PCRF Fundraising Success in 2022 and 2023

 The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) was established in 1982 to help children with cancer increase their chances of survival. Since then, PCRF has invested over $43 million in pediatric cancer research and advances in treatment. The money that the foundation receives funds research usually within 12 months. The PCRF’s grant-making process includes the expertise of subject-matter experts, who review and score applications and choose the most promising ones.

The research funded through the PCRF might take years before researchers have a successful breakthrough, sometimes up to 20 years. According to the PCRF, more funds translate into more opportunities to fund ground-breaking research, which is why the organization is so aggressive about raising funding to fight childhood cancers.

In November 2022, PCRF announced its fundraising partnership with V Foundation for Cancer Research called Dribble for Victory over Cancer, which raised more than $300,000 in 2022. UCLA Hall of Famer and NBA player John Vallely founded the Dribble for Victory over Cancer in 2008, one that increases funding for cancer through sports.

This fundraising effort involved community members, students, and college basketball players convening at five universities. During the events, they met basketball coaches and players from other schools, took an on-campus course, and raised money for funding research to treat childhood cancers. These meetings were also a chance to honor pediatric cancer patients and their families, who served as honorary captains.

Some schools that participated in 2022 were Duke University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, NC State University, St. John’s University, and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA raised $150,000 for this cause at their event held on October 13, 2022. During the UCLA event, the UCLA athletics and women’s/men’s basketball teams partnered with PCRF, the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, and V Foundation. Since its participation 15 years ago, UCLA has raised $2 million for cancer research through Dribble for Victory over Cancer.

In 2023, the PCRF received $400,000, money raised at the “A Culinary & Musical Experience” event at the Ranch at Laguna Resort in Laguna Beach, California. Michael and Joanna Irwin co-hosted the event in honor of their child, who passed away at eight months from childhood cancer.

Those in attendance enjoyed cocktails and a five-course meal paired with the appropriate wines. While attendees dined, they also listened to musical entertainment featuring music from Tim Reynolds, Lee Rocker (Stray Cats), Carneyval, and Josh & Matt Jenkins, among other acts.

The fundraising event raised awareness regarding how little funding goes toward research for pediatric cancers. According to the PCRF February 2023 press release, pediatric cancer research receives only a fraction of the funding allocated to researching adult cancers. The federal government, for instance, invests less than $3 per child each year in cancer research. Most funding comes from families, society, and philanthropic events such as “A Culinary & Musical Experience.”

Finally, at the end of March 2023, PCRF held its 25th Annual Reaching for the Cure run/walk event in Irvine, California, involving 2,600 runners and walkers. In 2023, the foundation raised over $600,000 at this event to fund scientific research in the next 12 months. The participation levels at the event motivated the foundation to continue its efforts to raise more money to fund more research.

Outside of fundraising events, the PCRF accepts donations from the public through individual donations of money and assets, corporate giving, and estate planning. For more information on giving to the PCRF, please visit www.pcrf-kids.org/contribute-cure/.