Organization
Les Turner ALS Foundation: what they fund and how to apply
The Les Turner ALS Foundation is a US nonprofit in Skokie, Illinois that has served people with ALS since 1977. It describes itself as the Midwest’s leading ALS organization. Its money is real: need-based grants for equipment, home modifications, respite care, assistive technology, and rides to clinic, plus a no-cost equipment loan program.
The catch is the one thing most write-ups leave out. The foundation states that to apply for any grant you must receive your care at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, which is at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. If your ALS clinic is somewhere else, the grants are not open to you. Their free online support groups are a separate thing and are open more widely.
How to use this page
Everything below comes from the foundation’s own pages, read on July 27, 2026. We have left out anything they do not publish, including grant dollar amounts and processing times, because guessing at those would waste your time. If you are already a patient at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, skip to How to apply. If you are not, read Who is eligible first.
What they provide
Walter Boughton Foundation Support Services Grant
A need-based grant toward equipment and home modifications that insurance will not cover. The foundation says you may apply for each grant annually.
No dollar amount is published. Ask the Support Services Team what the current award range is before you commit to a quote from a contractor or supplier.
Dan Nelson Respite Grant
Helps pay for short-term respite care so the primary caregiver gets a break. The foundation describes a visit from an ALS Support Services coordinator as part of the process.
Respite is the program caregivers most often skip. If you are the only person doing transfers, meals, and nights, this is the one to ask about first.
Assistive Technology Grants
Need-based funding toward accessible technology for communication, environmental control, and care needs. Applications are accepted annually.
Pair this with a clinician letter explaining why the specific technology is needed. Our page on communication resources covers what to ask for and when.
Stuart Rosen ALS Transportation Fund
Covers transportation to and from appointments at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic.
The foundation frames eligibility around need: it is for when members of your family or community are unable to take you to appointments. It is not a general travel fund.
Equipment Loan Program
Equipment loaned at no cost, including ramps, wheelchairs, and communication devices. Requests go through your ALS Support Services Coordinator.
It is aimed at three situations: the item is not covered by insurance, you are waiting on insurance approval, or you cannot otherwise get hold of the tool you need. Loaned equipment goes back when you no longer need it.
Support Services Team
Nurses, social workers, and counselors who work alongside your ALS care team. They handle disease education, clinical trial information, emotional support, referrals to other agencies, home safety, and end of life planning.
They also help with Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid paperwork, and they are the route to every grant listed above.
Free online ALS support groups
Free groups run online through the year for people living with ALS, people newly diagnosed, caregivers, and people who have lost someone to ALS.
The foundation does not state a residency requirement for these, and they are held online. Register through the links on their support groups page or email supportgroup@lesturnerals.org.
Education and decision tools
Free guides covering health insurance, money, activities of daily living, breathing, communication, genetics, home modifications, mobility, nutrition, children, caregiving, and relationships.
They also publish the ALS Learning Series, an ALS Communication Passport, and a decision tool. Start at their guides and webinars page.
Who is eligible
For the grants, the foundation publishes two conditions and both must be true.
- You receive your care at the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic at the Les Turner ALS Center at Northwestern Medicine.
- You have spoken with a member of the foundation’s Support Services Team.
- Grants are described as need-based, so expect to show financial need.
That makes the practical service area Chicago and the surrounding region, since the clinic is where care has to happen. The clinic is at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Lavin Family Pavilion, 259 E. Erie St., 19th floor, Chicago, IL 60611, and the foundation calls it Chicagoland’s first and largest multidisciplinary ALS clinic.
The foundation does not publish a county or state list, an income cutoff, or a residency rule beyond the clinic requirement. If you live outside Illinois but would travel to Chicago for clinic, ask them directly rather than assuming either way.
How to apply
There is no public online grant form. Everything runs through a person. Have this ready before you call.
- Confirm where you receive ALS care. If it is not the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, ask about clinic referral before asking about grants.
- Contact the Support Services Team on 847-679-3311 or at supportservices@lesturnerals.org. If you are at clinic, you can meet a foundation representative during your visit.
- Say plainly which problem you are solving: equipment, a home modification, respite, technology, or rides to clinic. Each maps to a different fund.
- Have your diagnosis details, your neurologist’s name, and your clinic dates to hand.
- Have written quotes for the item or the work, and any insurance denial letter. Denials are the strongest evidence of need.
- Ask three questions: the current award range, how long a decision takes, and whether the fund is open right now.
- Ask whether authorization forms are needed. The foundation directs those requests to the same support services email.
What they do not cover
This is the part their site does not spell out, so read it before you build a plan around them.
- They are not a national grant program. Grants require care at one clinic in Chicago. Most families in the US will not qualify.
- No published dollar amounts. Do not sign a contractor’s quote assuming a grant will cover it.
- No published turnaround times. Treat funding as unconfirmed until they confirm it in writing.
- Loaned equipment is not yours. It comes back when you no longer need it.
- Not a substitute for insurance. The grants are aimed at what insurance will not cover, so expect to work the claim and the appeal first.
- No published help with rent, utilities, or wages. For household bills, see our financial resources page.
- Transportation funding is clinic-specific. The Stuart Rosen fund is for trips to the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, not general transport.
Two things people get wrong
The Les Turner ALS Center and the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic are not the same thing as the foundation. The center and clinic are at Northwestern Medicine. The foundation funds and supports them. Appointments go through the clinic on 312.695.7950, not through the foundation’s 847 number.
Grants are described as annual, not standing. The foundation says you may apply for each grant annually, so plan a year at a time and ask when your next window opens. Funds can also open and close with donations, so confirm current status on the call.
Contact
- Support services and grants: 847-679-3311, supportservices@lesturnerals.org
- General inquiries: info@lesturnerals.org
- Support groups: supportgroup@lesturnerals.org
- Foundation office: 5550 W Touhy Avenue, Suite 302, Skokie, IL 60077-3254
- Clinic appointments: 312.695.7950. Lois Insolia ALS Clinic, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Lavin Family Pavilion, 259 E. Erie St., 19th floor, Chicago, IL 60611
Their pages worth opening: grant programs and equipment loans, the support services team, and the Lois Insolia ALS Clinic.
Related on Knowals
Knowals is not affiliated with the Les Turner ALS Foundation, Northwestern Medicine, or any organization named here. We describe them as a resource, nothing more, and we receive nothing for doing so. Programs, eligibility rules, and funding change without notice, so confirm current terms with the foundation before you rely on them. Educational content only, not medical, financial, or legal advice.