Our Mission and Core Values

The mission of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. 

The Foundation sponsors basic and clinical research of the highest quality. We also offer a wide range of educational programs for patients and healthcare professionals, while providing supportive services to help people cope with these chronic intestinal diseases. These programs are supported solely through our donors, grants, fundraising efforts, and sponsors.

Our areas of focus include:

  • Research Programs—The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has provided more than $350 million for research on the treatment and cures of IBD. We fund a set of priority research initiatives: multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, collaborative research projects targeting areas of science with a high probability of advancing treatment. Foundation-sponsored research has led to breakthrough discoveries in the role that genetics and the human microbiome play in IBD onset and progression, and we are establishing the largest research and information exchange ever created to accelerate the development of better treatments and cures. Our grants and fellowships nurture and enable researchers at every stage of their careers.

  • Education Programs—The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation provides information and education for the millions of IBD patients and their families through a variety of channels at the national and local level. Our webcasts, support groups, IBD Help Center, and printed materials provide accurate and up-to-date information. The Foundation also offers professional education through our two scientific journals, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Crohn’s & Colitis 360, as well as through health professional workshops, and our annual Crohn's & Colitis Congress conference.

  • Support Services—The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation support services are delivered through local chapters, which offer more than 200 support groups annually, as well as through Camp Oasis (our summer camps for children living with IBD), and a wide range of educational and training programs for communities nationwide.

  • AdvocacyThe Crohn's & Colitis Foundation recruits and organizes IBD patients, as well as their family members, friends, caregivers and doctors, to raise their voices and become actively involved in advancing our public policy goals (i.e., better access to insurance and medication) and increased research funding (i.e., National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration). Our Crohn's and Colitis Caucus engages active members of Congress, and our special events (i.e., Day on the Hill) and special communications campaigns (i.e., Crohn's & Colitis Awareness Week, PSAs, etc.) build awareness and support.

  • Quality of Care—IBD Qorus™ is the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's national quality of care initiative that seeks to identify, implement, and improve standard practices for treating patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The initiative's innovative model of patient-provider collaboration and co-facilitation of treatment is designed to lead to enhanced health outcomes, as well as a better quality of life, for millions of IBD patients.

  • Clinical Trials Community—The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is educating and supporting patients interested in participating in clinical trials, an essential step in the drug development process, to accelerate time to market and expand the number of treatment options for IBD patients. In addition to patients, our Clinical Trials Community includes gastroenterology professionals and researchers working together to increase clinical trial awareness and improve efficiencies and enrollment.

  • Fundraising Initiatives—Essential to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's mission, our ongoing fundraising efforts enable us to fund further research, as well as educational and patient support activities. Last year, we raised more than $80 million through memberships, fundraising events, sponsorships, and other programs. Local Foundation Chapters generate revenue through Take Steps, Team Challenge, spin4 crohn's & colitis cures and other special events; and innovative commercial partnerships with aligned businesses (i.e., pharmaceutical, nutrition) are providing new sources of revenue to fund mission-critical programming. Find out how you can support the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Core Values

Core values—defined as principles, standards, or qualities considered inherently worthwhile or desirable—are the bedrock of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's organizational culture. They are a pervasive set of understandings about how we work together and treat each other. Clearly articulated values usually answer the question "What is most important to us?" and provide guidance for day-to-day decisions and behavior. Values describe how we go about the business of achieving our mission and vision.

Compassion

  • We care deeply about the well-being of others. We are empathetic and respectful of all our constituents and colleagues. We acknowledge patients’ struggles, while remaining supportive, proactive, and hopeful.
  • We are committed to every child and adult battling IBD. Patients and caregivers drive our unrelenting focus on doing whatever it takes to improve their lives.
  • We strive to put patients and caregivers at ease. Through the support and connection we provide to members of the IBD community, we help build optimism in all our constituencies. 

Integrity

  • We are open and transparent about how we conduct our activities, and are accurate in reporting information and the outcomes of our efforts.
  • We are honest, responsible and ethical in all our work, in order to earn and maintain our constituents’ trust.

Leadership

  • We play a unique and critical role as leader, driver, convener and catalyst in the IBD community. We have the proven strength, experience, and reputation to articulate and realize an inspiring vision and use that vision to create and implement mission programs.
  • Our innovative approach, along with our driven nature and unwavering commitment to IBD patients and caregivers, allows us to pave the way forward.

Collaboration

  • We engage and collaborate with every IBD constituency, because we know that we can only truly achieve our mission by working together.
  • Our partnerships are diverse and innovative, breaking new ground and forging powerful alliances to achieve key mission objectives.
  • Our expertise, objectivity, strong ethics, and integrity make us a valuable and credible partner. 

Inclusion

  • We strive to create a positive culture that welcomes, respects, and values differences while seeking out opportunities to safeguard against inequalities and disparities.
  • We actively seek out people of diverse backgrounds to inform the development of our strategies and activities.