My Cause

The Mission: The Multiple System Atrophy ("MSA") Coalition is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a 30-year history of devotion to improving the quality of life and building hope for people affected by MSA through a four-pillar mission:

• Providing patients and caregivers with trusted and compassionate emotional support
• Educating patients, care-partners and healthcare professionals with credible, critically important and relevant information
• Funding patient-centric collaborative research aimed at alleviating symptoms, slowing disease progression and discovering a cure
• Building a sense of community by connecting and unifying people affected by MSA.

About the Organization: The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition® is a positive beacon of hope standing up to a little known, rare, insidious disorder. Made up of dedicated volunteers, The MSA Coalition has a primary purpose of assisting researchers to find a cure. In the meantime, The Coalition also provides much needed patient and caregiver support, educational resources, and advocacy to create awareness and to fight for issues important to the MSA community.

MSA Research Funding:

In 2011 The MSA Coalition established a dedicated Multiple System Atrophy Research Fund and a MSA research grant program. In 2013-2014 the inaugural round of research grants were reviewed and awarded to five MSA research projects totaling $219,000 in funding. To ensure that the most promising research is funded, The Coalition has recruited a world-class scientific advisory board (SAB) made up of eminent MSA researchers from around the world.

Support, Education and Advocacy:

The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition was originally organized in 1989 as the Shy-Drager Syndrome/Multiple System Atrophy Support Group to respond to the needs of those affected by this rare neurodegenerative disorder. The cornerstone of the organization’s offered services has always been the annual patient/caregiver conference. This conference has grown more popular year by year as it provides a very important opportunity to meet others in similar circumstances and to hear the latest news from expert healthcare providers and scientists.

For on-going support, there is also a volunteer-staffed toll-free hotline available for emotional and educational support. Additionally, the Coalition also supports and funds educational, awareness and advocacy activities.

Patients, caregivers and families can rely on The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition for emotional support and compassion as they face this progressive disease; and they can know a growing organization with thousands of supporters is advocating for recognition and pushing to urgently find a cure.