irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $4.44MCLINICAL INVESTIGATOR AWARDS: SUPPORTS EARLY CAREER PHYSICIAN-SCIENTISTS CONDUCTING PATIENT-ORIENTED RESEARCH. THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PHYSICIANS CAPABLE OF MOVING SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN THE LABORATORY AND THE PATIENT'S BEDSIDE IN SEARCH OF BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENTS.
- #2 $3.51MRACHLEFF INNOVATION AWARDS: SUPPORTS THE NEXT GENERATION OF EXCEPTIONALLY CREATIVE THINKERS WITH "HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD" IDEAS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF AND/OR APPROACHES TO THE PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF CANCER, BUT LACK SUFFICIENT PRELIMINARY DATA TO OBTAIN TRADITIONAL FUNDING.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award
Up to $1 million over five years supporting physician-scientists conducting translational and clinical cancer research
Damon Runyon Fellowship Award
Four-year postdoctoral fellowship providing $300,000 to early-career scientists to pursue innovative cancer research with freedom to explore high-risk ideas
Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship
Three-year, $240,000 fellowship supporting computational scientists applying machine learning, network modeling, and multi-omics to cancer research
Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK)
One-year, $61,000 award to support early-stage research projects by promising scientists
Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award
Up to $800,000 over four years for high-risk, high-reward projects in cancer research, often serving as critical seed funding for future biotech ventures
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Cancer Research Funding 3 activities
- Funding high-risk, high-reward cancer research by early-career scientistsProvides multi-year grants to early-career scientists pursuing innovative, high-risk, high-reward cancer research, with the goal of translating laboratory discoveries into new treatments. The foundation has contributed to nearly every major cancer research breakthrough over the past 80 years and currently supports 15 ongoing clinical trials based on its funded research.
- Overhead coverage and donation efficiencyCovers all administrative and overhead costs through endowment income and revenue from the Damon Runyon Broadway Tickets program, ensuring that 100% of public donations go directly to cancer research. Also promotes workplace giving through employee donation matching programs.
- Supporting clinical and translational cancer researchFunds clinical trials and translational research leading to novel therapies, including genetically targeted preventative treatments for clonal hematopoiesis and peptide-centric CAR T-cell therapies targeting previously undruggable mutations. Supported research has led to the development of a drug that crosses the blood-brain barrier to treat pediatric brain cancer and the launch of a first-in-class clinical trial for neuroblastoma.
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Research and Scholarly Fellowship Support 2 activities
- Capacity-building and career development for cancer scientistsSupports over 4,000 scientists since 1946 by providing seed funding for biotech startups founded by Damon Runyon alumni, enabling pursuit of unexpected research directions, and launching training programs in computational science and pediatric cancer research in partnership with institutions like St. Jude. The foundation prioritizes high-impact breakthroughs over incremental progress.
- Quantitative Biology Fellowship ProgramRuns a seven-year-running fellowship program that awards $240,000 in independent funding to early-career scientists from quantitative disciplines (e.g., computational biology, physics, engineering) to transition into cancer research. The program includes training in interdisciplinary approaches to study cancer biology, such as breast cancer risk and chromosomal drivers.
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Charity Event Organization 1 activity
- Fundraising events and public engagementOrganizes annual fundraising events such as the Damon Runyon Annual Breakfast, Accelerating Cancer Cures symposium, and anniversary dinners to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. These events have raised nearly $1 million in single events and are supported by corporate sponsorships and ticket sales, including through the Damon Runyon Broadway Tickets program.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$54.68M
Contributions & grants$16.25M30%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$37.89M69%
Other revenue$546K
expenses
Total expenses$25.06M
Program expenses89%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising7%
Salaries & benefits$3.06M
Grants paid out$20.17M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$170.38M
Cash$3.78M
Investments$149.95M
Liabilities$35.53M
Net assets$134.85M
Liquid reserves73.6 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +248.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 6
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| YUNG S LIE PHD | PRESIDENT & CEO | 40 | $652K |
| CLARE CAHILL | CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER | 40 | $290K |
| KIMBERLY KUBERT | DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS | 40 | $247K |
| ELYSE HOFFMANN | SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP | 40 | $239K |
| MEGHAN MCCURDY | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING | 40 | $201K |
| MEGAN ALLEN PHD | SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR | 40 | $168K |
board members · 19
- ADAM R SCHWARTZ — DIRECTOR
- AMOOLYA SINGH PHD — DIRECTOR
- ANDREW S RACHLEFF — CHAIR (AS OF 10/15/24)
- BUCK FRENCH — DIRECTOR
- CARLOS L ARTEAGA MD — DIRECTOR
- CYNTHIA SULZBERGER — DIRECTOR
- DAVID A GORDON PHD — DIRECTOR
- DAVID G MARSHALL — VICE CHAIR, INVESTMENTS & TREASURER (THRU 6/10/25)
- DAVID M BEIRNE — VICE CHAIR, BOARD DEVELOPMENT
- DEBORAH J COLEMAN — SECRETARY (AS OF 6/10/25)
- ELAINE V FUCHS PHD — DIRECTOR
- ERICA EVANS GIOFFRE — DIRECTOR
- GABRIELLE LAYTON PHD — DIRECTOR
- GARY E ERLBAUM — DIRECTOR
- GERALD M MARSHALL — DIRECTOR
- JAMES WELLS PHD — DIRECTOR
- JOHN H MYERS — DIRECTOR (THRU 10/15/24)
- JOSEPH PEARLBERG MD PHD — DIRECTOR
- JUDY SWANSON — DIRECTOR
relationships · 18
Who they work with
- ArvCon Partner — Streaming fundraiser event that supports the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
- Broadway theaters Partner — Long-standing partnership to offer premium Broadway tickets with a portion of proceeds supporting cancer research.
- Charity Navigator Government — Rated the Foundation with 4 stars, indicating it exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.
- Charity Navigator Network — Rated the Foundation with a 4-star evaluation for exceeding industry standards.
- Damon Runyon scientists Partner — Biotech startups founded by Damon Runyon scientists receive seed funding from the foundation.
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Partner — Host institution for Dr. Matthew Leventhal’s fellowship research with joint mentorship from faculty in cancer biology and computational science.
- Elyse Hoffmann Partner — Senior Director of Partnership Strategy at Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, point of contact for corporate partnerships.
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Partner — Host institution for Dr. Sahana Kuthyar’s fellowship research with joint mentorship from faculty in cancer biology and computational science.
- Illini 4000 Partner — Annual fundraising event supporting Damon Runyon’s mission and scientists.
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine Partner — Hosts Damon Runyon-Bakewell Foundation Rachleff Innovator Mark Yarmarkovich, PhD, who is developing peptide-centric CAR T-cell therapies with support from the Foundation.
- Raveis Charitable Fund Partner — Hosts charitable events that support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
- St. Jude Partner — Partnership to dedicate funding to pediatric cancer research.
- The Cinelli Family Foundation Partner — Current corporate or foundation sponsor of Damon Runyon award programs.
- The National Mah Jongg League Partner — Current corporate or foundation sponsor of Damon Runyon award programs.
- The Sijbrandij Foundation Partner — Current corporate or foundation sponsor of Damon Runyon award programs.
- Timmerman Traverse for Damon Runyon Partner — Annual fundraising event supporting Damon Runyon’s mission and scientists.
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Partner — Host institution for Dr. Minsoo Kim’s fellowship research with joint mentorship from faculty in cancer biology and computational science.
- Washington University School of Medicine Partner — Hosts Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Kelly L. Bolton, MD, PhD, who is conducting clinical trials for preventative cancer therapies with support from the Foundation.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- High-Risk, High-Reward Research Funding for Early-Career Scientistsmethodology: high_risk_high_reward_researchBy funding early-career scientists to pursue high-risk, high-reward research, the foundation increases the likelihood of transformative advances in cancer science, because early-career researchers are more likely to challenge paradigms and explore innovative ideas without institutional constraints.
- Interdisciplinary Training at the Interface of Computational and Cancer Sciencesmethodology: interdisciplinary_scientist_trainingBy integrating wet lab and dry lab approaches and training scientists across computational and biological domains, the foundation accelerates discovery in precision cancer medicine because cross-disciplinary collaboration enables novel insights that single-domain research cannot achieve.
- Pan-Cancer, Cross-Disciplinary Research Investmentmethodology: pan_cancer_research_fundingBy funding research across all cancer types and scientific domains, the foundation avoids siloed thinking and fosters cross-disciplinary discovery, which increases the potential for broadly applicable breakthroughs because biological insights in one cancer often inform others.
- Translational Research Training for Clinical Investigatorsmethodology: translational_research_trainingBy investing in the training of clinical investigators, the foundation bridges the gap between scientific discovery and patient care, accelerating the development of cancer cures because physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to translate lab findings into clinical applications.
- Unrestricted, Flexible Funding to Enable Scientific Pivotingmethodology: unrestricted_research_fundingBy providing unrestricted research funding, the foundation enables scientists to adapt their research in response to unexpected findings, increasing the probability of transformative discoveries because it removes administrative and structural barriers to exploration.