On April 14, 2011, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® announced it will fund $55 million in research grants at 56 institutions across the United States and internationally in 2011.
Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Komen, describes the organization’s giving plans by saying, “Our goal at Komen is to fund research with the greatest potential to make a difference and save lives in the shortest period of time. That means putting our dollars toward cutting-edge research that is high-risk, with potentially huge rewards.”
In 2011, 40 percent of Komen’s funding will be for projects that will lead to an understanding of the underlying origins of breast cancer and why it has the capacity to spread throughout the body. Nearly 22 percent of funding will go toward early detection, and about 20 percent will be going to new treatments. More than $1.2 million of Komen’s 2011 research commitment will go to projects outside the United States.
Of the $55 million, Komen is providing more than $6 million for fellowship training for bright young scientists, while nearly $12 million will be directed to projects seeking to overcome disparities in breast cancer outcomes among different population groups.
In addition to the research grants, Komen has allocated nearly $3 million in support of patient support conferences and programs focusing on young women, women with metastatic disease, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and cancer-related legal issues, as well as important scientific conferences, both in the United States and globally. This brings the total grants package announced to $58 million.
A complete list of 2011 grants designees can be found at www.komen.org/2011researchgrants. All grants and awards are contingent upon receipt of a fully executed agreement.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world, investing $610 million since 1982 and playing a role in funding every major advance in breast cancer science for the past three decades.
Source: Susan G. Komen for the Cure® website, Dallas newspaper publications
