Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation Funds Hope Through 2025 Grants

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (January 6, 2026)  – The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation (VLCF) announced it has awarded more than $300,000 in grants to healthcare institutions advancing cancer research and survivor support in 2025. From a competitive pool of 52 grant applications, the Foundation selected eight organizations whose work aligns with its mission to find a cure, prevent cancer, and provide the highest quality care for those affected by the disease.

“This year, the Foundation received more than double the number of grant submissions compared to 2024, illustrating the critical need for funding of scientific and social service programming, particularly amid uncertainty in the cancer research funding environment,” said Ann Marie Moss, executive director of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. “VLCF is proud to stand alongside these organizations, each addressing cancer prevention, care, and cure from a unique and impactful perspective. It is only through strong community partnerships that VLCF can continue to step in, fill funding gaps, and help advance life-saving and life-changing work.”

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. 

New Prostate Cancer Detection Technology
A significant grant was awarded to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) for the design of a 10-minute non-invasive MRI scanning protocol to improve prostate cancer screenings. The new tool will be strengthened by artificial intelligence algorithms developed with a unique MRI dataset 10 years in the making at MCW. Upon completion, the new testing protocol will provide patients with a more accurate prostate cancer screening tool, boosting cancer localization and staging.

“Currently, prostate cancer screening is performed with the standard PSA blood test that often produces inconsistent and nonspecific results,” said Peter LaViolette, PhD, Vice Chair of Radiology Research and Director of the Radiology Quantitative Imaging Laboratory at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Before long, this new abbreviated MRI scan will distinguish between aggressive cancers requiring treatment and slow-growing tumors that pose little threat. We’re grateful to the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation for recognizing the importance of advancing this patient-centered research and helping make this enhanced technology a reality.”

Team Phoenix Survivorship Program
In addition to research-based grants, the Foundation also supports programming that enhances quality of life for cancer survivors. Another significant grant was awarded to Aurora Health Care’s Team Phoenix, a unique cancer survivorship program that unites female survivors together as a team with a common goal. The mission of the medically overseen 14-week triathlon training team and year-round survivorship programming is to empower female cancer survivors to learn to trust their bodies again and establish regular exercise routines, instill healthy lifestyle habits, and build life-long supportive friendships with other survivors.

Full List 2025 Grants

The following is a full list of the 2025 grant awardees of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation.

  • YMCA of Greater Waukesha County

    • Support for Youth Strong and LIVESTRONG at the YMCA expands free wellness support for childhood and adult cancer survivors, emphasizing community-based exercise, social connection, and healthy behavior

  • Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN

    • Boosting the Immune System to Fight Ovarian Cancer

  • Hopecam

    • Support for Elevate Hope – Wisconsin, helping children across the state stay connected to their world, their friends, and the moments that matter most

  • Children’s of Alabama/UAB, Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders

    • Treating Neuroblastoma with Protein Phosphatase 2A Reactivation as a Mechanism to Target MYCN

  • The Medical College of Wisconsin

    • Pancreatic cancer liver metastasis prevention through activation of anti-tumor liver immune cells

  • The Medical College of Wisconsin

    • Abbreviated and AI-enhanced prostate MRI for cancer screening

  • Aurora Health Care

    • Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics

  • Aurora Health Care

    • Team Phoenix

For more information on the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation’s grantmaking process, please visit lombardifoundation.org.

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ABOUT THE VINCE LOMBARDI CANCER FOUNDATION
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 fighting it, and finding a cure. For more information, visit lombardifoundation.org.

Vince Lombardi