Research Grant Programs

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 $235 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 2024, Children’s Cancer Research Fund will focus our research funding efforts on three main areas:

  • Hard-to-Treat Cancers
  • Survivorship
  • Health Disparities

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.

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 new methodology, and development of new research technology. A Hard-to-Treat Award is $250,000 for a two-year period. Children’s Cancer Research Fund defines hard-to-treat cancer as 5-year survival of less than 70% in an individual cancer (e.g. osteosarcoma, AML, DIPG), in a cancer withy unfavorable behavior (e.g. relapse or metastasis), or in a molecular defined subtype (e.g. MLL rearranged leukemia, PAX3-FOXO1 rearranged RMS). Cancer with survival <70% in demographic groups defined by age, sex, or race/ethnicity may also qualify if a biological hypothesis is being pursued.

View this year’s funding announcement here.

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.

View this year’s funding announcement here.

Eliminating Disparities in Childhood Cancer Award

Children’s Cancer Research Fund 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.

View this year’s funding announcement here.