New York – September 15, 2026 -- Global Action to End Smoking has issued a grant to The University of Chicago to expand smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction support for prospective living kidney donors, aiming to increase the pool of eligible donors amid a severe organ shortage.
Kidney demand vastly outstrips supply as nearly 4,000 died waiting in 2023
More than 109,000 people are on the U.S. organ transplant waiting list, with roughly 95,000 awaiting a kidney, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations reported that nearly 4,000 individuals died in 2023 while waiting for a kidney donation. Because donation centers typically require donors to abstain from smoking before surgery due to elevated complication risks, tobacco use disqualifies otherwise willing living donors.
Grant expands Project Donor, which has already enabled 240 living donations
The funding will scale Project Donor, a University of Chicago pilot that has supported over 2,000 individuals in making lifestyle changes, including smoking cessation, to qualify as living donors, resulting in 240 successful donations to date. With the new grant, the program will build donor-specific case management training, expand counseling access, distribute free nicotine replacement therapies and harm reduction tools where appropriate, and embed automated referral systems to broaden its reach.
Program will partner with up to 160 U.S. transplant centers
Project Donor plans to work with as many as 160 transplant centers nationwide to connect potential donors disqualified for smoking with cessation and harm reduction resources. "By quitting smoking, prospective donors can become eligible for organ donation and save the life of someone they care about," said Josie Maier, Director of Project Donor.
Global smoking rates remain stalled near 20% despite decades of decline
Roughly 20% of adults globally continue to smoke, while the U.S. rate sits just under 10%, according to the release. Smoking prevalence remains disproportionately high among people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, chronic disease, and among people of color, indigenous populations, low-income groups and the LGBTQIA+ community. Pamela Parizek, Board Chair of Global Action to End Smoking, said the initiative reflects efforts to combine tobacco cessation with expanded access to life-saving transplants.