Cure Alzheimer’s Fund | Proper Villains

PROJECT GOALS

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is a unique force in medical science philanthropy. Founded in 2004 by venture capitalists and private equity professionals, this unconventional nonprofit operates with a distinctive model: its Board and Trustees cover 100% of operating expenses, ensuring that every donation flows directly to research. With $229 million distributed to leading-edge Alzheimer’s research over its 15-year existence, the organization needed brand positioning and communications that would match its outsized impact.

The challenge was complex: differentiate a small nonprofit in a crowded field of healthcare charities—while communicating the crucial nature of pioneering scientific concepts to diverse donor audiences. Unlike traditional health-focused nonprofit organizations that blend patient care with research funding, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund is exclusively focused on funding breakthrough research that will prevent, slow, or reverse Alzheimer’s disease.

Our goal was to develop brand communications that would accomplish several critical objectives:
—Humanize deep scientific research
—Demonstrate the importance—and complexity—of Alzheimer’s research
—Explain how the disease impacts all of us, not just those diagnosed with it
—Establish the organization’s unique venture philanthropy model as a competitive advantage
—Create evergreen brand assets that scale across multiple touchpoints, campaigns, and years

PROCESS & SOLUTIONS

Our strategic approach balanced scientific credibility with emotional resonance. A critical insight drove our design strategy: Alzheimer’s disease affects far more people than those who receive a diagnosis—it devastates entire networks of family, friends, and caregivers, often for decades before symptoms appear.

This understanding led to our campaign, “The Face of Alzheimer’s,” which paired striking portrait photography of people across unexpected age groups and demographics with lesser-known statistics about the disease. The campaign deliberately challenged misconceptions by featuring younger subjects alongside facts like “Alzheimer’s disease may begin 20 years before symptoms appear” and ”Alzheimer’s disease is one of the costliest conditions to society.”

The strategic framework also highlighted the organization’s innovative model in medical science philanthropy—applying venture capital principles to research funding while maintaining the urgency and humanity required to address a disease that affects millions. This translated into communications that balance scientific depth with accessible storytelling:
—Redesigned website and microsites
—Full-venue takeover experiences at Fenway Park
—Fundraising and promotional materials
—Brand film featuring music by Jóhann Jóhannsson
—The organization’s first public service announcement

RESULTS

The steady evolution of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund’s brand helped the organization achieve remarkable growth in an increasingly competitive philanthropic landscape:
—From 2015 to 2024, annual fundraising grew from $11.7 million to $33.3 million—consistently outpacing philanthropic giving averages
—The organization reached a major milestone during this period: investing over $235 million in research
—The venture philanthropy model also proved its value through impressive leverage ratios, with every investment dollar from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund generating an average of 7.8x in follow-on funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The success of the brand has validated an important framework: demonstrate impact through both emotional storytelling and rigorous data, while maintaining the scientific credibility essential for donor confidence. By humanizing complex research without sacrificing intellectual honesty, we created communications that inspired new audiences across demographics, psychographics, and geographies.