2026 National Lupus Advocacy Summit
Join lupus warriors and advocates from all over the country for the largest lupus advocacy event of the year! The 2026 National Lupus Advocacy Summit will take place April 19-21 in Washington, D.C. Learn from experts in the field about the latest in lupus research, connect with hundreds of fellow advocates, and advocate to increase lupus research funding and advance policies that improve the lives of all people with lupus. Registration opens early January 2026. Don’t miss your chance to turn Capitol Hill purple!
The National Lupus Advocacy Summit brings together the entire lupus community to urge members of Congress to support policies that will help people living with lupus. Come to Washington, D.C. and share your experience living with lupus with your elected officials.
Hear firsthand from the brightest minds researching and treating this disease and receive training on how to advocate for yourself and others with lupus throughout the entire year.
There's no other event in the world that brings together as many people affected by lupus as the Lupus Foundation of America's Summit. Be surrounded by those who understand your challenges and can help you manage them.
Meet with your members of Congress to tell your lupus story and urge them to join our fight against this terrible disease by supporting policies to improve the lives of all people affected by lupus.
The National Lupus Advocacy Summit is the keystone of the Lupus Foundation of America's comprehensive advocacy program that has generated more than $786 million in federal lupus research funding in the past five years.
Sign up as an advocate and you'll receive the latest news and updates about the 2026 National Lupus Advocacy Summit, important policy issues, and opportunities to contact your members of Congress in support of people affected by lupus.
We understand that traveling to Washington can be costly. It's important to us that we provide advocates with tools and ideas to help offset costs.
The Foundation will again provide scholarships for advocates to attend the Summit. Scholarships are extremely limited, and as much as we wish we could, we are not able to provide scholarships for everyone who applies. The application period will open in January 2026.
The Foundation's Summit Fundraising Guide provides tools to help offset the cost of attending. The guide will help you budget for your trip, leverage the power of crowdsourcing, and much more. The 2026 guide will be released in December.
Raising the Profile of Lupus on Capitol Hill
Watch the following video from our 2025 National Lupus Advocacy Summit to hear from lupus warriors and advocates about what the Summit means to them.
Each year, the National Lupus Advocacy Summit unites lupus advocates to learn, connect, and raise their voice on Capitol Hill in support of federally-funded lupus research and education programs.
This multi-day event annually allows lupus advocates to hear from leading lupus researchers about the latest breakthroughs and what they will mean for people affected by the disease. Advocates are trained to tell their personal story to make an impact, advocate for themselves and others throughout the year, and how to hold effective meetings with their elected officials on Capitol Hill and at home.
The Summit concludes with lupus advocates heading to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and urge them to support important lupus policy issues, including federal funding for vital programs that are helping us better understand lupus and accelerating the search for new treatments for the diseases.
Whether you're attending the Summit to advocate for the first time or are an experienced advocate, the National Lupus Advocacy Summit unites the lupus community in support of common goals and provides a platform to fight back against this disease.
The 2026 National Lupus Advocacy Summit will be held April 19-21 in Washington, D.C.! Hundreds of lupus advocates will come together to learn about the latest in lupus research, connect with other advocates, and advocate for policies to improve the lives of all people affected by lupus.
For questions about the National Lupus Advocacy Summit, please contact Sara Chang at advocacy@lupus.org.
There are a number of ways that companies can support the National Lupus Advocacy Summit. By sponsoring our scholarship program, for example, you'll enable us to bring more people with lupus to Washington, DC to learn from experts in the field, share their perspective by participating in panels, and speak with their members of Congress about important lupus policy issues.
Contact our Corporate Engagement team to learn more about opportunities to sponsor the Summit, including hosting a table at the Expo or sponsoring educational sessions.
