The Starr Foundation’s investment in cancer research has been fueled by a commitment to earlier detection, better treatments, improved survival rates, and potential cures.
In 2022, cancer claimed nearly 10 million lives—a figure that is expected to rise to more than 15 million by 2040. Beginning in 1957 with a $100 grant to the American Cancer Society, the Foundation has since contributed more than $300 million to support scientists who are studying, treating, and devising more effective ways to outsmart cancer. Research drives scientific advances, often leading to breakthroughs that can be applied to other areas of medicine and health care.
Foundation grants have ranged from funding individual researchers and institutions to supporting large-scale, multi-institution collaborations like the Starr Cancer Consortium, which brings together scientists with a broad array of expertise to translate laboratory findings into better protocols and treatments in a swift and cost-efficient manner. Specific focus areas have included cancer genetics and genome research, and brain, colorectal, and pediatric cancers.
The Foundation turns to world-renowned institutions like the Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to fund high-risk, high-reward, basic science investigations that can produce paradigm-shifting insights into cancer’s origins, growth, and spread. Grants also make it possible to acquire specialized equipment and computational technologies to harness the power of large data sets to improve cancer diagnoses and treatments. The Foundation supports both senior cancer researchers and early-career scientists who bring new energy and perspectives to finding a cure for this destructive and ever-mutating disease.