$58 million-funded awards by Hoffman family aim to expand multidisciplinary support for ALS patients nationwide- applications for the 2025 awards are now open

In a major milestone for the ALS community, the ALS Association has announced the inaugural recipients of the Hoffman ALS Clinic Development and Capacity Awards, a pair of new grant programs designed to significantly improve access to multidisciplinary care for individuals living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) across the United States.

These awards are funded by an extraordinary $58 million legacy gift from the philanthropist Hugh Hoffman, whose father died of ALS when Hugh was just 11 years old.

The donation—believed to be the largest single contribution ever made to an ALS organization—established the Hugh and Herbert Hoffman ALS Fund, with a transformative mission: to strengthen ALS clinics, expand equitable access to care, and accelerate the pace of clinical innovation.

“Thanks to this transformational gift, we are able to support clinical programs that have, as their foundation, highly skilled experts dedicated to ALS and who drive innovation and quality improvement,” said Kim Maginnis, senior vice president of clinical programs and outreach at the ALS Association.

The Hoffman ALS Clinic Development Awards aim to establish new Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence and Recognized Treatment Centers, with a special focus on underserved regions.

This year’s development award recipients—Pardee Memorial Hospital Foundation and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences—will receive up to $900,000 over three years to either establish or upgrade clinics to meet national certification standards.

In parallel, the Hoffman ALS Clinic Capacity Awards are designed to expand patient access at existing clinics. This includes increasing the number of ALS-specific clinic days or enhancing telehealth services, which are vital for patients with mobility or geographic limitations.

The Hoffman Fund is not only a philanthropic act—it’s a personal mission. Hugh Hoffman, a reserved yet devoted benefactor, often spoke privately about the “immense pain and helplessness” he felt watching his father suffer from ALS at a time when options for care were few and fragmented. His bequest to the ALS Association reflects a deep commitment to ensuring that future families are met with not isolation, but comprehensive, compassionate, team-based care.

“The ALS Association has established a gold standard for quality of care based on [American Academy of Neurology] Practice Parameters and Quality Standards,” said Maginnis. “We know that a multidisciplinary care model delivered by a multidisciplinary team has a direct impact on patient outcomes. Expanding access to this kind of care is our priority.”

Multidisciplinary care—a coordinated model involving neurologists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, nutritionists, and social workers—has been shown to extend survival, enhance quality of life, and improve overall disease management. Through the Hoffman Awards, more patients and families across the country will gain access to this holistic approach.

Since its founding in 1989, the ALS Association has worked to certify clinics that uphold the highest standards of care. The Hoffman Awards take this mission to an unprecedented scale, seeding the infrastructure needed to make state-of-the-art care available in more communities than ever before.

Applications for the 2025 Hoffman ALS Clinic Development and Capacity Awards are now open.

Interested institutions must submit a letter of intent by August 19, with full proposals due October 21 from selected applicants.

As the first check-bearing recipients celebrate amid confetti and hope, the broader ALS community takes a collective step forward—powered by one family’s loss, one philanthropist’s vision, and one of the most significant investments ever made in the fight against ALS.