Our Mission

The American Lung Association's mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. We do this through education, advocacy, and research.

For more than 115 years, Americans have trusted us to protect their lungs, whether it's researching treatments and cures for lung diseases, keeping kids off tobacco, including e-cigarettes, or advocating for laws that protect the air we all breathe.

Our goals are big—defeat lung cancer, create a tobacco-free future, champion clean air for all, and improve the quality of life for those living with lung disease.

When you can't breathe, nothing else matters.® 

Our Mission: To save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.

Our Vision: A world free of lung disease.

Our Strategic Imperatives:

  • Defeat lung cancer.
  • Champion clean air for all.
  • Improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families.
  • Create a tobacco-free future.
The American Lung Association pioneered the method of improving public health through education, advocacy and research. This proud heritage lives on in our logo.

The American Lung Association is a charity built on trust and transparency, and is a proud holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, a Gold Star rating from GuideStar and membership in the National Health Council.

The Lung Association has a dedicated board of directors—volunteers who donate their time to help us plan and achieve our goals, which are clearly identified in our strategic framework.

From a governance and oversight perspective, our board convenes regularly in order to monitor progress toward achieving these goals. A performance-based management system enables the Lung Association to track and report on progress toward not only meeting its longer-term goals, but also shorter-term objectives related to fulfilling the mission of the organization.

Page last updated: November 3, 2023

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