The Children's Cancer Foundation is a registered Australian charity that supports children with cancer and their families.
Established in 1992, the Foundation primarily funds childhood cancer research and clinical trials, as well as clinical care and family support programs.
Funds raised benefit
The Royal Children's Hospital,
Monash Children's Hospital
Monash Children's Hospital is a major children's hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Monash Children's Hospital is part of Monash Health, Victoria's largest healthcare service and one of only four accredited Academic Health Science Centres in Aus ...
,
Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Hudson Institute of Medical Research is a leading Australian medical research institute recognised internationally for discovery science and translational research.
It is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute, based in the ...
,
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
,
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) is an Australian paediatric medical research institute located in Melbourne, Victoria, affiliated with the Royal Children's Hospital and the University of Melbourne. The institute has six research ...
,
Sydney Children's Hospital
Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, is an Australian children's hospital located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales.
On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (Randwick and Westmead) ...
,
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
and the Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group (ANZCHOG).
History and Structure
In 1992, parents of children undergoing treatment at Monash Children's Hospital established KOALA (Kids Oncology and Leukaemia Action) Group. In 2004, the KOALA Group was renamed as the KOALA Foundation and registered as a charity and as a company limited by guarantee
Tony McGinn OAMjoined KOALA Group in 2002, was elected President of KOALA Group in 2003 and Chairman of KOALA Foundation on 24 June 2005.
In 1998, parents of children undergoing treatment at The Royal Children's Hospital established the Children's Cancer Centre Foundation. Jeremy Smith, Barrister with the Victorian Bar, joined the board of the Children's Cancer Centre Foundation on 29 March 2009 and was elected Chairman later that year.
In June 2012, the two charities merged to form the Children's Cancer Foundation.
The Children's Cancer Foundation and its sister charity My Room led a capital campaign from 2002–06, raising $23,055,434 to fund construction of a new Children's Cancer Centre at The Royal Children's Hospital and integrated research laboratories at Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The campaign was initiated in 2002 with the support of high profile and influential business leaders; construction commenced in November 2004; and the new facilities were opened on 10 October 2006. The Federal Government provided $10 million (plus interest of $392,000), the Victorian State Government provided $7.3 million and the Children's Cancer Foundation provided additional funding of $5,363,434, which included community, corporate and philanthropic contributions. The Children's Cancer Centre Laboratory continues today hosting several groups funded by the Foundation researching molecular diagnostics, childhood brain cancers, solid tumours and leukaemias.
The Foundation's board of directors, composed of prominent and influential business people, are all volunteers, many of who have been impacted by childhood cancer.
The Scientific Advisory Committee assesses all grant applications and advises the Foundation directors on which funding applications will have the highest impact in cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment, family support and clinical care. The Scientific Advisory Committee and external reviewers are also volunteers.
Funding
The Children's Cancer Foundation awards grants of $2 to $3 million each year and has distributed more than $52 million to date across clinical care, clinical trials, clinical research and family support.
In 2017, the Foundation expanded project funding to support national projects, including two clinical trials providing access to new treatments to children with cancer across Australia.
A new research initiative launched in 2017, the Hudson-Monash Paediatric Precision Medicine Program, aims to significantly improve treatment for children diagnosed with brain cancers and solid tumours. Scientists at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research have established a living biobank of paediatric brain tumours and solid cancers – including living
organoids
An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy. They are derived from one or a few cells from a tissue, embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem c ...
– to trial and develop targeted treatments and improve clinical outcomes, survival rates and quality of life for childhood cancer patients.
In 2019, the Children’s Cancer Foundation partnered with the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
, the
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) is a multi-site, multi-disciplinary specialist cancer hospital and research centre located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The VCCC comprises an alliance between The University of Melbourne, the ...
, the
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, also known as the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and commonly abbreviated as Peter Mac, is an Australian oncology research institute, cancer treatment and professional oncologist training centre located in M ...
, the
Royal Children’s Hospital
The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is a major children's hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
As a major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria, the Royal Children's Hospital provides a full range of clinical services, tertiary care, as well ...
and the
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to fund a new leadership position. The Endowed Chair is a new academic role focusing on clinical care development, paediatric cancer research and the academic development of future generations of paediatric cancer champions.
The Foundation currently has commitments of $15 million across over 30 projects from 2019 through to 2024, funding salaries for 40 hospital and research staff, laboratory consumables and family resources. The Foundation's financials are publicly available, more than $4 million in project funding since 2014 to support children with cancer
and shows that over 78% of 2018/2019 of project funding related to clinical research.
Project Funding Pillars
# Clinical Research
# Clinical Trials
# Clinical Care
# Family Support
Fundraising
The Million Dollar Lunch 2019, held on Friday, 9 August at the Palladium at Crown raised more than $2.1 million for the Foundation.
In addition to The Million Dollar Lunch, the Foundation raises funds through community fundraising, corporate partnerships, bequests and donations. The Foundation does not conduct public raffles or telemarketing and does not use third party fundraisers.
"Workers pay price as charities turn their back"
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 18 October 2016
References
{{Reflist
Cancer organisations based in Australia
Children's charities based in Australia
Non-profit organisations based in Victoria (Australia)