General Information
The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide “seed” money for cutting edge, high impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimer’s disease.

The goal of the Fund is to encourage exploratory and developmental AD research projects within the United States. This is accomplished by providing financial support for the early and conceptual plans of those projects that may not yet be supported by extensive preliminary data but have the potential to substantially advance biomedical research. These projects should be distinct from those designed to increase knowledge in a well established area unless they intend to extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications.

Started in one SC Rotary club in district 7770 in 1995 by a Rotarian named Roger Ackerman (Sumter, SC), CART has been adopted to-date by 23 Rotary districts in the United States. Assistance from the American Federation of Aging Research was invaluable in validating CART as a legitimate funding source for Alzheimer’s research.

• • CART Fund by-laws require that 100% of all donated funds must go to A.D. research.

• • All contributions are tax deductible. CART is a 501(c)(3) organizations. Tax ID # is 31-1466051.

From the beginning, CART has been a novel fundraising program. Rotarians are encouraged to voluntarily empty their pockets and purses of change, or whatever amount they choose, whenever they attend a Rotary meeting. While the name “CART” stands for “Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust,” we also welcome contributions of currency, checks or credit cards.  As of May 2020, more than $9.2 million in grants have been awarded to 55 different research institutions.

The CART Fund Board of Directors is made up of representatives from the sponsoring Rotary Districts, where both the district governor nominee and the district CART Chair are voting members. The Executive committee, chaired by the CART Board president, provides the leadership for the organization.

An Executive Director runs the day-to-day operations of the CART Fund, and is paid on a part-time basis from interest earned on contributions to the Fund.

CART is currently supported by Rotarians in Rotary Districts: 6900, 6910, 6920, 6930, 6940, 6950, 6960, 6970, 6980, 6990, 7570, 7670, 7680, 7690, 7710, 7720, 7730, 7750 and 7770 within the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida. Individual Rotary clubs across North America have chosen to support The CART Fund as a one-time project as well as an ongoing project.  For information on how your Rotary Club or you as an individual can join the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, please contact the CART Executive Director.

The effect of donated change can be illustrated by considering that in the 11 Rotary districts of The Carolinas and Georgia, there are approximately 35,100 Rotarians. Assuming 85 percent attendance, 48 meetings a year and an average donation of just 35 cents, we can raise more than $500,000 for research annually. Using this formula, Rotarians in the USA and Canada, combined, could provide over $5.5 million annually for Alzheimer’s research.