Curebound
Curebound is a San Diego-based public charity that raises and invests funding in adult and pediatric cancer research. Its grantmaking emphasizes collaboration across institutions and advancing research toward clinical application.
Curebound at a glance
In short: Curebound gave $10.2M across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $931K), mostly in California. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $10,238,599
- +44.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $930,782
- +31.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $337,270
- Total assets
- $11,857,815
- -27.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Curebound
- How to Apply
-
The website says proposals undergo peer review. Its FAQ says that, except for Catalyst grants, principal investigators must be independent researchers at a San Diego-based cancer research institute and hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent. Postdoctoral researchers are not eligible. For Catalyst grants, the principal investigator’s primary employment must be greater than 51% at an early-stage small business that has existed for less than five years, is pre-Series A, and is headquartered in an individual recipient County; a degree is not required. The FAQ also says the full proposal should remain consistent with the scope and scientific objectives of an approved letter of intent (LOI), though applicants may refine or expand the approach and aims.
- Contact
Mailing address: 9605 Scranton Road Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: (619) 314-5878
Website: https://curebound.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Curebound funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Regents of University of California Uc San Diego ($5.7M). Together the top 9 received $9.5M.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($722,297), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
36 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 13 grants of 36 (36%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Curebound’s website describes its grant platform as led by San Diego-based research institutions. In filing year 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 1% to recipients in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Curebound open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $357K; repeat grants $1.3M. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $537K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2021) to $10.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $10.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Regents of University of California Uc San Diego La Jolla, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $5,743,423 |
| Sanford Burnham Prebys La Jolla, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $1,529,548 |
| The Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $849,414 |
| Scripps Research La Jolla, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $537,267 |
| 2 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $722,297 |
| Beken Bio Inc San Diego, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $250,000 |
| Resolute Science Inc San Diego, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $250,000 |
| Illudent Inc San Diego, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $250,000 |
| University of Arizona Tucson, AZ | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $100,000 |
| Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, CA | See detail in part ivcurebound awards grant funding in early-discovery cancer research and applies scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to help promising research translate into meaningful near-term clinical impact. Funding is directed toward five traditionally under-resourced research pillars: cancer detection, novel approaches, targets, and therapeutics. Personalized immunotherapy, cancer equity, childhood cancers. | $6,650 |
Ready to take the next step with Curebound?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,857,815 | $10,968,237 | $14,851,654 | $10,238,599 | 11 | $343,112 |
| 2024 | $16,440,883 | $5,488,901 | $10,744,443 | $7,083,484 | 10 | $522,299 |
| 2023 | $24,388,123 | $10,395,528 | $12,500,342 | $4,404,869 | 5 | $246,733 |
| 2022 | $23,579,083 | $19,804,413 | $6,229,069 | $2,998,145 | 6 | $48 |
| 2021 | $7,606,274 | $8,784,431 | $2,833,605 | $1,524,720 | 4 | $13 |
| 2020 | $880,045 | $1,362,913 | $872,066 | — | — | $52 |
| 2019 | $3,473,294 | $4,556,994 | $4,625,584 | $3,129,953 | 4 | $101 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Curebound states its mission is to accelerate cancer research and save lives. It funds oncology research for adult and pediatric cancers across five stated research pillars: Cancer Detection; Novel Approaches, Targets, and Therapeutics; Personalized Immunotherapy; Cancer Equity; and Childhood Cancers.
The organization’s website says its grants require collaboration among specialized teams led by San Diego-based research institutions. Eligible team-leader institutions include an individual recipient, the Salk Institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Rady Children’s Hospital, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and Scripps Research. The 2025 filing also lists grants to research institutions, universities, and companies.
Among its 2025 grantees, the Salk Institute describes its work as spanning cancer research and other fields, while the La Jolla Institute for Immunology says its scientists study the immune system to promote health and prevent disease, including cancer. These are descriptions of the grantees, not Curebound.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Curebound reported 11 grants totaling $10,238,599. Grant amounts ranged from $6,650 to $5,743,423, with a median of $337,270.
The largest reported awards were $5,743,423 to The Regents of the University of California, an individual recipient; $1,529,548 to Sanford Burnham Prebys; $849,414 to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies; $537,267 to Scripps Research; and $385,027 to the La Jolla Institute for Immunology. The filing describes the awards as supporting early-discovery cancer research intended to help promising research translate into near-term clinical impact across Curebound’s five research pillars.
Curebound’s website describes Discovery Grants as one-time seed grants of up to $250,000, Targeted Grants as $500,000 awards for projects closer to clinical stages, and Cure Prizes as $1 million in multi-year funding for projects aiming to improve the standard of care for a typically deadly cancer, with patient application in three to five years. It also describes Catalyst Grants as awarding up to $250,000. The organization’s 2025 filing lists Equity Grants among its five mechanisms.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following directors: Donald B Kearns MD MMM, John Hood PhD, Rob Singh, Haeyoung Tang PhD, Fe Whitworth, Dan Ryan, Court Turner JD, Mark Cafferty, Catriona Jamieson MD PhD, and Rich Heyman PhD.
Curebound is led by Anne Marbarger, Chief Executive Officer since 2024 (on filings since 2019); 7 of 27 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Anne Marbarger
Chief Executive Officer
CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$159K (2019) → $477K (2025)
Bill Koman
Chairperson
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heather Ashley Dean-Presnall
Senior Director & Stewardship
Strategic Philanthropy Officer → Senior Director, Stewardship & Revenue Strategy, 2024
Senior Director, Stewardship & Revenue Strategy → Senior Director & Stewardship, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$121K (2023) → $149K (2025)
Amy Myers
Senior Director & Philanthropy
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$147K (2025)
Erik Hans Gordon
Director & Marketing
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$134K (2025)
Judith Polha
Director, Research & Impact
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$137K (2025)
Chris Tresse
Director
Padres Pedal Advisory Board Chair → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Aaron Davis
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Hood PhD
Director
Director → Scientific Advisory Board Chair, 2022
Scientific Advisory Board Chair → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Larry Bloch
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Cafferty
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rich Heyman PhD
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Court Turner JD
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Magda Marquet PhD
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Singh
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catriona Jamieson MD PhD
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Ryan
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Fe Whitworth
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Haeyoung Tang PhD
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Tafel Klaus
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl Am Anderson Phd Mph Ms
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald B. Kearns Md Mmm
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Hooper
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Strategy & Implementation Officer → Chief Operating Officer, 2024
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$138K (2022) → $306K (2025)
Megan Ambrose
Chief of Staff
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$114K (2024) → $142K (2025)
Don Ankeny
Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rick Valencia
Vice Chair
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin Toft
Secretary
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (38)
- Former: Cheryl Am Anderson (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Donald B. Kearns (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Danielle Dawson (2024) — Philanthropy Officer
- Former: William Koman (2019–2023) — Chairman
- Former: Cat Jamieson (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Fernanda Whitworth (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Malin Burnham (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Daniel Ryan (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Megan Lee Waddell (2023) — Director & Padres Pedal the Cause
- Former: Jay Levitt (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Kellie Sullivan (2022) — Senior Manager & Development
- Former: Brett Chodorow (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Franci Free (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: James Herbst (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jean Wickersham (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Lauren M Diaz (2019–2021) — COO
- Former: Molly Cartmill (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Shelley Zimmerman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Suzanne Hatcher (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Tom Seidler (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Tony Steigler (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Dale McIntosh (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Robert Murtfeldt (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Ashley van Zeeland (2021) — Director
- Former: Bill Hearne (2021) — Director
- Former: Ezra Cohen (2021) — Director
- Former: Jeffrey Kelly (2021) — Director
- Former: Jon Edwards (2021) — Director
- Former: Mitch Kronenberg (2021) — Director
- Former: Nancy Hong (2021) — Director
- Former: Paula Aristizibal (2021) — Director
- Former: Reuben Shaw (2021) — Director
- Former: Ryan Thorvaldsen (2021) — Director
- Former: Scott Lippman (2021) — Director
- Former: Ze'ev Ronai (2021) — Director
- Former: Jay Indovino (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Militello (2019) — Director
- Former: Peter Mossy (2019) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $477K, to Anne Marbarger (Chief Executive Officer). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Curebound
How much does Curebound give each year?
Curebound gave $10.2M across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $7.1M across 10 grants.
What is Curebound's typical grant size?
Curebound's median grant in 2025 was $337,270, and its average grant was $930,782, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Curebound that year got $357K on average.
Where does Curebound give grants?
Curebound gives mostly in California: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were La Jolla, CA (4 grants) and San Diego, CA (4 grants).
Does Curebound give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Curebound's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Curebound's largest grantees?
Curebound's largest 2025 grantees include The Regents of University of California Uc San Diego ($5,743,423), Sanford Burnham Prebys ($1,529,548) and The Salk Institute for Biological Studies ($849,414), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($722,297), which are not listed by name. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Curebound?
Curebound reported $11.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $11.0M.
What does Curebound fund?
Curebound states its mission is to accelerate cancer research and save lives. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Curebound?
The website says proposals undergo peer review. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Curebound's EIN?
Curebound's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-0552414. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 1, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 4, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Curebound funds
Diseases, Disorders & Medical Disciplines Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Curebound's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Curebound funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/curebound-morg_fa287f4970d14ca9972680663064297d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_460552414_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Curebound funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/curebound-morg_fa287f4970d14ca9972680663064297d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Curebound's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Curebound down — hundreds of funders to go?