Our Mission Statement:
The Marion County Kidney Foundation provides educational, financial, and psychosocial support to patients affected by chronic kidney disease and those who care for them.
Patient Support:
Assistance with transportation, treatment coordination, and essential needs.
Why We Exist
What We Do
Patient Support:
Assistance with transportation, treatment coordination, and essential needs.
The Beginning
A Mission Rooted in Service
What We Do
Growing Through Community Support
Continuing Today
The Foundation's Legacy
The Marion County Kidney Foundation (MCKF) is a community-based nonprofit
organization in Ocala, Florida, dedicated to helping people living with chronic kidney
disease. Its story is one of local citizens recognizing that many kidney patients faced
financial and practical hardships that were not being met by traditional healthcare
systems and deciding to create a local solution.
The organization was incorporated on September 10, 2008, as a Florida nonprofit
and later received 501(c)(3) charitable status. It was established to serve residents
of Marion County and surrounding communities by providing assistance to
individuals with kidney disease, particularly those experiencing financial hardship.
The Marion County Kidney Foundation followed the legacy of the earlier Ocala
Kidney Foundation, which had served the community since 1981 before becoming
inactive in 2009. Rather than allowing local kidney-patient support to disappear,
community leaders organized a new foundation with a renewed mission and broader
vision for patient assistance.
From its inception, the Foundation focused on helping kidney patients with needs
that often fall outside insurance coverage, including:
Bridge to Transplant Scholarships, Emergency Financial Assistance, Prescription medications, Transportation for dialysis treatments, Nutritional support, Patient education, Community awareness of chronic kidney disease
Unlike large national organizations, MCKF has remained a grassroots, locally
governed nonprofit. Its funding comes primarily from donations, fundraising events,
grants and partnerships with local businesses and healthcare providers. Community
events have long been an important part of sustaining its programs, with proceeds
directed toward assisting local kidney patients facing immediate financial needs.
Today, the Marion County Kidney Foundation remains an active Florida nonprofit
headquartered in Ocala. It continues to be governed by a volunteer board and works
to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic kidney disease throughout
Marion County.
The story of the Marion County Kidney Foundation is ultimately one of neighbors
helping neighbors. Recognizing that kidney disease affects far more than a person's
health-it impacts employment, transportation, finances, and family life-the
Foundation was built to fill those gaps with compassion and practical assistance.
Over the years, it has continued to demonstrate how a local nonprofit can make a
meaningful difference by responding directly to the needs of its own community.
MC Kidney Foundation
Education and Health Awareness Podcast
with 'Mr. Cool Beans'
Listen on:
-ALUMNI
UCF Elementary Education Alum Turns
Chronic Illness into Platform for
Education, Community
By Evan Chiovari '21 - July 8th, 2026