Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation announces 2024 grant recipients, launches matching campaign
MILWAUKEE, Wisc., November 13, 2024 – The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation awarded more than $300,000 to its 2024 grant recipients, which included healthcare institutions across the country that support the foundation’s mission to prevent cancer, provide the best care for those fighting it and find a cure.
This year, the foundation provided $320,000 in grants to eight organizations across the country, including its largest gift of $80,000 to the Medical College of Wisconsin to pursue a new scientific research project specifically related to therapies for cancer metastasis, which is responsible for most cancer-related deaths.
“I am incredibly grateful to receive support from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. This award will help us make fundamental discoveries in how pancreatic cancer liver metastasis occurs and identify novel therapies to prevent disease progression. It is an honor to receive this funding in the name of a Wisconsin-based inspirational figure,” said Nikki Lytle, a Medical College of Wisconsin assistant professor in the division of Surgical Oncology.
The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation, with guidance from its Medical Advisory Committee comprised of national oncology experts, selects grant applicants to receive awards ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 from two main funds: the VLCF Fund and Starr Children’s Fund.
This year the foundation received 23 applications for the 2024 grant cycle in three categories: scientific research, clinical research, and patient/caregiver support.
Other local organizations awarded include the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County’s LIVESTRONG program, which is a 12-week program for cancer survivors to build community and overall health, and Aurora Health Care’s Team Phoenix program, a 14-week exercise rehabilitation program for cancer patients and survivors to gain health and wellness by training for a sprint-distance triathlon.
“Thanks to our Medical Advisory Committee for sharing their time and expertise to review many compelling applications, and to our Board of Directors for their thoughtful consideration of the submissions. We are so pleased to award over $300,000 in grants to organizations these partners in the fight against cancer,” said Ann Marie Moss, executive director of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation.
Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation 2024 Grant Recipients
Medical College of Wisconsin (Disabling metastasis through blockade of desmoplastic stroma formation) $80,000
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
(Patient Navigation Center) $75,000Team Phoenix at Aurora Health Care $52,814
University of Michigan (Optimizing Survivorship Among Younger Adults with Colorectal Cancer) $50,000
YMCA of Greater Waukesha County (LIVESTRONG) $15,000
Starr Children’s Fund 2024 Grant Recipients
Children’s of Alabama (Protein Phosphatase 2A Reactivation as a Mechanism to Target MYCN) $50,000
Children’s of Alabama (Bart and Cherry Starr Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Fund) $10,000
Hopecam Inc. $10,000
To build on the success of the 2024 grant cycle and achieve increased funding in 2025, the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation also launched a $50,000 year-end matching grant campaign thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor who is currently battling cancer. Funds from the matching campaign will go to support the foundation’s mission to prevent and cure cancer and care for those fighting it.
For more information on the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation’s grantmaking process, please visit lombardifoundation.org.
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The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation was established in 1971, in memory of five-time National Football League Championship Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi. His spirit, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence touched countless lives. On September 3, 1970, he lost a battle to colon cancer, dying at only 57. In his honor, the foundation is dedicated to preventing cancer, caring for those who are battling it and finding a cure. For more information, visit lombardifoundation.org.