Mission:
To eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening, and treatment.

Background:
Established by Nancy Brinker in 1982 in memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the nation's largest private sources of funding for research dedicated solely to breast cancer. The foundation supports community-based outreach programs, works through a network of 100 U.S. and international affiliates and 75,000 volunteers, collaborates with corporate partners on projects and initiatives, and funds programs such as the Komen Foundation Award and Research Grant Program and the Komen Affiliate Grant Program. It also sponsors the annual Komen Race for the Cure. Susan Komen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978 at age thirty-three, when little was known about the disease and it was rarely discussed in public; she died at age thirty-six. The organization that bears her name was founded with $200 and a list of possible donors; the same year, it awarded its first research grants, totaling $30,000. Since its inception, it has awarded more than 850 international grants totaling more than $112 million.

Outstanding Feature:
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Web site provides up-to-date information — co-developed with the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention — on early detection and screening, diagnosis, treatment, support, life after treatment, and other topics in its About Breast Cancer section. The site also provides information on recent research findings, local outreach programs (including community-based grants, volunteer opportunities, events around the country, and Komen programs and partners. It supplies interactive tools such as the audiovisual feature "Anatomy of Breast Cancer," in both English and Spanish; a multimedia library, where each program is available in English or Spanish and in transcript form; downloadable educational materials, including a needs assessment monograph (46 pages, PDF) of young women and women of color over age 40; and a list of resources for healthcare professionals. The site also hosts message forums for family, friends, and survivors to share with and support one another.