The organization was founded by Susan Axelrod and a small group of parents of children with epilepsy who were frustrated with their inability to protect their children from seizures and the side effects of medications. Unwilling to sit back, they joined forces to spearhead the search for a cure.

Since its inception in 1998, CURE Epilepsy has raised more than $70 million to fund epilepsy research and other initiatives that will lead the way to cures for the epilepsies. CURE Epilepsy awards grants for novel research projects to prevent epilepsy-related to post-traumatic epilepsy, advancing the search for a cure, eliminating treatment side effects, and reversing deficits caused by frequent seizures. CURE Epilepsy funds grants for young and established investigators and to date has awarded more than 240 cutting-edge projects in 15 countries around the world.