During its 11-year existence, The ASCO Cancer Foundation has been vital to ASCO programs, providing support that would not be possible through member dues only-more than $10 million in 2009 alone. During that time, the Foundation has continued to evolve from the charitable arm of its parent society, ASCO, to an increasingly high-profile philanthropic foundation. Beginning in 2011, the Foundation will be known by a new name that reflects that evolution: the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The name Conquer Cancer Foundation inspires confidence and makes its mission instantly comprehensible to the general public and donors. Along with the name change, the Foundation has updated its mission and vision statements. Its mission: to conquer cancer worldwide by funding breakthrough research and sharing cutting-edge knowledge. Its vision: a world free from the fear of cancer.

"Conquer Cancer Foundation is more than a name. It reinforces our individual and collective consecration to our mission. It creates our invitation to all who will partner with us as we seek to fulfill our Foundation's new name and our abiding mission…the mission to conquer cancer."
-Martin Murphy, Jr, PhD, DMedSc, Chair, Conquer Cancer Foundation

Although ASCO is well known among oncology professionals, the public at large is not necessarily familiar with the Society or with clinical oncology. While ASCO continues to provide resources to its members, the Conquer Cancer Foundation reaches beyond the membership, to individuals and organizations of all types, for support. The new name distinguishes the Foundation as a separate organization and establishes a differentiated mission that audiences will find relevant and care about, while remaining closely tied to ASCO.

Critical Support for a Broad Range of Programs

"ASCO has the expertise and competency to deliver a tremendous array of programs to both our members and the public. What transforms these ideas into reality is financial support, and that must come from sources beyond ASCO membership dues."
-Allen S. Lichter, MD, ASCO CEO

The Foundation seeks support for programs including Annual Meeting educational tracks, enduring materials, thematic symposia, Virtual Meetings, and online Abstracts. It helps support ASCO's award-winning patient education website, Cancer.Net, which provides timely, oncologist-approved information to patients and their families. Its reach extends from the grassroots level, through support of the State Affiliate Program, to across international borders, through the Advanced Cancer Courses and the Long-term International Fellowship program.

Much of the Foundation's fundraising has focused on its Grants and Awards Program. Established by ASCO in 1983, the Grants Program awarded its first Young Investigator Award in 1984. In 1992, the program was expanded to include the Career Development Award, and now, the Grants program offers funding to every level of physician-scientist, both in the United States and throughout the world. To date, more than $66 million in research grants have been awarded to more than 800 investigators.

Along with research grants, the Foundation administers a robust Awards Program designed to recognize and promote the career development of high-quality clinicians and researchers. More than $1 million has been awarded to researchers through the International Development and Education Award (IDEA), Clinical Trials Participation Award (CTPA), and Merit Award. Established in 2009, the ASCO Diversity in Oncology Initiative, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, has provided support for three additional award programs: the Loan Repayment Program, Medical Student Rotation Program, and Resident Travel Award.

Collaborating for Success

Given that treating cancer requires a collaborative relationship among a multidisciplinary team of caregivers, funding cancer research and education programs also benefits from a collaborative approach. To this end, the Foundation has broken new ground in developing relationships with like-minded organizations. A first-of-its-kind collaboration with Susan G. Komen for the Cure was formed in 2008, when the Foundation received $10 million from Komen for the Cure to develop programs focused on access to, quality of, and delivery of cancer care. Through this relationship, ASCO and the Foundation have created several important initiatives, among them the Diversity in Oncology Initiative, designed to facilitate the recruitment and retention of individuals from populations underrepresented in medicine to cancer careers, and the Improving Cancer Care Grant, the largest-ever grant offered by the Foundation, at $1.35 million.

"The collaborative relationship with Komen was new territory for the Foundation. Now, more than 2 years later, both organizations are thrilled with how productive and fruitful it has been. Not only do we look forward to continuing our association with Komen, we look forward to building similar relationships with other organizations, all with the objective of benefitting people living with cancer."
-Nancy R. Daly, MS, MPH, Executive Director, Conquer Cancer Foundation

Building Personal and Public Support

Recognizing the need to both increase efforts and ensure its longevity, the Foundation in 2008 established its Mission Endowment. The Endowment represents an opportunity for corporations and individuals to invest in the Foundation's critical mission areas: research, professional education, patient and family support, international outreach, and access to care. The Mission Endowment is an investment in the future of the practice of oncology, for the benefit of patients.

The Foundation continues to seek innovative ways to spread its message and bring notice to the work it does. In 2010, the Foundation launched a new Annual Giving Campaign, Leadership to Legacy, which supports the Foundation's Research Grants Program. This campaign is an opportunity for ASCO members and other oncology professionals to support the next generation of researchers. Leadership of ASCO and the Foundation, and ASCO members and nonmembers alike, have risen to this challenge, and thus far, Leadership to Legacy has raised sufficient funds to support a Young Investigator Award.

The Conquer Cancer Foundation moves into its second decade with not just a new name, but also a renewed sense of direction and purpose. Through comprehensive marketing and communications plans and its new consumer-friendly brand, the Foundation hopes to reach new audiences outside the traditional cancer community, acquiring new friends while renewing the support of existing donors. Through this outreach, the Foundation will be able to expand its portfolio of programs benefitting people living with cancer and the people who care for and about them.

Visit ConquerCancerFoundation.org to learn about the programs we support, apply for grants and awards, or make a gift. ■

© 2011. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.