# Breakthrough T1D Breakthrough T1D is an Endowment / Foundation based in New York, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation - **Headquarters:** New York, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** 200 Vesey Street, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10281, United States - **Founded:** 1970 - **Assets under management:** $224M (Altss estimate) - **Website:** breakthrought1d.org - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/jdrf ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Breakthrough T1D was founded in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, establishing a research and advocacy organization that has become the largest nonprofit funder of T1D science globally. Now operating under its renamed identity, the foundation pursues a mission focused on improving daily life for patients while driving toward cures — a dual mandate of incremental therapies and transformative breakthroughs. The institution deploys capital through two distinct channels: a traditional grant-making arm that funds academic and early-stage research, and the T1D Fund, a venture philanthropy vehicle that makes direct equity investments in later-stage private biotech and medical-device companies. The T1D Fund co-invests alongside commercial life-science VCs, with Sanofi Ventures noted as a frequent co-investor, and holds membership in the New England Venture Capital Association. The foundation maintains a cryptocurrency donation portfolio alongside shorter-term operating and long-term investments managed from its New York headquarters. Its geographic reach extends through US chapters and a UK office in London. Governance sits with CEO Aaron Kowalski and Global Board Chair Lisa F. Wallack, supported by a network of volunteer-led local divisions — including a dedicated Central Pennsylvania office. Strategic partnerships with the Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Steve Morgan Foundation underscore the foundation's ability to syndicate large-scale research initiatives, such as the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge. The organization does not publicly disclose its detailed organizational headcount or total number of investment professionals. Breakthrough T1D's structural distinction lies in its hybrid architecture: a 501(c)(3) public charity housing an in-house venture fund that takes equity positions alongside for-profit investors. This design allows the foundation to use returns on successful biotech exits to recycle capital back into the research pipeline — a closed-loop funding model not typical of disease-focused foundations, which more commonly rely on pure grant-making cycles. ## Sectors - Digital Health - Healthcare Services ## Offices - Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, United States - London, United Kingdom ## People - Aaron Kowalski — Chief Executive Officer - Lisa F. Wallack — Chairman of the Global Board of Directors ## Questions ### How does Breakthrough T1D invest its assets to advance research? Between 80–100 words — The foundation operates a hybrid funding model. A traditional grant-making arm supports academic research and early-stage science, while the in-house T1D Fund makes direct equity investments in private biotech and medical-device companies targeting commercial therapies, devices, and diagnostics for type 1 diabetes. By co-investing alongside firms like Sanofi Ventures, the fund applies venture-capital discipline to mission-driven science. Returns from successful exits can be recycled into new research grants, creating a self-replenishing funding cycle that amplifies philanthropic dollars. ### Who runs investment decisions at Breakthrough T1D? The foundation's overall strategy is overseen by CEO Aaron Kowalski. The T1D Fund — the venture-philanthropy vehicle within Breakthrough T1D — is managed by a separate investment team that evaluates and executes equity deals in biotech companies. Because the fund co-invests with commercial VCs and holds membership in the New England Venture Capital Association, its investment committee operates with a professional investor mandate, evaluating opportunities for both scientific merit and potential financial return to the foundation. ### Is the T1D Fund structured as a separate entity from the foundation? The T1D Fund is a venture philanthropy vehicle housed within Breakthrough T1D, not an independent firm. It deploys equity capital into for-profit startups advancing T1D therapies, with the foundation acting as the limited partner. This structure allows Breakthrough T1D to hold board seats, negotiate milestone-based terms, and syndicate with traditional biotech VCs — a degree of market engagement that a pure grant-making charity cannot easily achieve. ### What types of companies does the T1D Fund invest in? The fund targets private life-science companies developing drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health tools specifically for type 1 diabetes. Investments span clinical-stage therapeutics, glucose-sensing hardware, insulin-delivery systems, and software platforms that improve disease management. The fund's mandate covers both disease-modifying treatments and curative approaches, including cell therapy and immune-modulation assets. ### How has the organization's rebrand from JDRF to Breakthrough T1D changed its strategy? The name change to Breakthrough T1D signals an evolution from being a disease-specific funding intermediary to a brand that reflects its expanded role in directly catalyzing commercial therapies. Operationally, the shift consolidates the grant-making and venture arms under one narrative — a research engine that not only funds breakthroughs but actively steers them toward regulatory approval and patient access through market mechanisms. ## Related profiles - [JHM Charitable Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/jhm-charitable-foundation-jhm) - [Nevada Resort Association](https://altss.com/profile/nevada-resort-association) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/juvenile-diabetes-research-foundation-international Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology