As the largest nonprofit funder of research to discover T1D cures and a passionate advocate for policies and treatments that improve the quality of life for the T1D community, JDRF believes every individual with T1D should: 

• Receive a prompt and correct diagnosis from an expert clinician; 
• Have access to the full spectrum of affordable, live-saving treatments and resources to help manage their T1D; 
• Be embraced by a supportive, diverse and inclusive community that understands the unique challenges of living with T1D;  
• Have hope for a world in which no one has to live with the burden of T1D. 

Meeting these conditions would help move us to a state in which every individual with T1D has the same, obstacle-free opportunity to live a healthy, fulfilling life: a state of health equity.

JDRF is committed to addressing health disparities experienced by members of the T1D community. Our work includes initiatives in the following areas: 

Advocacy

• JDRF fights for access to therapies needed by people with T1D to stay healthy until there is a cure.
• Our Coverage2Control campaign advocates for coverage, affordability and choice for T1D therapies, including technologies that help ease the burden of managing T1D. 
• JDRF is committed to making insulin more affordable and accessible, while ensuring the next generation of insulins continues to develop.
• We strongly advocate to preserve insurance protections for those with pre-existing conditions  as well as other health reform principles.
• Through our Health Insurance Guide, we help families understand how they can get help with prescription and insulin costs, how to choose a plan, and how to navigate losing coverage, denials and appeals and applying for exceptions.
• JDRF often joins forces with other organizations to advocate on behalf of underserved communities. Most recently, we partnered to push for adequate COVID-19 testing for vulnerable and underserved populations.

Education and Support

• We offer educational programs and resources to support all who are living with T1D, as well as their friends, family members and communities.
• Through the JDRF–Beyond Type 1 Alliance and other initiatives, we offer Spanish-language and culturally-relevant programs and resources for the T1D BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community.
• We ensure that our education and support materials—such as the Bag of Hope and No Limits Teen and Adult care kits—are available to underserved communities.

Community Building

• JDRF is developing meaningful and interactive diversity and inclusion training for staff and volunteers.
• To further educate our community about health equity issues, we are partnering with peer organizations that are agents of change in this space. One such organization is the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to ensuring that high-risk racial and ethnic populations receive optimal health care.

Research

• As an institution, JDRF seeks to promote gender equality and increase diversity, in all of its forms, throughout its programs. Studies have demonstrated that often subtle, unconscious, and implicit biases exist in academic science, which have the potential to negatively impact outcomes in review processes. To that end, we instruct our research grant reviewers to be aware of potential implicit biases when reviewing, scoring and discussing candidates and applications throughout the review process so that we can work together to combat their potential negative impact.
• We recognize that members of the BIOPC community  are underrepresented in clinical trials and are committed to helping recruit more diverse participants.