Kidney Cancer Coalition, Inc.

Our mission is to accelerate cures for kidney cancer by advocating for government and industry funding, facilitating collaboration across research and clinical disciplines, offering direct financial support for researchers with promising ideas, engaging the patients and caregivers through educational outreach, and
connecting patients with trial and treatment opportunities.

ADVOCACY: Strengthen advocacy to urge Congress to continue to fund kidney cancer research
• Engage and educate policymakers on the urgency of kidney cancer research funding
• Increase CDMRP Kidney Cancer Research Program and NIH funding through advocacy
• Continuously recruit advocates and grow grassroots army representing all 50 states
• Continue to strengthen partnerships with kidney cancer affiliate organizations

RESEARCH: Propel collaboration and progress in kidney cancer research
• Continuously strengthen and promote the annual Kidney Cancer Research Summit (KCRS)
• Continue to grow the community of kidney cancer researchers
• Continuously build new relationships and strengthen existing relationships with industry partners
• Provide direct funding to promising ideas through research grants

EDUCATION: Provide educational resources to patients and caregivers
• Continuously update the patient resource center on the website
• Support the development of new treatments by educating patients on trial access and enrollment
• Identify and address unmet needs for patients and caregivers through interaction/feedback from patient forums, social media platforms, and general patient engagement
• Continue to expand our digital footprint through new marketing initiatives to educate patients, caregivers, and providers (KidneyCANDID, quarterly Newsletter, and Town Hall events)

KidneyCAN is a grassroots organization created by people whose lives have been directly impacted by kidney cancer. Our members are patients, caregivers, and volunteers who bring passion and personal motivation to the cause. We have strong leadership, a dedicated staff, and knowledgeable volunteers who all have a shared mission: accelerating cures for kidney cancer. We use innovative technology to empower our advocates to share their voices. We leverage all of these tools to be the leader in legislative advocacy to drive funding for kidney cancer research.

Kidney cancer research is terribly underfunded, particularly given the prevalence of kidney cancer and its impact on people’s lives. Making progress toward cures requires advocacy. KidneyCAN advocates for awareness, funding, research and cures. We know that awareness of kidney cancer leads to a sense of urgency, a desire for solutions. Awareness leads to advocacy, and advocacy — joining to speak as one voice — leads to funding and research. That’s how we get to cures. We are committed to advancing kidney cancer research by speaking up for the kidney cancer community. When legislators and organizers meet on Capitol Hill to discuss funding, we make sure kidney cancer gets a seat at the table. Advocacy work is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor.

KidneyCAN is dedicated to accelerating kidney cancer research. We offer opportunities for researchers to network and advocate. Our advocacy for the CDMRP Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) has resulted in Congressional appropriations of $185 million for kidney cancer research in fiscal years 2017-2021. (In 2016, this number was $0.) We help researchers get funding and connect with other researchers to keep progress moving.
In 2019, we hosted the first-ever Kidney Cancer Research Summit to bring translational researchers in kidney cancer together in an annual collaborative meeting. In 2020, KCRS reached a global audience of over 800 registrants, and we were excited to have kept this momentum growing with our most successful summit – KCRS21 held on October 7-8, 2021. KCRS22 is scheduled for October 6-7, 2022.

KidneyCAN provides patient education and support. We are building a patient resource center on our website, in addition to the direct outreach offered via social media, patient forums, and our special events. A few times a year, we gather our community for a Town Hall discussion. We invite prominent doctors and research leaders, as well as experienced patients and caregivers, to share news to help others. Topics vary, but connecting patients directly to experts is powerful.