$29 Million Awards by the V Foundation in 2019; All-Time Grant Total More Than $250 Million

The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a top-rated cancer research charity, announces awarding $29 million for cutting-edge cancer research in 2019. The total grant funding by the Foundation is now more than $250 million. The highly competitive grant-making process is overseen by the V Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee, made up of world-class researchers from leading cancer centers. This rigorous process ensures proposals meet the highest standards of scientific merit.

The V Foundation awarded 26 V Scholar Grants in 2019. V Scholar Grants advance innovative young scientists establishing their research careers and provide them a competitive edge to earn additional funding from other sources. Each V Scholar Grant is a $200,000, two-year commitment. Four V Scholars were funded through the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund. V Scholars supported through the Stuart Scott Fund are early-career investigators who are either minority themselves or working to solve health challenges faced by minorities with cancer.

“I am thrilled to be selected for the V Scholar Grant as an early-stage investigator,” said Viviana Risca, Ph.D., a V Scholar Grant recipient. “The recognition and infusion of financial support it represents will serve as a major boost for my group's research into the way sarcoma cells respond to therapy that arrests their ability to divide.”

In 2019, the V Foundation awarded 17 Translational Grants. Translational Grants fund projects that bring cancer research from the bench to the bedside. Translational Grants are $600,000 awards distributed over three years. Moving forward,the V Foundation will name two top translational research grants each year in honor of former V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano and former Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Robert Bast, M.D. The awards honor Valvano and Bast for their many years of service to the V Foundation.

“The V Foundation supports some of the country’s most promising young cancer researchers as they begin their careers exploring ways to better understand cancer and how to stop it,” said William Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the V Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Marion I. Knott Professor of Oncology and Director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. “Through thoughtful investments in the right people and projects, the V Foundation is propelling progress. For the patient, that means better ways to detect cancers, more treatment options and a better chance at long-term survival.”

The V Foundation holds a 4-star (highest) rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest evaluator of charities, and is among the top 3% of all charities evaluated. The V Foundation is a GuideStar platinum-rated charity.

For more information about the V Foundation, its grants program, the Scientific Advisory Committee or to donate, please visit www.v.org.

Editor’s Notes: A complete list of the 2019 grant recipients can be found here.

About the V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $250 million in cancer research grants nationwide. The V Foundation awards 100% of direct donations to cancer research and programs. The V Foundation’s endowment covers administrative expenses. The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive award process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Committee. For more information on the V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.v.org.