Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 Raise $925,000 to Benefit American Tinnitus Association Initiatives

VIENNA, VA — The American Tinnitus Association is honored to announce the incredible success of the third annual Tinnitus Awareness Day dine-to-donate event hosted by Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 on February 5. The charitable event, held in memory of Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor, who had severe tinnitus, raised $925,000 for ATA. This is the largest corporate donation the association has received to date.

Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 are committed to raising awareness of tinnitus because of Kent's experience and the reality that few people consider tinnitus and its varied effects until they are affected by it. "We are proud to partner with ATA to raise money and bring attention to tinnitus. Thank you to all of our employees and guests across the country who made this event a success. This fundraiser was held in honor of our founder, Kent Taylor, and in hopes that we will help find relief for those suffering with tinnitus," said Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan.

ATA is the only U.S. nonprofit dedicated exclusively to improving tinnitus patient care by providing individualized nonmedical guidance, initiating educational programs for the public and healthcare communities, and funding innovative research to find cures and better treatments for the condition.

"Tinnitus is a common condition that is poorly understood among the public and even within the healthcare community," said Jinsheng Zhang, chair of the ATA board of directors, "which is why having a nationwide fundraiser hosted by Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 gives me hope for a future with less tinnitus suffering through better understanding of tinnitus, development of effective treatments, and strong patient support services."

Tinnitus is caused by many factors, including exposure to loud sound, certain infections, stress, particular medications, and even traumatic brain injury, which means it's a heterogenous condition that lacks clear guidelines for patient care. "People are astonished to learn that most types of tinnitus cannot be cured," Dr. Zhang added. "As a researcher, it's clear that eliminating tinnitus is complicated, but scientists and clinicians in the field are making progress in identifying subtypes and improving interventions that may suppress it or at least make it more manageable for people living with moderate to severe tinnitus."

Tinnitus research has advanced significantly in the last 50 years, but far more work is needed to discover possible pharmaceutical interventions and better understand the mechanisms that underlie tinnitus, particularly severe tinnitus, which affects approximately 1% of the estimated 26 million adults living with the condition in the U.S. "Through the extraordinary generosity of Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33, as well as the many people who turned out to support the event, ATA is able to restructure and expand its Innovative Tinnitus Research Grants Program to cultivate not only new areas of investigation but also attract new researchers to the field," Dr. Zhang said.

The gift also better positions ATA to achieve its goal of being the first place that people with tinnitus, or questions about it, turn for help. "There's so much misinformation on the internet as well as incorrect and even harmful information that is given by healthcare providers to individuals desperate for answers about this unwanted and often intrusive sound," said Sara K. Downs, ATA interim executive director. Downs is also an audiologist specialized in tinnitus management. "ATA is the only place you can go free of charge to receive unbiased information and credible educational guidance on tinnitus. Texas Roadhouse and Bubba's 33 are helping to ensure that ATA can deliver on its mission to educate the public and healthcare professionals," she said.

Coinciding with the February 5 dine-to-donate event, which launched Tinnitus Awareness Week, ATA began accepting applications for research grants. "ATA supports investigators of all career stages whose work advances understanding of tinnitus effects, and who remain dedicated to chipping away at the need to develop interventions with potential to support the substantive needs of diverse tinnitus patient subgroups," said Marc Fagelson, ATA Scientific Advisory Committee chair.

Applications will be accepted from now until April 26, 2024.

About ATA's Innovative Tinnitus Research Grants Program 

ATA grants support novel investigations aimed at contributing substantively to the scientific understanding of tinnitus and improving patient care and quality of life for those affected by tinnitus. By supporting innovative research, ATA contributes to the discovery of potential breakthroughs that advance scientific understanding of tinnitus and improve quality-of-life outcomes for people suffering from tinnitus.

Applications should be submitted via ProposalCentral. Submission instructions can be found here.