The Childrens Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Each day, nearly 50 families in the U.S. hear the words, "Your child has cancer." Many treatments today are similar to treatments 20 or even 30 years ago. Advances have not kept up with adult cancer treatments. Additionally, many treatments are so hard on a child's body that children face a host of health complications later in life (latent effects). Only about 4% of the federal cancer research budget is allocated specifically for pediatric cancer. That means that advances in pediatric cancer research relies significantly on private and foundation funding. The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF) is committed to ensuring that pediatric cancer research remains funded and that treatments and cures are always available. Investing in research and programs that ensure better outcomes for kids with cancer remains our priority.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Funding Research
For 2023, The Children's Cancer Foundation funded eleven researchers in 4 locations in Maryland and DC. The research addresses a variety of pediatric cancers, including leukemia, retinobastoma, Ewing Sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and T-cell production.
Funding Non-Research Projects
For 2023, CCF funded six programs organized by non-profits and medical institutions: two support/respite activities for families and for adolescents with cancer, two children to attend a camp for the entire summer designed for children battling cancer and their siblings, a program that hosts a "prom" for children who otherwise could not attend traditional parties, a mobile melanoma screening program targeting young adults, and a trained neurology liaison coordinating care between the hospital treatment team and the school administration to help children succeed academically during or post-treatment.
Building Facilities
This category was an original focus upon our founding, when state-of-the-art facilities for children did not exist. Today, CCF focuses on funding research and non-research (program) grants.
The Children's Cancer Foundation, Inc. has built most of the Pediatric Oncology treatment facilities at major hospitals in Maryland and D.C. including:
Inpatient Pediatric Oncology Units at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Maryland Medical Center Treatment Rooms
Family and Patient Waiting and Play Areas and Labs at Children's National Medical Center
Outpatient Pediatric Oncology Units at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Maryland Medical Center, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown
CCF was the 2nd largest contributor to the building and renovation of The Children's Inn at NIH.
In 2023, CCF completed its $5 million pledge to complete the Pediatric Oncology Inpatient Unit in the Children's Tower at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of organizations applying for grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Children and youth, Chronically ill people, Terminally ill people
Related Program
Funding Research
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Organizations defined in this context is not counted by hospital, as there are a finite number of research hospitals in funding region, but rather individual researchers.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Children and youth, Chronically ill people, Terminally ill people
Related Program
Funding Research
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These total amounts listed cover grants within all three of our program areas - funding research, funding programs, and funding facilities.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The decline in grants funded is related to fulfilling two pledges in 2022 and 2023
Number of research studies funded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Children and youth, Chronically ill people, Terminally ill people
Related Program
Funding Research
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
CCF's goal is to see all children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer easily and affordably receive effective treatments with minimal lifelong impacts. By providing grants to researchers, CCF commits to ensuring that treatments, cures and better outcomes are available to every child facing a diagnosis of cancer.
A CCF research grant enables a researcher to begin, or continue, their theory with the aim of identifying, new or improved treatments for a child with cancer. This is accomplished through an application process where researchers apply for funding, presenting their concepts for advancing treatments and cures.
Our collective goal is to ensure that every child and family facing a diagnosis of cancer has access to the best treatments possible.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
CCF raises and distributes funds for local pediatric cancer researchers and programs that improve the lives of children (and their families) fighting cancer.
We believe that the promise of improved outcomes and a healthy future should be guaranteed for all kids battling cancer. Sadly, this is not a guarantee.
Therefore, CCF engages a broad cross-section of individuals and businesses from our community to collaborate and raise awareness and dollars for childhood cancer research and programs. With the dollars raised, we provide grants (both research and non-research) to facilitate the advancement of treatments, cures and supports needed to provide a path to health.
We are a non-profit that both raises funds and distributes funds directly into research and programs to provide the hope of a cure and improved outcomes for a child with cancer.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
CCF's capabilities include:
Raising funds- we do this through individual donors, businesses, corporation and private foundations.
Distributing Funds: Through a competitive application process, researchers and organization request funding
that will advance pediatric cancer treatments or services impacting a child/family.
Through the guidance of our Scientific Advisory Board and an independent review board and our Board of Directors (all volunteers), grants are distributed.
CCF requires an evaluation and report from all grantees, which enables us to track progress, outcomes and advancements.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Children's Cancer Foundation has provided over $43 million in grants to area researchers and programs since 1983. We are looking to increase our grant-giving capabilities every year.
Since 1983, we have awarded grants to area hospitals and researchers to treat and cure childhood cancers. We are currently working with the University of Maryland Medical System, Children's National Health System, National Cancer Institute at NIH, Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai.
CCF has funded pediatric oncology researchers and clinicians at the above hospitals as well as at NIH and the Uniformed Services University. In many cases, early funding of such research has made it possible for them to stay in their chosen field and gain a foothold against childhood cancers. Since 2015, CCF has teamed up with Giant Food to extend an annual "NextGen" grant, intended to fund research from a new scientist and ensure their professional development within their hospital. Each year, an independent review team identifies exceptional research for someone less than five years into their career with $100,000. As of 2023, we have nine NextGen awardees.
CCF has also built Pediatric Oncology units and facilities at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sinai Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Systems in Baltimore, as well as at The Children's National Health System, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and The Children's Inn at NIH in the Washington area. Thanks to CCF, children are treated in colorful child and family-friendly areas that allow them to continue to be children and remind all of us that they are not defined by their disease. At the March 1, 2012 opening of The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital, which housed the 9-bed Shirley Howard Pediatric Oncology Inpatient Unit, Dr. Joseph Wiley, Chief at that time, recognized that The Children's Cancer Foundation has been the most important charity for childhood cancer in our region."
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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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, 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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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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 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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting 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
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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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.
The Childrens Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/06/2024
Dr. Jerrold Chadwick
My Fresh Solutions, Inc.
Term: 1983 - 2011
Matt Cimino
BGE Home
Steve Coomes
Retired from Safeway Inc.
Charmel Y McMillan
Char-town Entertainment
John W. Carver
The Carver Group
Karen Fernandez
Food World/Food Trade News
Michael A Golder
Sysco Inc.
Michael O'Halloran
M & T Bank
William F Yull
NECA, MD Chapter
Terence McGowan
Giant Food
Dan J Kenney
Cohn Reznick Group
Paul J Schwab
Azrael, Franz, Schwab & Lipowitz, LLC
Christopher Chadwick
Feldman Ruel
Joe Fileppi
PepsiCo Beverages
Christine Golnoski
PepsiCo Beverages
Bobby Cardoni
Strategic Factory
Lindley Bucci
iHeart Radio
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? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/06/2024GuideStar 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 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 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 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.