The Irish ME/CFS Association has given contributions/donations from our research fund to various ME/CFS Research Charities over the years (see below). These charities have funded medical research that has made significant discoveries about the pathogenesis of ME/CFS that will hopefully lead to treatments or a cure. These discoveries have also led to greater understanding about the physiological basis of the illness and helped to dispel the myth that it is "all in the head" (which is unfortunately still a belief in some medical circles). Although there is still a way to go, greater understanding and awareness has meant that diagnoses can be made quicker and some of the harm caused by "pushing through" the severe fatigue can be avoided. Diagnoses are now more likely to be made within months rather than the years or decades it took when many of us first became ill.

We are very grateful to our members and their families/friends for organising fundraising events, especially during ME/CFS Awareness week in May. Funds raised are divided between our general and research funds. We are a 100% voluntary organisation with no paid staff so all funds raised go directly to our work. We also sell Christmas cards to fund our running costs. Some people also contribute regularly to our research fund via standing orders. We run polls every couple of years to allow members decide how our research fund is dispersed among the ME/CFS research charities.

Groups the Irish ME/CFS Association have given contributions/donations to:

ME Research UK (€111,000 from our research fund to their research fund)

The CFS Research Foundation - see here for information (€82,500 from our research fund). 

The group has also given a few smaller donations/contributions on other occasions to the above charities, for example, the entrance money and the money from raffles for the ME Awareness Week talks given by Dr. Vance Spence (ME Research UK) (May 2005) and Dr Jonathan Kerr (CFS Research Foundation) (May 2006).

Solve ME/CFS Initiative (€20,500 from our research fund to their research fund)

Invest in ME Research (€16,000 from our research fund to their research fund)

Open Medicine Foundation (€10,155 from our research fund)

BRAME (Blue Ribbon for Awareness of ME) - For many years much of the money raised by the group was raised using blue ribbons and blue ribbon material obtained from BRAME. During this time we gave many small donations to help keep BRAME and the blue ribbon campaign internationally going.

The Tymes Trust - The Irish ME/CFS Association is an International partner group of the Tymes Trust, a charity mainly for children and young people with ME (and their families).

More information about our research related activities coming soon ...

Section showing recent fundraising events to follow ....