‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ Donations for A.L.S. Research Top $41 Million

By EMILY STEELAUG. 21, 2014

With everyone from former President George W. Bush to Justin Bieber andShakira posting online videos of themselves dumping buckets of ice over their heads in the name of charity, the viral “Ice Bucket Challenge” continues to dominate social media and has now raised more than $40 million for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Donations to the A.L.S. Association, a Washington-based nonprofit that funds global research to find treatments and a cure for the disease, have surged since the challenge started trending in late July. The group said Thursday morning that it had received $41.8 million in donations from July 29 until Aug. 21.

Former President George W. Bush takes the challenge, assisted by his wife Laura Bush.CreditGeorge W. Bush Presidential Center, via Associated Press

More than 739,000 new donors have given money to the association. That’s more than double the $19.4 million in total contributions the association received during the year that ended Jan. 31, 2013, according to a filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

About 30,000 Americans now have A.L.S., which attacks nerve cells and ultimately leads to total paralysis, though the mind remains sharp. Life expectancy is typically two to five years from the time of diagnosis. The exact cause is not understood and there is no cure or treatment that stops or reverses the disease. One Food and Drug Administration-approved drug slows its progression, and other drugs are in clinical trials, according to the A.L.S. Association.

The flood of donations will be transformative for finding treatments and a cure for A.L.S. as well as for providing support to people with the disease, said Carrie Munk, a spokeswoman for the A.L.S. Association. The group now supports 98 global research projects and recently announced $3.5 million in financing for 21 others.

In addition, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised awareness of the disease, which the A.L.S. Association said only half of Americans were aware of about a month ago.

In Augusta, Ga., Loreen Ingram-Moore gets doused at a fund-raiser for an A.L.S. clinic.CreditMichael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle, via Associated Press

“While the monetary contributions are so absolutely incredible, and we’ll be able to really make a considerable difference in moving the mission of the A.L.S. Association forward, the real fortunate part of the Ice Bucket Challenge is the amount of awareness it has raised for the A.L.S. cause in general,” Ms. Munk said. “It puts us in a whole different ballgame to find treatments and cures for this disease.”

Donations to the group have grown rapidly as a wave of politicians, sports stars, actors, musicians, chief executives and other celebrities joined in the challenge in recent days. The A.L.S. Association announced last week it had received $7.6 million in donations from July 29 through Aug. 14. Between Wednesday and Thursday alone this week, the group had raised an additional $10 million.

The average gift size from July 29 until Aug. 21 was $46.25, with the largest donation so far being a $100,000 individual check, Ms. Munk said.

The A.L.S. Association said that it had received many celebrity contributions but would not disclose the donors’ names for confidentiality reasons.

On Thursday, two firefighters were seriously injured in Campbellsville, Ky., while helping the student band at Campbellsville University participate in the challenge. They were in a ladder truck above the students when they came into contact with an electrical line, according to a report from WKYT-TV, a CBS-affiliated station in Lexington, Ky.