About Concern Foundation
Concern Foundation provides critical funding to post-doctoral and early-career cancer researchers to advance understanding, prevention and treatment of cancer. Concern focuses on ensuring donor dollars are used effectively to identify causes of and cures for cancer.
Focus Areas
Cancer geneticsCancer cell biologyTumor immunology / immunotherapyEarly-stage laboratory researchPost-doctoral / junior faculty support
Who They Fund
children with cancer (pediatric patients)adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancercancer patients across tumor types (brain, pancreatic, ovarian, lung, breast, melanoma, cervical, urologic)research trainees and early-career scientists (summer fellows, U-GROW program)ethnic minority breast cancer patients (studies of immune response differences)
About Concern Foundation
Concern Foundation’s recent awards show a clear emphasis on early-career cancer science, with a single project reaching $225,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles USC on fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma and metastatic invasion. Across its grantmaking, the foundation backs laboratory and translational research that can inform cancer genetics, cell biology, immunology, and immunotherapy. Its named programs reinforce that pattern: the Concern Foundation Grant Program supports promising early-career scientists with seed funding, while the Conquer Cancer Now Award provides 2-year support for post-doctoral and early-career researchers. The foundation also funds work tied to specific cancer types and patient groups. Recent support includes pediatric brain tumors at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, breast cancer immune-response research at the University of Southern California and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and projects on pancreatic, ovarian, lung, cervical, melanoma, and glioblastoma biology. That mix suggests a funder that combines investigator development with disease-focused discovery research. Grants are generally made to affiliated research institutions in the United States, with awards appearing at both the $60,000 and $75,000 levels and above for selected projects. Concern Foundation also supports a summer oncology research fellowship program, linking research funding with workforce development.
What Concern Foundation Funds
In pediatric oncology, Concern Foundation backed Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with $150,000 for novel molecular mechanisms of P1D1 function in pediatric brain tumors, and another $90,000 for a summer oncology research fellowship program. The foundation also supported neuroblastoma work at the same institution with a $75,000 grant focused on chromosome 17q gain-mediated tumorigenesis. Breast cancer and immune response are another visible thread. The University of Southern California received $100,000 for ethnic differences among breast cancer patient immune responses, and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center received $100,000 for ethnic differences in immune responses among breast cancer patients. Concern Foundation also funds metastasis, invasion, and tumor microenvironment research. Temple University received $75,000 for the role of chemotherapy in awakening dormant tumor cells and metastatic relapse, while Oregon Health and Science University received $75,000 to reprogram suppressive regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment. At Washington University, a $75,000 award supported mechanisms of tumor immune evasion in cervical cancer.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.4M
Total Assets
$10.3M
Total Revenue
$2.4M
Total Expenses
$2.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $31K and $60K, with a median of $60K.
25th Percentile
$31K
Median
$60K
75th Percentile
$60K
Geographic Reach
National15 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DEREK ALPERT
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