Updates From the AACR Foundation: Spring 2026
Learn how nonprofits partner with the AACR Foundation to advance research that prevents and cures cancer.
- Survivor Spotlight: Katie Coleman
- AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025
- Nonprofit Partners Funding Vital Cancer Research
- AACR Grantee Summit: Igniting Innovation in Cancer Research
- Partner Spotlight
Survivor Spotlight: Katie Coleman
As both an ultra-rare kidney cancer survivor and a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Foundation Board of Trustees, Katie Coleman appreciates that AACR taps into the two things she needs: the basic science and the advocacy networks that connect the work to the patients. “That’s what the AACR represents and actually stands behind,” she says.
Katie has witnessed firsthand the impact of both the AACR’s Scholar-in-Training Award (SITA), which enhances the education and training of early career scientists by providing financial support for their attendance at AACR conferences and meetings, and the AACR Scientist↔Survivor Program®, a unique program designed to build bridges and unity among the leaders of the scientific and cancer survivor and patient advocacy communities worldwide. In Katie’s case, these programs are especially important, as they create opportunities for rare cancers, like hers, to get the attention they need from scientists.
Knowing that scientists in the rare cancer space need support, Katie wanted to help. “Where pretty much everywhere else I asked I got a ‘No’ or ‘It’s impossible,’ I got a ‘Yeah, let’s figure this out and find a way to make it work’ when I got in touch with AACR,” she recalls. That led to the creation of the Kidney Cancer Collective, a collaborative group of kidney cancer organizations that fund ten awards with AACR to support rare cancer research and the young researchers doing it.
Katie continues to support the pursuit of cures through cancer research funding. She’s dedicated to creating an easier path for those who come after her. “I’m paying forward what other patients have done for me,” she says. “I hope to inspire others so that they can make an impact.”
Because of funding for AACR programs, researchers are able to make the groundbreaking developments needed to help people like Katie not only survive but create their own lasting impact.
AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025
The AACR Cancer Progress Report showcases the extraordinary momentum in cancer research and how sustained federal investment has led to improvements in treatment options, survival, and quality of life for cancer patients.
The message is clear: Continued progress hinges on unwavering support for the NIH, NCI, FDA, and CDC and on a stable research infrastructure that can deliver lifesaving advances.
Read the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2025Nonprofit Partners Funding Vital Cancer Research
AACR’s nonprofit partners advance vital cancer research through their ongoing philanthropic support. Researchers like Eunyoung Choi, PhD, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, first received the Debbie’s Dream Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Gastric Cancer Research in 2017. Then, in 2023, she received the AACR-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Innovation and Discovery Grant.
Both grants were made possible through nonprofit partnerships with AACR, and they have been pivotal for Dr. Choi’s research and career. “I think these two awards are my career landmarks, and I would not have been successful if I had not received them,” Dr. Choi shared. Support from nonprofit partners truly accelerates cutting-edge discoveries—and changes lives.
Read Dr. Choi’s StoryAACR Grantee Summit: Igniting Innovation in Cancer Research
What happens when grantees and funding partners come together in person? Science comes to life!
At the AACR Grantee Summit—held October 5-7 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—grantees enthusiastically presented their research findings, and attendees enjoyed learning about scientific advancements and networking together. This annual summit offers the opportunity for grantees to share the outcomes of their work with the generous funders who made it possible.
Join us at the AACR Grantee Summit in 2026 to see the impact of these grants. Learn more online or reach out to [email protected] with additional questions.
The grant recipients below share their thoughts on the 2025 summit and their research funding:
Partner Spotlight
We are pleased to spotlight two of AACR’s nonprofit partners:
Fanconi Cancer Foundation aims to improve the lives of people affected by Fanconi anemia and associated cancers worldwide by funding exceptional research and empowering their community. Its contributions have been instrumental in understanding the disease and improving treatments—and life expectancy has more than doubled. The Fanconi Cancer Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research—which stimulates highly innovative research from young investigators—promotes and supports creative, paradigm-shifting cancer research that may not be funded through conventional channels.
Hope Scarves is a global nonprofit that brings comfort, connection, and courage to those facing cancer. The organization collects scarves and stories from people around the world and pairs them to deliver tangible symbols of hope, strength, beauty, and solidarity. The 2025 AACR-Hope Scarves Metastatic Breast Cancer Innovation and Discovery Grant aims to foster innovation and advance the translation of promising ideas in metastatic breast cancer research, including the exploration of potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers.
Thank you for your dedication to making progress against cancer!
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There are many ways in which you can lend your talents to support lifesaving research. Learn how you can become an advocate for cancer research, participate in events to raise awareness, volunteer your time, and share your story of how cancer has affected your life.
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