Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) is a national nonprofit committed to finding safer, more effective therapies for kids battling cancer. Thanks to donors and partners around the country, we have contributed over $230 million to research, education and awareness, and quality-of-life programs for childhood cancer families. We believe kids deserve safer, less toxic treatments, and we’re committed to funding groundbreaking research and services that enhance healing and care.
In 2023, CCRF welcomes applications in the following grant categories:
- Accelerating Impact for Hard-to-Treat Cancers
- Survivorship
- Disparities in Childhood Cancer
All applications for CCRF awards must be submitted through ProposalCENTRAL. Each application is peer reviewed, and the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) will make funding recommendations to the CCRF Board of Directors.
Please email grants@childrenscancer.org with any questions about our award programs or the application process.
Emerging Scientist Award
In 2023, we will be completing a program evaluation on our Emerging Scientist Award. Therefore, we will not be running a request for application process.
Accelerating Impact for Hard to Treat Cancers Award
This award supports basic, clinical, and population studies focused on hard-to-treat cancers where treatment success has remained out of reach. Projects may include pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. A Hard-to-Treat Award is $250,000 for a two-year period.
CCRF defines hard-to-treat cancer as 5-year survival less than 70% in an individual cancer (e.g. osteosarcoma, AML, DIPG), in a cancer with unfavorable behavior (e.g. relapse or metastasis), or in a molecular defined subtype (e.g. MLL rearranged leukemia, PAX3-FOXO1 rearranged RMS). Cancers with survival <70% in demographic groups defined by age, sex, or race/ethnicity may also qualify if a biologic hypothesis is being pursued.
Survivorship Award
This award is intended to shape the future of cancer survivorship treatment and care. We invite applications that focus on improving the quality and quantity of life for childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Our goal is to support development of interventions that prevent, minimize and address the late effects of cancer therapies. A Survivorship Award is $250,000 for a two-year period.
Eliminating Disparities in Childhood Cancer Award
With this new research award, CCRF wishes to support research that reduces health disparities or inequities in childhood cancer incidence, presentation, access to care, outcome of therapy including adverse event rates, or survivorship.
For the purpose of this funding announcement, health disparities are defined as “systematic, plausibly avoidable health differences adversely affecting socially disadvantaged groups.” (Braveman et al. 2011 ). CCRF will consider disparities based on race/ethnicity, sex or gender, socioeconomic status, language, geography, or other social determinants of health, so long as their evaluation is supported by the literature. Proposals that identify modifiable risk factors, elaborate mechanisms of disparities or inequities, or which plausibly propose to reduce them, will have greater priority for funding than proposals that simply describe them. This award is a $250,000 for a two-year period.