Mission: To bring an end to breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research.

About the organization: In 1993, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) was founded by Evelyn H. Lauder, who in 1989 helped establish a state-of-the-art breast and diagnostic center at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which is known today as the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center and offers up-to-date prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services. The following year, Lauder created the signature pink ribbon with Alexandra Penney, then editor of SELF, and launched the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign within the Estée Lauder Companies. BCRF-funded investigators have been involved in major breakthroughs in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and metastasis. The foundation has awarded $52.7 million in grants to support the work of 255 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 14 countries. BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide and the highest-rated breast cancer research organization in the United States.

Current programs:  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) identifies and supports researchers with promising ideas, providing them with funding and flexibility to combat cancer. Their mission encompasses preventing, slowing, and ultimately eradicating cancer. BCRF's research areas span heredity and ethnicity, lifestyle and prevention, metastasis, survivorship, treatment optimization, and tumor biology. This includes discoveries regarding genetic links, including the role BRCA1 and BRCA2 play in breast cancer, risk reduction, metastasis mechanisms in understanding why some breast cancers spread faster than others, survivor well-being, treatment, and the molecular composition of cancer cells. Their work aims to revolutionize cancer prevention and treatment approaches.

Website: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation website offers visitors information about its research, including the importance of advancing understanding of breast cancer, the efforts that work toward prevention and a cure, stories from those affected, the organization’s approach, its collaborative initiatives, accomplishments, and the researchers involved. In addition, the site offers ways to get involved and learn more about BCRF’s infrastructure, including its team, affiliates, scientific advisors, corporate partners, and donors. The site also features a blog, podcasts, a video series, and publications.

Funding:  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is supported by individuals, foundations, government grants, program services, revenue, and investment income.