The National Marfan Foundation (NMF) recently announced that it received $5 million in a five-year leadership gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The gift will support the NMF's Discovery Drug Therapies for Longer and Healthier Lives research campaign to advance life-extending and -saving treatments for those affected by Marfan Syndrome.

Marfan Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that affects approximately 200,000 people in the U.S. and is in most cases inherited, but roughly one-quarter of patients are the first in their families to receive the diagnosis. While there have been advances in treatment - the life expectancy of those with Marfan Syndrome is now in the 70's - the condition can be deadly if it goes undetected and untreated.

With the leadership gift, the NMF will be able to fund meritorious research, continue support for important research centers, plan a clinical trial network, gather researchers and investigators as well as maintain valuable partnerships with collaborators, such as the National Institutes of Health and other investigative institutes.

Michael Bloomberg has been a long-time supporter of the NMF and, for the past 12 years, was the honorary chair of the organization's Heartworks Gala. When foundations are receiving large contributions from continued supporters, they might benefit from nonprofit fund accounting software to measure their efforts and track progress toward their goals.