Sustaining Philanthropic Efforts Through the Next 25 Years

Celebrate the past, and help us mold the future

Doctor and Patient

Founded 25 years ago with the aim of improving lung health by delivering grants to our members, the CHEST Foundation has given out millions of dollars for clinical research studies and community outreach. 

Our philanthropic efforts have expanded through the years to include patient education tools, programs tackling health disparities in marginalized communities, and supporting the development of improved resources that benefit both clinicians and patients.  

Now the foundation is embarking upon a new era of philanthropic work—supporting new CHEST programs that will directly change patient care, such as the First 5 MinutesTM and Bridging SpecialtiesTM: Timely Diagnosis for ILD Patients. These initiatives have the power to build bridges between patients and the health care professionals who treat them. Your contributions are essential to ensuring that patients have access to the care they need. 

Let’s keep the good work going. Make a gift today, and together, we will crush lung disease. 

CHEST Foundation impact over the years

1999 

Community Service Grant Honoring D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP, created

2022

First winner selected for new Distinguished Scholar program 

2015

Developed patient education guides on 40 different lung health topics 

2019

Erin Popovich Endowment established to address patient access issues and provide resources

2020 

Distributed more than $1 million in grants to combat the COVID-19 pandemic


“Making an impact isn’t about funding Nobel Prize-winning work. It’s about providing education and resources to the people who can’t access or afford such things. It’s about the projects that provide care to the human beings that need it.” – Bart Chernow, MD, Master FCCP, and Peggy Chernow 


“The foundation has recently shifted in a new direction—one that focuses on perspective. We need to start hearing from patients in our most underserved communities to understand their point of view. Without that knowledge, we can only do so much.” – Ian Nathanson, MD, FCCP