The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Founders: Walter Winchell

Damon Runyon and Walter Winchell were both newspapermen, though they differed in their fields of specialization. Runyon was a short story writer and a sportswriter. He was also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Winchell, on the other hand, was a radio commentator and a gossip writer.

Both Runyon and Winchell succumbed to cancer. Runyon died to throat cancer in 1946 and Winchell was taken by prostrate cancer in 1972.

Upon Runyon’s death, Winchell founded the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund in an effort to help in the detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer.

Area of Interest:

  • Cancer treatment and research

Notable Projects/Programs:

The organization recognizes the achievements and works of scientists who are involved in cancer research. The organization gives the following awards to scientists whose achievements can potentially make positive impacts on cancer research:

  • Fellowship Award – Postdoctoral scientists are given $140,000 annually for three years and are trained under established cancer researchers.
  • Innovation Award – the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund encourages radical but potentially rewarding ideas. Scientists who have these ideas but lack the funding are given $450,000 annually for three years to help them continue and delve more into their research.
  • Clinical Investigator Award – Physicians who are into cancer investigation and use the patient-oriented approach to create breakthroughs in cancer research are awarded with an estimated $550,000 annually for three years.

More about the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund:

Since its inception, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund continues to provide funding for the advancement of cancer research. Scientists in the fields of biology, biochemistry, cell construction, and chemistry, among others, have been supported by the Damon Runyon Cancer research Fund to achieve the organization’s ultimate goal.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fund has raised financial aids through several community and theatrical projects. Perhaps the most well known of these programs is the Go Vertical! fund raising activities, where participants race from bottom to the top of major skyscrapers in the United States.

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