Support people affected by chordoma and accelerate research toward effective treatments and cures through funding, shared resources, and collaboration.
Focus Areas
chordoma researchcancer researchdrug discovery (TBXT)immunotherapypediatric chordomapatient support and navigation
Who They Fund
individual researchersacademic institutions / research labs
Funding Style
project-specific research fundingrestricted (purpose-limited) grantcompetitive research grant awards
About Chordoma Foundation
The Chordoma Foundation’s recent grantmaking centers on one disease: chordoma. Its support is built around research funding, shared resources, and collaboration aimed at effective treatments and cures, with grant programs that include the Chordoma Foundation Labs, the Immunotherapy Initiative, the Pediatric Chordoma Initiative, and the MAC Fund for clinical-trial launch and enrollment support. The foundation also funds individuals, alongside academic institutions and research labs, through restricted, project-specific awards.
Recent grants show a strong research orientation across established cancer centers and specialized laboratories. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center received $407,935 in 2025, while the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center received $400,000 in 2025 and $365,847 in 2024. Other large awards went to NYU Grossman School of Medicine, The Broad Institute Inc, and Cancer Research Institute. The pattern points to a funder that supports both discovery-stage science and translational work tied to the chordoma pipeline.
The portfolio also reaches into pediatric chordoma, drug discovery around TBXT, and clinical-trial readiness, reflecting a disease-specific strategy rather than broad cancer philanthropy. Grants to groups such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP, UPMC Department of Neurosurgery, and Redesign Science Inc show that the foundation backs a mix of clinical, institutional, and project-based research efforts.
What Chordoma Foundation Funds
Chordoma research is the foundation’s core emphasis, and recent awards show that focus across multiple scientific settings. The Broad Institute Inc received $299,789 in 2025 for research, while The Jackson Laboratory received $125,720 in 2023 for research support tied to the same disease area.
Translational and drug-discovery work also appears in the recent grants list. Redesign Science Inc received $15,000 in 2025, aligning with the foundation’s TBXT drug-discovery emphasis.
Clinical and patient-oriented work is part of the mix as well. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP received $84,723 in 2025 for research, and the foundation’s program list includes the MAC Fund for clinical-trial launch and enrollment support.
Pediatric chordoma is another defined area. The foundation lists a Pediatric Chordoma Initiative focused on research, model development, and therapies for children, adolescents, and young adults.
How Chordoma Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.3M
Total Assets
$18M
Total Revenue
$13.4M
Total Expenses
$6.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $288K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$288K
Geographic Reach
National12 states funded
About 6% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JOSH SOMMER
Deep Analysis
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general research supportacademic/scientific project fundingresearch project development
The foundation’s typical awards cluster at a research-grant scale of $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $100,000 at the median, and $287,676 at the 75th percentile. The recent list includes both smaller project awards and substantially larger research grants, indicating a wide range within a project-specific model.
Granting appears recurring rather than one-off for several recipients: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP, Massachusetts General Hospital, UPMC Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Research Institute, Start, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center each appear more than once in the recent-grants table. The foundation funds individuals and uses restricted, purpose-limited awards. Its listed programs do not accept unsolicited applications, except the Europe support page, which is marked as accepting unsolicited inquiries.
Where Chordoma Foundation Makes Grants
Although headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, the Chordoma Foundation gives most often in Pennsylvania. Recent grants land across a national U.S. network, with especially frequent awards in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia recipients include American Assn for Cancer Research and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP, while Pittsburgh shows up through UPMC Department of Neurosurgery. New York, Texas, and Massachusetts also recur in the grant list, including recipients in New York City, Houston, San Antonio, and Boston. All recent grants shown go to U.S. recipients.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chordoma Foundation
What kinds of work does the Chordoma Foundation fund?
Its grants focus on chordoma research, cancer research, TBXT drug discovery, immunotherapy, pediatric chordoma, and patient support and navigation. The active programs list adds clinical-trial launch and enrollment support, preclinical disease models, and translational science tied to chordoma-specific treatment development.
What is the typical grant size?
Among recent grants, the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $287,676. The grant list also shows awards above $400,000 and below $25,000, so the foundation uses a broad project-funding range.
Does the foundation make repeat grants to the same organizations?
Yes. Several recipients appear multiple times in the recent-grants table, including Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP, Massachusetts General Hospital, UPMC Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Research Institute, Start, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. That points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards.
Can researchers submit unsolicited proposals?
Most listed programs do not accept unsolicited applications, including Immunotherapy Initiative, MAC Fund, Pediatric Chordoma Initiative, Chordoma Foundation Labs, and Open funding opportunities. The Europe support page is the one listed program marked as accepting unsolicited inquiries.
Who receives the foundation’s grants?
The beneficiary types listed are individual researchers and academic institutions or research labs. Recent awards include major cancer centers, universities, hospitals, and research organizations such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, The Broad Institute Inc, and Cancer Research Institute.
Current and upcoming funding from Chordoma Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Open nowLOI due Dec 1, 2026Closes in 19 days (Dec 1, 2026)Award: Up to $300K
CRI Impact Grant
Administered by Cancer Research Institute
ChordomaCancer immunologyCancer immunotherapy+3 more
Who can apply: Applicants must hold a tenure-track assistant professor appointment or higher at award activation, or provide institutional documentation that this rank will be held by activation. There are no citizenship restrictions. Research may be conducted at medical schools and research centers in the United States or abroad, but for-profit institutions are ineligible.
Deadline: LOI deadline December 1, 2026; invited full proposal deadline March 15, 2027.
Open nowCloses in 19 days (Dec 1, 2026)Award: Up to $1M
CRI Clinical Innovator
Administered by Cancer Research Institute
Cancer immunotherapyClinical trialsPredictive biomarkers+2 more
Who can apply: Candidates must be the principal investigator of the proposed study. Research may be conducted at medical schools or research centers in the United States or abroad, but CRI does not support research at for-profit institutions and has no citizenship restrictions.
Deadline: Initial Protocol Concept deadline December 1, 2026; invited full applications due April 1, 2027.
Chordoma researchTarget discoveryPredictive biomarkers+3 more
Who can apply: Researchers and organizations pursuing high-impact chordoma research addressing priorities defined by the Chordoma Foundation's medical and scientific advisors. The page states that the research team supports interested investigators and companies worldwide.
Deadline: Accepted at any time; no fixed deadline stated.
Chordoma researchTarget discoveryPredictive biomarkers+3 more
Who can apply: Projects must be high-impact chordoma research addressing priorities defined by the Foundation’s medical and scientific advisors. The site states that the research team supports interested investigators and companies worldwide; specific organizational eligibility and award requirements are not provided.
Deadline: Requests considered at any time; no fixed deadline stated.
Brachyury/TBXT drug discoveryChordoma researchCancer therapeutics+1 more
Who can apply: Researchers and potentially research organizations or companies developing innovative approaches to drugging brachyury; detailed eligibility criteria were not provided in the scraped content.
Deadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
