$750 billion new initiative for prevention or cure for diseases launched by Lou Weisbach, Dr. Rick Boxer and the Giving Back Fund’s Marc Pollick
The Giving Back Fund (GBF), a global leader in philanthropy and non-profit fiscal sponsorship, today announced the creation of the American Center for Cures (ACC) Foundation, dedicated to eradicating disease though the biggest health research initiative in U.S. history.
The ACC was developed by Chicago-based businessman and philanthropist Lou Weisbach and Dr. Rick Boxer, a 2023 presidential appointee to the National Cancer Advisory Board. The $750 billion initiative targets prevention or cure for diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and certain mental health disorders, plus prostate, breast, brain and pancreatic cancer. Boxer, a three-time cancer survivor, is Clinical Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and former board member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Conquer Cancer Foundation.
“The American Center for Cures promises to become one of the most consequential, life-changing bipartisan efforts ever undertaken,” said Weisbach, a former Chairman of GBF who also served as Director of Prevention & Cures Initiatives for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. “We are proud and excited to partner with The Giving Back Fund to raise national awareness, unite the country behind this mission and urge candidates and office holders from both parties to pledge their support.”
Led by Founder and CEO Marc Pollick, GBF will serve as the fiscal sponsor for the ACC Foundation which is responsible for generating public and bipartisan political support to drive the legislative action needed to enact this historic program. Over the past 27 years GBF has helped launch more than 950 foundations and charitable entities and facilitated more than $1 billion in charitable grants.
“We are thrilled to welcome the ACC to the GBF family of foundations and look forward to being a part of this journey,” said Pollick. “We’ve been to the moon, mapped the genome and created artificial intelligence, so it’s high time we put together the funding, leadership and deadline-driven processes and accountability to cure the world’s most chronic and life-threatening diseases.”
The ACC concept was first introduced in 1999 by Weisbach with support from Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman. The current plan calls for funding through the sale of $750 billion in federal bonds. The interest will be covered by licensing fees to the private sector for new compounds and therapies. The cost savings derived from successful preventions and cures will pay off the bonds at a net savings to the federal budget. By comparison, the government spent nearly $5 trillion on COVID-19 alone.
Fourteen separate entities, each with a $36 billion budget and a six-year target, will focus on preventing and curing specific diseases. A catch-all entity for all other diseases, including orphan diseases, will receive $108 billion. Another $108 billion will fund a designated AI division focused on leveraging the power and impact of AI and advanced data technologies to benefit the other groups.
The ACC is designed to harness the power of American business and scientific expertise to execute a fully funded mandate that will change the world, using a financial model that will be an economic windfall for the U.S. In a time of deep political and societal division, the ACC mission is one that will unite every American in a spirit of hope and faith in our shared humanity.
Weisbach, once a powerful Democratic fundraiser, and Boxer, a two-time runner-up for U.S. Surgeon General in both Democratic and Republican administrations, are already lining up support from influential leaders in medicine, business, sports, entertainment, and politics on both sides of the aisle.
Tom Price, former Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Trump administration, expressed his endorsement. “There was a time when our country accomplished big things regularly,” Price said. “The ACC will restore that mantle for the benefit of all Americans with no net federal financial outlay. This is a visionary public health initiative rivaling any this nation has ever put forward.”
GBF, founded in 1997, currently serves as fiscal sponsor for more than 100 non-profit initiatives throughout the U.S. and around the world, facilitating mission-oriented charitable works for existing organizations, corporations, professional athletes, celebrities, high net worth individuals and others who desire to give back.
The Giving Back Fund is one of the world’s leading fiscal sponsors for non-profits and charitable foundations. For more than 27 years, GBF has facilitated philanthropic initiatives for professional athletes, celebrities, high-net-worth individuals, existing non-profit organizations, private companies and publicly traded corporations. For more information, please visit www.givingback.org.
Lou Weisbach is the founder and former CEO of HA-LO Industries, which he led for 27 years. He was co-owner of the major league soccer team Chicago Power and became CEO of Stadium Capital, a sports finance company for Morgan Stanley.
Weisbach served as Chair of the Jefferson Trust of the Democratic National Committee and as a judge in the White House Fellows competition during the Trump administration. He succeeded Bob Costas as Chairman of The Giving Back Fund and served as the Director of Prevention & Cures Initiatives for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Weisbach is CEO and co-founder of In Tickets We Trust LLC and sits on the board of Justice for Women.
Dr. Richard J. Boxer is Clinical Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. A three-time cancer survivor, Dr. Boxer served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Conquer Cancer Foundation and has been an attending urologist at VA hospitals in Miami and Los Angeles. He has been published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Real Clear Policy, JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and Health Affairs, and served as Chief Medical Officer for numerous telemedicine companies.