Push for Progress now one-third to $1 billion goal; I AM ALS continues to push for faster infusion of dollars and make treatments accessible
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — I AM ALS announced a major milestone in its Push for Progress campaign: thanks to our community of advocates and partners, we’ve secured $313 million in funding for ALS research in the 2026 federal budget to accelerate research, improve treatment access, and deliver real progress for people living with ALS.
This means I AM ALS is nearly one-third of the way to our $1 billion federal funding Push for Progress goal, a three-year campaign established in late 2025.
The funding announcement came just before the report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their evaluation of the landmark Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS (ACT for ALS) Act and highlighting its incredible value for patients and the research sector, including both the promise of ACT for ALS and the need for stronger coordination, transparency, and timely execution to fully realize its intent. According to the report:
- ACT for ALS is expanding access to promising therapies at scale: Expanded Access Programs (EAPs) have significantly increased the number, geographic reach, and diversity of people with ALS able to access investigational therapies.
- The law is strengthening the ALS research ecosystem: EAPs are preparing and allowing more clinics to participate in ALS research and increasing the likelihood that sites can serve as future clinical trial locations.
- ACT for ALS is improving how ALS research is conducted: Innovative models piloted through EAPs are generating high-quality data—including from people previously excluded from trials—while informing better, more inclusive trial design.
- Coordination and data-sharing are accelerating discovery: The ACT for ALS public-private partnership has improved NIH–FDA coordination and is building a centralized ALS data portal that will promote open science and speed breakthroughs.
Since its founding in 2019, I AM ALS has helped transform the federal ALS funding landscape: elevating patient voices, building bipartisan champions, and pushing for bold investments that break down silos and speed progress. Our relentless advocacy has directly contributed to the more than $1.6 billion now secured for federal ALS research dollars for a disease long underfunded and a community historically overlooked.
I AM ALS will continue to advance the Push for Progress alongside advocates across the country, urging lawmakers to sustain and expand federal investments until effective treatments—and ultimately a cure—are within reach. Our next milestone is the reauthorization of ACT for ALS. Join us by taking action online: bit.ly/fundALS
For more information about the Push for Progress campaign or to get involved, visit iamals.org/progress
About I AM ALS
I AM ALS is a nonprofit organization leading what STAT News called the most successful patient advocacy campaign this century. We built a community movement to harness collective power and find treatments and a cure for ALS faster, while also creating lasting, systemic change. Our focus is on three areas:
- Advocating for federal policy change to drive research, support, and treatments for ALS.
- Improving quality of life by providing volunteer and support opportunities to advocates and people living with ALS.
- Mobilizing and empowering advocates to raise awareness about ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and increase visibility of the ALS experience.
Learn more at www.iamals.org.
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SOURCE I AM ALS
