Top 15 Nonprofits for Cancer
In the face of the daunting challenge that cancer presents, nonprofit organizations (NPOs) for cancer play a vital role in supporting patients, their families, and the global fight against this devastating disease. In this article, we shine a light on the remarkable NPOs dedicated to making a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.
From funding life-saving research and clinical trials to providing emotional support, financial assistance, and access to vital resources, these organizations are at the forefront of the battle against cancer. They tirelessly strive to improve patient outcomes, raise awareness, and promote preventive measures. What’s more? All these NPOs have been vetted by Goodera.
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Top Nonprofits for Cancer
DATRI
Country: India
DATRI Blood Stem Cell Donors Registry a not-for-profit organization was incepted in 2009 to find unrelated matched donors for people critically ill with Leukemia or blood disorders whose life depends on an unrelated donor to survive. DATRI is India’s largest registry, with more than 4.6 Lakh donors. Any healthy individual between the age of 18 years to 50 years can register as a blood stem cell donor with DATRI and potentially become a lifesaver when they’re found to be a match for a fatal blood disorder patient.
Courir pour Elles
Country: France
In addition to a race event organized every May, the Courir pour Elles association contributes to the fight against women's cancers by preventing and supporting actions for women in care. Through the commitment of its members and its ethics committee, the association Courir Pour Elles has the following main missions:
- To prevent cancer through regular physical activity
- To support women affected by the disease by offering them access to Adapted Physical Activity (APA) sessions in hospitals or associations
American Cancer Society
Country: USA
Founded with a mission to save lives, the American Cancer Society is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of cancer. Through extensive research funding, educational campaigns, and patient support programs, ACS aims to reduce the burden of cancer globally. Their initiatives include early detection efforts, providing free lodging near treatment centers, and a 24/7 helpline for those affected by cancer. The organization also empowers communities by advocating for public health policies and raising awareness about lifestyle choices that can lower cancer risks.
Cancer Care
Country: Bulgaria
Cancer Care works innovatively to help patients overcome the uneven path of cancer. In January 2019, they became a part of the Think Pink Europe family, whose mission is to bring European countries closer to the issue of breast cancer. Cancer Care helps provide reliable information about oncological diseases, coordinates with leading specialists in the country, and provides support to the critically ill and their community by organizing events to discuss not only essential issues about the disease but also how to pass the patient's path.
Instituto Lado A Lado Pela Vida
Country: Brazil, Sao Paulo
Instituto Lado a Lado Pela Vida works to multiply the information on cancer to transform people's lives through prevention, diagnosis, and treatment campaigns. Instituto Lado a Lado pela Vida has the mission of expanding access to new technologies and humanizing health from north to south of Brazil through dialogue, welcoming, and promoting physical and emotional well-being. For this, they traveled the country propagating the importance of prevention, self-care, and self-esteem, bringing to men, women, and children the awareness that health is our most valuable asset and deserves special attention.
Strong Little Souls
Country: USA, Massachusetts
Strong Little Souls was founded in 2014 as an effort to help brighten the days of children fighting cancer through care packages. Since 2014, Strong Little Souls has been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help Community. Those contributions have allowed their organization to send one thousand care packages to children around the world. In 2020, the organization was approved as a 501(c)(3) organization.
In addition to care packages, they have granted over 100 wishes, and continue to financially support the community with critical expenses such as transportation expenses, groceries, medical co-payments, and other essential items.
Nargis Dutt Foundation
Country: India, Maharashtra
Nargis Dutt Foundation was first set up in 1981 in New York City by Sunil Dutt and the Indian community in New York after Nargis Dutt succumbed to cancer after a year-long battle at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital. They conduct regular medical camps in the slums of Mumbai, working with cancer patients and Tata Memorial focusing on women and children both in health and education.
The foundation has been working in Palghar district empowering and upgrading the schools holistically with clean drinking water, clean toilets, playgrounds, musical labs, science labs, computer labs, e-learning, extra classrooms, libraries, and related. The education of meritorious poor students is also being supported.
Europa Donna France
Country: France
Europa Donna France, an association against breast cancer created in France in 1998, has become a major player in the fight against breast cancer, recognized by public authorities, health decision-makers, politicians, health professionals, and the media. The association benefits from the institutional support of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, the League against Cancer, and the Inca. Europa Donna France is the key representative of women affected by breast cancer. As a result, it is involved in the work of the world of cancer research. These are carried out by institutions, learned societies, and health professionals as well as other associations. The association's mission is to raise awareness, inform, support, and facilitate access to the best care.
Cork Cancer Care Center
Country: Ireland
Cork Cancer Care Centre is a voluntary cancer support group for all who have or have had cancer, their carers, community, and friends. Founded in 2011, the Centre initially met every fortnight in the Ambassador Hotel (Cork City). The idea for this club was conceived by Ann Dowley Spillane, who was on her journey with cancer. Following her diagnosis and treatment, she became acutely aware of the need to support each other with ideas, advice, and, most importantly, a shoulder to lean on. Hence in February 2011, The Girls Club, now known as Cork Cancer Care Centre, was born!
Throughout 2011 those touched by cancer, their Community, and friends met regularly at the Ambassador Hotel in Cork City, holding many workshops, events, and fundraisers. The organization's office is the meeting point and ‘home away from home’ where they provide vital support to all those affected by cancer, and their community including free counseling as well as offering a range of complimentary therapies (such as Reiki, Reflexology, access bars, Integrated Energy Therapy, Indian Head Massage, Lymphatic Drainage) and a drop-in center during the day.
ASPEC Solidária
Country: Brazil, Minas Gerais
The Solidarity Action for People with Cancer - ASPEC is a civil society organization founded on January 4, 2012, with the objective of assisting people with cancer who are in a situation of social vulnerability. ASPEC was created after the death of a relative of its founder. Today, ASPEC is an entity that, in addition to providing social and psychological assistance to people with cancer and their community, seeks to disseminate information, raise awareness and engage actors in the fight against cancer and/or early diagnosis.
To this end, it offers services, granting occasional benefits, food supplements, clothing, and even workshops to generate work, income and strengthen family and community ties. In addition, lectures and educational walks are organized to disseminate information regarding cancer, social rights, and others. ASPEC does not have an agreement with the government and relies on donations from individuals and legal entities that raise awareness of the cause presented for its maintenance.
Live Like Bella
Country: USA, Florida
Live Like Bella was founded in 2013 with the mission to help children with cancer maintain the same love for life that Bella, the Founder's child, had. To "Live Like Bella" means to serve and help others. Bella's family continues to honor her legacy by serving and helping children with cancer through Live Like Bella's services ranging from in-treatment support to memorial assistance.
Summa Health
Country: USA, Ohio
Summa Health provides comprehensive emergency, acute, critical, outpatient, and long-term/home care. Their integrated healthcare system encompasses a network of hospitals, multiple community-based health centers, a health plan (SummaCare), a multi-specialty group practice, an accountable care organization (ACO - New Health Collaborative), research, and medical education, and a foundation.
Kimberly's Touch
Country: USA, North Carolina
Kimberly's Touch has been providing emotional and financial support to cancer patients, both men and women, actively in treatment. They sell t-shirts to organize funds for cancer patients. Through their initiatives, they are trying to ensure that, in the future, all cancer patients will have access to adequate resources for all of their necessities, regardless of race, gender, or diagnosis.
Know Your Lemons
Country: USA, Idaho
Know Your Lemons has a mission to help women find breast cancer as early as possible. It achieves this through well-designed education. As of 2020, it has reached 1 billion people online because as #knowyourlemons campaign is something people love to look at and share. It has helped women discover that the change in their breasts was a potential symptom and helped save their lives with that powerful knowledge.
Breast Cancer Hub
Country: USA, North Carolina
Breast Cancer Hub, a non-profit organization, founded by Dr. Lopamudra Das Roy, focuses on breast cancer in women, men, and LGBTQIA++ humans. The organization stands against all types of cancer through awareness, education, scientific seminars, community outreaches, cancer screening camps, support groups, and counseling, among many other programs to support people dealing with cancer, either directly or indirectly.
This list is not exhaustive, and we'd love to amplify nonprofit voices and connect them to corporate volunteers who want to create meaningful impact.
Are you a nonprofit? Partner with Goodera.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What role do cancer nonprofits play in the fight against cancer?
Cancer nonprofits fund research, support patients and families, drive awareness campaigns, and shape prevention education. Organizations like the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK finance clinical trials, while patient-focused groups such as Cancer Support Community offer counseling, transportation, and financial aid. Together they close gaps that public health systems alone cannot address.
2. Which are some of the top cancer nonprofits supported worldwide?
Globally respected cancer nonprofits include DATRI in India, Courir pour Elles in France, the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Cancer Research UK, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Livestrong Foundation, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Each addresses a distinct cancer type, patient community, or research priority.
3. How can employees volunteer with cancer nonprofits?
Employees can assemble chemo care kits, write letters to patients, drive people to treatment appointments, staff fundraising walks, and run screening awareness campaigns at work. Blood and marrow donor drives are another high-impact option, particularly with registries like DATRI. Most nonprofits offer both in-person and remote roles, making it easy to fit volunteering around work schedules.
4. Why should companies partner with cancer nonprofits?
Partnering with cancer nonprofits strengthens employee wellbeing programs, deepens community ties, and gives brand purpose a measurable outlet. Matched giving during awareness months, executive-led survivor conversations, and workplace screening campaigns build trust internally while directing meaningful funds to research and patient support. It also connects ERGs and health committees to a cause many teams already care about.
5. What are the key cancer awareness months companies should plan around?
Four awareness months anchor most corporate cancer calendars: Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Aligning matched giving, fundraising events, and volunteering to these windows amplifies visibility, media coverage, and employee participation across regions.
6. How do cancer nonprofits raise funds for research and patient care?
Cancer nonprofits raise funds through individual donations, corporate matched giving, peer-to-peer fundraisers like charity walks and runs, grants, planned giving, and merchandise sales tied to awareness campaigns. Major research bodies also secure government and philanthropic grants. Corporate partnerships during awareness months typically deliver the largest annual spikes in giving.
7. What is the difference between research-focused and patient-support cancer nonprofits?
Research-focused nonprofits such as Cancer Research UK and the Prostate Cancer Foundation fund clinical trials, laboratories, and scientific grants. Patient-support nonprofits like Cancer Support Community and the Livestrong Foundation deliver counseling, transportation, wigs, financial aid, and survivorship programs. Many large groups, including the American Cancer Society, do both under one umbrella.
8. Are there cancer nonprofits focused specifically on children with cancer?
Yes. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital treats pediatric cancers at no cost to families and funds childhood cancer research globally. Other pediatric-focused organizations include the Children's Cancer Research Fund, CureSearch, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which house families near treatment centers. September is recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a natural time to support them.
9. How can employees support cancer nonprofits through virtual volunteering?
Virtual volunteers can write encouragement letters to patients, record video messages for pediatric wards, assemble digital resource guides, tutor children in long-term treatment, and run online fundraising campaigns. Skills-based options include pro bono graphic design, translation, and grant writing for smaller nonprofits. Remote roles suit distributed teams and employees balancing caregiving or health constraints themselves.
10. How can Goodera help companies engage with cancer nonprofits?
Goodera curates vetted cancer nonprofit partners across regions and runs both in-person and virtual employee volunteering experiences, including chemo care-kit builds, letter-writing sessions, and awareness-month campaigns. Programs come with impact reporting, matched giving integration, and support for ERG-led activations, helping companies scale a meaningful cancer engagement calendar across global offices.
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