Programs and results
What we aim to solve
According to a study published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer, nearly one in three families is unable to meet their basic needs while a child is in treatment for cancer. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, parents need to reevaluate childcare, careers, and finances in order to provide the best possible care for their child. They are forced to focus on financial issues that may arise when a parent needs to work less or quit a job to provide care and travel for their child's treatment. Financial pressures, paired with the emotional distress of such a tragic diagnosis affect almost every pediatric cancer family and we are working to reduce these pressures in any way we can.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Family Triage
Grants up to $19,000 to assist in paying those day to day costs (mortgage, car payments, utilities) which take a second priority to caring for a child with pediatric cancer.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with physical disabilities, People with other disabilities, Chronically ill people, Terminally ill people, Family relationships
Related Program
Family Triage
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
TRF’s mission is to assist families whose children have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer through financial assistance and professional financial expertise, as well as emotional and social support. We want to ensure that insecurity in housing, utilities, and medical travel is not part of our families' cancer journeys, and that hope, great memories, and fun experiences will balance the hard times. Parents dealing with a tragic pediatric cancer diagnosis should be able to focus on their families rather than financial issues, and we aim to help them do just this.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
TRF provides monetary support in the form of grants for families who are unable to afford essential household expenses while caring for their child. TRF Families receive grants ranging from $12,000 to $36,000 combined with a volunteer financial advisor which helps both the family and TRF allocate each dollar the best possible way. Grants cover everyday expenses that become a challenge when a child has cancer, including mortgage, rent, automobile payments, and medical-related travel. If needed, families can utilize a portion of their grant to assist with tutoring and other educational needs for their child. Our grants include a Financial Relief Grant for families who have suffered financial hardship as a result of a pediatric cancer diagnosis, Travel Grants to cover hotel and travel expenses for treatments, and Family Fun Grants Through our grants, families are able to focus on their families and children rather than the financial pressures that typically ensue when a child is diagnosed with cancer.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Tyler Robinson Foundation is partnered with 49 children’s hospitals across the United States and several parts of Canada. We also have one partner hospital in each of the following countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Through these partnerships, families are recommended by their social worker to apply to our program.
Our organization is able to provide grants to our family through funding from various sources, including our Team TRF school fundraising program, Ambassador program, and our annual gala.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
TRF has helped over 2,500 families through our high-level grants program. This year, we will be serving more than 100 families, not including our gift card drive which helps more than 400 families per year. We are proud to say that .85 cents of every dollar goes directly to our families. We plan on continuing to spread the TRF mission and provide grants to even more families at our partner hospitals.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
TRF’s mission is to assist families whose children have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer through financial assistance and professional financial expertise, as well as emotional and social support. We offer a leg-up to families who are dealing with a tragic diagnosis to ensure that insecurity in housing, utilities, and medical travel is not part of their cancer journey, and that hope, great memories, and fun experiences will balance the hard times.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
In 2021, we expanded our Family Financial Grant program with our Uber Eats Program in response to requests from families we serve regarding increased need for funds for groceries and food. We provide now our families with monthly Uber Eats credit so they can purchase meals and groceries for their families throughout the month.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Asking for feedback has allowed us to add to and increase our current programs. For example, increasing our emergency fund grants during the pandemic.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
TYLER ROBINSON FOUNDATION INC
Board of directorsas of 3/22/2022
Jennifer Carleton
Mac Reynolds
Toni Corbin
Karen Dillard
Ben McKee
Gregory McStravick
Daniel Platzman
Dan Reynolds
Ron Reynolds
Brent Robinson
Jarom Schmidt
Wayne Sermon
Alex Sharpe
Jennifer Shydler
Jill Alintoff
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/16/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.