access community resources. During the year ended january 31, 2026, care service coordinators made 300 home visits. In these visits, coordinators are often the crucial support people need with guidance on finance, employment issues, insurance questions, social security disability, medicare, medicaid, and long-term are questions. Coordinators facilitated 182 als support groups in person and online. Care services staff also provided professional education for community partners such as hospice, home health and home care agencies to increase their knowledge of als.

   $371,499 spent
   16% of program spending

4. Caregiver support programsthe caregiver support program provides needed emotional support and practical guidance and information support for family and other caregivers of people living with als. With support groups and one-on-one caregiver consultations the organization supported 590 families during the year ended january 31, 2026.the family support program offers information and live support events for families living with als who have children or grandchildren. Our family fun week provided education and recreation to multiple families across oregon and southwest washington. We partnered with the providence als center to sponsor caregiver 101 trainings where family caregivers learned practical skills for caring for their loved one with als.the bereavement program provided support for 500 families who had lost a loved one with als in the last year with mail, telephone, and educational outreach communications to assist family members moving through the grieving process.

   $324,336 spent
   14% of program spending

5. Als clinics and certified center supportto support the highest quality healthcare for people with als, the organization partners with and supports community healthcare providers in offering als specialty multidisciplinary clinics. These one-stop shops are evidence-based models that promote coordinated care for people with als at the providence als center, the va portland health system als center, the ohsu als center, kaiser sunnyside medical center in clackamas, and st. Charles medical center in bend.the organization has assisted with staffing, supplies, and professional education for clinic providers. During the year ended january 31, 2026, the organization supported over 652 clinic appointments for families with als. In addition, the organization provided funding for special projects that funded counseling services and provided ongoing collaboration with the providence als center and the caregiving 101 program. Additional funds were shared to the als center at ohsu to support nursing staffing.

   $253,669 spent
   11% of program spending

The 5 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $2,362,642.