The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. CCFA was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D.

Our mission is to cure and prevent Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis through research, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases through education and support.

CCFA sponsors basic and clinical research of the highest quality. The foundation also offers a wide range of educational programs for patients and health-care professionals, and provides supportive services to help people cope with these chronic intestinal diseases. These programs are supported solely by contributions from the public. Our areas of focus are:

• Research Programs
  CCFA has provided more than $106 million for research on the treatment and cure of IBD. Most recently, we have contributed to the identification of two regions on chromosomes that contain genes for IBD, and to the discovery of NOD2, the first gene for Crohn's disease.
• Education Programs
  CCFA provides information and education for the more than one million IBD patients and their families through a variety of periodicals (Take Charge, Under the Microscope), books, awareness campaigns, local chapters, our Webcasts, and through our web site. We also reach CCFA's members with exclusive mailings.
  CCFA also offers professional education through Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, our professional journal, and health professional workshops.
• Support Services
  CCFA support services are delivered through its chapters nationwide which offer more than 300 support groups annually, summer camps for children with IBD, and a range of educational and training programs for local communities.
• Fundraising Initiatives
  Essential to CCFA's mission, our ongoing fundraising efforts enable us to fund further research, as well as educational and support activities. CCFA raises more than $30 million annually through memberships, fundraising events, sponsorships, and other programs.