About Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation
To fund less toxic therapies for children with cancer so they can have a better quality of life during treatment, to fund and expand access to potentially life‑saving clinical trials, to support families emotionally and financially, and to raise awareness through advocacy and their Emmy‑award winning documentary campaign The Truth 365.
Focus Areas
Pediatric cancer researchNeuroblastomaDIPG / DMG (pediatric brain tumors)Sarcomas (Ewing, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma)Leukemia (AML, ALL)Clinical trials / less toxic therapiesSurvivorship, palliative care and quality of lifeFamily financial and bereavement supportMental health and wellness for survivors and families
Who They Fund
children with cancer/pediatric oncology patients
About Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation
Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation centers its giving on less toxic therapies for children with cancer, and its recent grants show that mission reaching hospitals, research centers, and collaborative research funds across the country. One of the clearest signals is its support for large research awards tied to pediatric oncology, including $397,500 to Tough2gether in Manhattan, Kansas, for cancer research and $155,000 to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for an anti-NB vaccine trial. The foundation also backs named donor funds that direct money into disease-specific work, such as the Awoccf Neuroblastoma Initiatives Fund in Marlboro, New Jersey. Beyond research, it supports the broader childhood-cancer ecosystem with grants that link research institutions, advocacy groups, and clinical programs. Its mix of awards includes both broad collaborative research support and targeted funding for neuroblastoma, DIPG/DMG, immunotherapy, and other pediatric cancer projects. That pattern suggests a funder focused on moving research toward therapies that may reduce treatment toxicity while also strengthening the infrastructure around children and families affected by cancer.
What Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation Funds
A major theme in the portfolio is pediatric cancer research aimed at safer treatment. The foundation gave $99,996 to Stanford University for pediatric cancer immunotherapy research and $60,185 to the Regents of the University of Michigan for the same purpose, showing support for translational work in major academic centers. Neuroblastoma appears as a specific priority through the $155,000 grant to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for an anti-NB vaccine trial. The foundation also backs collaborative pediatric cancer research through a $128,628 award to Rally Foundation under its Collaborative Pediatric Cancer Research Awards Program. Another research angle is therapeutic development through grants such as $50,000 to Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute and $49,500 to Sonalasense Inc.
How Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster around a median of $40,000, with a lower quartile of $10,185 and an upper quartile of $125,000. The recent record includes a wide spread, from $10,185 awards to six-figure research grants. Several recipients appear more than once across the recent-grants list, including Tough2gether, Rally Foundation, Sonalasense Inc, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, Solving Kids Cancer, The Chadtough Foundation, and Awoccf Neuroblastoma Initiatives Fund. The foundation uses both its own research-grant programs and named donor funds, and it accepts unsolicited applications for some programs, including general research grants through Proposal Central and monthly family support grants by form and email.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$273K
Total Assets
$409K
Total Revenue
$1.2M
Total Expenses
$1.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $125K, with a median of $40K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$40K
75th Percentile
$125K
Geographic Reach
National14 states funded
About 5% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DENA SHERWOOD
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