What We Support

Damon Runyon’s award programs are targeted to have the greatest impact on cancer research. We foster new generations of elite scientists and fill gaps in traditional research funding that threaten future breakthroughs.

OUR INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED PROGRAMS:

Identify emerging talent in cancer research when they're best positioned to make breakthroughs

with the Damon Runyon Fellowship Award, the Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Award, and the Damon Runyon Scholars Program for Advancing Research and Knowledge

Empower physician-scientists to translate discoveries from bench to bedside

with the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award and the Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award

Enable the pursuit of bold, transformational ideas - even if they carry a risk of failure

with the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award and the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists

Safe bets don't yield breakthroughs.
“When there is a lot of pressure to have returns, safer investments are better, but they're unlikely to give you that paradigm-shifting insight that creates a new field of research.”

Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan, PhD
Quantitative Biology Fellow ’19-’21
Strategic investment in early career stages has a multiplier effect.
“Damon Runyon not only solidified that my ideas were exciting, but also gave other funding agencies confidence to fund me. It was really the seed that has grown my research program over the last few years.”

Lindsay B. Case, PhD
Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist ’20-’22
Funding both basic laboratory research and translational clinical work has the greatest impact.
“When I'm having a hard day in the lab and an experiment isn't working, I'll remember a patient I treated who was having a much harder day, and that's motivating to get back to work.”

James J. Morrow, MD, PhD
Current Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellow

Today’s best scientists select tomorrow’s

Scientists apply for our awards from the leading academic research institutions in the nation. Their applications are reviewed by many of today’s leading scientists who serve on our prestigious selection committees and participate in a rigorous, multi-step process designed to identify the best-of-the-best.

It’s not just about the money

Damon Runyon scientists receive guaranteed financial support, allowing them to focus on research, not grant-writing. Just as important, our awards offer them the freedom to follow their own ideas, explore new paths and take risks. Our prestigious endorsement attracts further funding, advances their careers and accelerates their research.

Our goal is to prevent and cure all cancers

That’s why we fund leading-edge laboratory research, as well as the translational and clinical research that moves breakthroughs to patients. Because fewer physicians are choosing science careers, we have dedicated programs focused on ensuring that we recruit and retain them in research. Physicians deeply understand cancer in humans and are especially driven to find cures for their patients. They are the bridge between scientific discovery and cures.

Damon Runyon makes up less than 0.3% of the U.S.'s annual cancer research funding - but Damon Runyon scientists have been involved in nearly every major breakthrough of the past 75 years.

2024 YEAR IN REVIEW

In 2024, we were able to pledge over $22 million in funding to new Damon Runyon awardees, who join more than 4,000 other Damon Runyon scientists who have accelerated cancer research since our founding in 1946.

In this annual report, you'll see the wide variety of cutting-edge projects our scientists are leading, and the donors that make this work possible.