Children's Cancer Research Fund

Children's Cancer Research Fund fuels transformational research to bring better treatments and cures to children with cancer.

Don't miss your chance to further your impact for childhood cancer research with our matching gift opportunity! Gifts made by December 31 will be matched, up to $125,000, thanks to a generous group of CCRF donors.

This year, we received more research proposals than ever before—an 86% increase across all funding areas. From hard-to-treat cancers like sarcomas and brain tumors to critical survivorship issues like heart health and fertility, researchers across the country are stepping up with bold ideas to move childhood cancer research forward.

But we can only fund a fraction of them.

Your generosity will directly determine how many of these promising therapies advance from a proposed idea—to lab—to lifeline for kids with cancer.

                                                                              

Childhood cancer isn’t as rare — or as understood — as you might think.

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in kids in the U.S. Unlike many adult cancers, most childhood cancers aren’t the result of behavioral or environmental factors like smoking or sun exposure. Most cases are caused by random DNA mutations, sometimes even before birth. And because it’s still not fully understood why childhood cancer happens, prevention isn’t yet possible. 

That’s why research matters. It’s the key to unlocking better treatments for the 12 major types and over 100 subtypes of childhood cancer. Research into safer therapies takes time, collaboration and funding.  

Research is saving lives — but it needs our support to keep going.

Thanks to decades of research, survival rates have improved. But today, 1 in 5 kids diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. still won’t survive. And for those who do, the treatment they receive will leave lifelong physical and emotional scars. 

At Children’s Cancer Research Fund, we’ve invested in researchers across 45 institutions nationwide who are tackling the hardest questions — from cancers with the lowest survival rates to long-term side effects, chronic conditions and health disparities. Because every child, no matter where they live or what cancer they face, deserves access to hope. 

Your support isn’t extra — it’s essential.

More than half of all childhood cancer research in the U.S. is funded by private donors. And with recent cuts to federal funding, your generosity is more critical than ever. Progress doesn’t just happen in labs — it happens when people like you choose to care. 

You're helping create a future where kids with cancer not only survive — they thrive.