[1] Initiatives established or supported by the VRF include a Vitiligo BioBank and CloudBank, sponsorship of World Vitiligo Day, a World Vitiligo Map of vitiligo research centers, patient support groups, and related healthcare providers, and an initiative to facilitate crowdfunding of small related research efforts.
[citation needed] The Vitiligo Research Foundation was founded in 2010 by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Aksenov, whose daughter has vitiligo, after he concluded that there was a lack of research into the disease.
[1] It is managed by a small team of permanent staff,[citation needed] and led by a Board of Directors (Torello Lotti, Professor, Dermatology Division, Marconi University, chair).
[citation needed] The VRF's Public Advisory Board advises the Foundation on aspects of living with vitiligo and how best to support those affected by the condition;[citation needed] it includes members such as reporter and author Lee Thomas.
[citation needed] The VRF is entirely reliant on public donations, and receives no funding from governments or the pharmaceutical industry.