United Nations Civil Society Participation – Activities

Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

English
French

NGO Branch
About us
Contact us
ECOSOC Status
Introduction
Applying for Status
Committee on NGOs
NGO Response System
NGO Participation
UN Grounds Pass
Functional Commissions
High Level Segment
Calendar of Events
Conference Registration
Quadrennial Reports

Quadrennial Reports
Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page. Click here »

VR Foundation, Inc.

View Activities

Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Economic and Social: Disabled Persons Education Information Science and Technology Social Development Social Development: Disabled persons Information and Communications Technologies Sustainable Development: Biotechnology Health Information for decision-making and participation Integrated decision-making Science
Geographic scope:	International
Country of activity:	Nigeria Montenegro Kazakhstan United States of America Canada Italy Brazil Türkiye Czechia Australia Croatia India Russian Federation China
Millennium Development Goals:	Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	The VR Foundation is a 501©3 nonprofit organization with the mission to accelerate the end of suffering for people living with vitiligo through research, education and support. Vitiligo is a neglected, chronic and noncommunicable disease, with under-investigated pathogenesis and unpredictable manifestation, which affects nearly 100 million people or approximately 2% of the worldwide population. Vitiligo can develop in males or females of any race or age, across all socio-economic groups. Few therapies can minimize vitiligo symptoms for a certain period of time, but no single treatment works for everyone. The humanitarian, social and economic costs of vitiligo are immense. Especially in developing countries, people with vitiligo have to face severe problems with stigmatisation, discrimination and negative attitudes in general among the public, and often bear the brunt of public rejection. Although vitiligo is non-lethal, the psychological impacts often leading to depression and alcoholism, and causing severe mental trauma and thoughts of suicide. And because it is not life-threatening, patients often receive no support whatsoever from their national healthcare systems. They are the victim of ostracism, discrimination and many lose their homes, families and livelihoods because of this disease. VR Foundation operates as a disease-specific non-profit organization, with a small internal staff managing academic research, clinical and international outreach programs. VR Foundation is also the global coordinator and sponsor of the World Vitiligo Day campaign, an initiative aimed to build global awareness about vitiligo, pursue multilateral efforts in therapy development and health-care education.
Year established:	2012
Year of registration:	2012
Organizational structure:	501(c)3 non-profit organization
Number and type of members:	The VR Foundation’s Board of Directors comprises well-respected individuals who govern the foundation, establish policy, set priorities, and make final grant decisions. All members are unpaid volunteers serving staggered five-year terms, for a maximum of 10 years. The foundation’s appointment process ensures that the Board represents a diverse range of views and knowledge. From the very beginning, VRF has been committed to maintaining a small but highly qualified professional staff, supplemented with established business leaders and scientists. This combination allows VRF to accomplish its objectives while minimizing operating expenses in order to maximize research funding. The Scientific Advisory Board identifies priorities for advancing the development of treatments for vitiligo, reviews grant research applications and shapes the Foundation’s research roadmap.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	none
Funding structure:	Other sources Donations and grants from domestic sources Fundraising campaigns
Funding structure other:	Private and corporate donations

Previous

Next

Contact NGO Branch
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries Click here »

Online Application
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status? Click here »

UN Grounds Pass
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass Click here »

Conference Registration
Registering for a UN Conference? Click here »