Our mission is to take bold action to improve the lives of everyone impacted by pancreatic cancer by advancing scientific research, building community, sharing knowledge and advocating for patients.
A $4.3 million grant to Verastem Oncology stands out in Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Inc’s recent giving and shows the scale at which the organization supports pancreatic cancer research. The foundation funded scientific work across universities, cancer centers, and medical institutions in 2024, with awards ranging from six figures to multimillion-dollar support. Its recent grants also include large awards to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, indicating a strong emphasis on research institutions with active pancreatic cancer programs. The foundation’s work centers on advancing scientific research, including basic, translational, and clinical studies. Its active program list shows a mix of competitive research grants, fellowship support, bridge funding for disrupted federal projects, and an adaptive clinical trial platform. The research portfolio extends beyond a single stage of investigation: some grants support established investigators, while others are designed for early-career researchers and fellows. The organization also links research support to clinical progress through Precision Promise, its adaptive multi-arm clinical trial platform for pancreatic cancer therapy evaluation. Across its recent awards, the pattern is consistent: funding is directed to institutions and research organizations working on pancreatic cancer from multiple angles.
Pancreatic cancer research is the core of the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2024, it gave $565,000 to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and $500,000 to Columbia University Medical Center for research, alongside $500,000 to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Those awards show support for institutional research teams working on pancreatic cancer science. The foundation also backs clinical and translational work. It gave $300,000 to Washington University for fund research and $230,000 to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for fund research, signaling continued support for studies that move from lab findings toward patient care. Career development appears in its fellowship programming. The PanCAN Fellowship (Francois Wallace Monahan Fund) is designed to advance developing pancreatic cancer research, and the 2025 example award was set at $175,000 over two years. Bridge funding is another priority through the PanCAN Research Recovery Grant, which is intended to support principal investigators whose federally peer-reviewed U.S. projects were delayed or terminated.
$218K
$41M
$42.2M
$47.6M
Most grants fall between $250K and $300K, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$250K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$300K
About 7% of grants go to recipients in MA.
JULIE FLESHMAN
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Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Inc’s typical grant size is tightly clustered: the 25th percentile is $250,000, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. That pattern matches a grantmaking style built around substantial project support rather than small awards. The foundation also makes larger exceptions, including a $4.3 million grant in 2024. The active programs show both recurring and one-off structures: competitive research grants, fellowship support, and bridge funding recur as program types, while Precision Promise functions as an initiative-based clinical platform. Some programs accept unsolicited applications, including the Research Grants Program, the 2026 Research Recovery Grant, and the 2025 Fellowship; others do not, including the example PanCAN Fellowship RFP and the PanCAN Research Recovery Grant. The foundation funds individuals through fellowships but does not fund individuals broadly as a general grantmaking policy.
Grantmaking is national, and every recent grant listed went to a U.S. recipient. Washington appears most often by recipient count, even though the foundation’s headquarters is in Manhattan Beach, California. Recent grants reach research centers in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and other U.S. cities. California recipients appear as well, including Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the recent grants list, with 29 grants to U.S. organizations.
The recent grants go to universities, cancer centers, hospitals, and medical schools, including The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The beneficiary types listed also include individual researchers, academic institutions, and research organizations or think tanks.
The foundation’s grant size distribution is centered at $250,000. The 25th percentile is $250,000, the median is $250,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. Many of the recent grants in the list fall in that range, with some larger awards above it.
The active programs emphasize pancreatic cancer research, clinical trials and adaptive trial platforms, early detection, precision medicine through Know Your Tumor, patient services and support, advocacy and federal research funding, and community building through PurpleStride. The recent grants also show support for basic, translational, and clinical research.
Some programs do, and some do not. The Research Grants Program, the 2026 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Research Recovery Grant, and the 2025 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Fellowship are marked as accepting unsolicited applications. The PanCAN Research Recovery Grant and the example PanCAN Fellowship RFP are marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
Its grantmaking is national, with recent awards spread across U.S. institutions in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and other cities. Washington is the top state by recipient count, while California recipients account for 7% of grants.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Pancreatic Cancer Action Network that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: The proposed research team must include at least three principal investigators from at least two different institutions. The contact principal investigator must be affiliated with an academic institution in the United States.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET on November 9, 2026
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Seattle, WA | $217,500 | 2025 | FUND RESEARCH |
| VERASTEM ONCOLOGY | NEEDHAM, MA | $4,300,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $565,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $500,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| DANA FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $400,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $340,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | ST LOUIS, MO | $300,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| DANA FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $300,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| THE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $300,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| THE DANA FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $300,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $275,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| ROSWELL PARK COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER | BUFFALO, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA | CHARLESTON, SC | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| LEE MOFFITT CANCER CENTER & RESEARCH INSTITUTE | TAMPA, FL | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $250,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | BALTIMORE, MD | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| THE WISTAR INSTITUTE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA - TWIN CITI | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $250,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| PURDUE UNIVERSITY | WEST LAFAYETTE, IN | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI | CORAL GABLES, FL | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF CINNCINATI | CINCINNATI, OH | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER | HOUSTON, TX | $230,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP | PASADENA, CA | $225,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF | NEW YORK, NY | $177,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | RESEARCH |
| Health Research Incorporated Roswell Park Cancer Institute Division | Buffalo, NY | $125,000 | 2024 | fund research |
| CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | FUND RESEARCH |
VERASTEM ONCOLOGY
$4,300,000FUND RESEARCH
RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
$340,000FUND RESEARCH
THE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
$300,000FUND RESEARCH
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$275,000FUND RESEARCH
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
$250,000FUND RESEARCH
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
$250,000RESEARCH
THE WISTAR INSTITUTE
$250,000FUND RESEARCH
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA - TWIN CITI
$250,000RESEARCH
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
$250,000FUND RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF CINNCINATI
$250,000FUND RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
$230,000FUND RESEARCH
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP
$225,000RESEARCH
fund research
