The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is a public charity based in San Francisco, California, formed in 2015. Its stated mission is to develop and accelerate access to breakthrough cancer therapies, connecting discovery with patient access.
Key facts about Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
In short: Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy gave $3.4M across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $307K), top state California. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 47-3355381
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,373,255
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- Average grant
- $306,660
- Median grant
- $178,420
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $285,156,429
- Primary geography
- California (39% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$285.2M
+27.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.4M
-88.0% YoY
Grant Count
11
-26.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$307K
-83.6% YoY
Is Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $1M; repeat grants $237K. How we count
Medians: $1M first-time, $177K 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
PICI’s program description says it encourages advances in cancer immunotherapy research, collaboration, and discovery, and the translation of these advances into treatments for patients. Its website identifies four research areas: CAR-T and cell therapy, checkpoint inhibitors and resistance, tumor antigen discovery, and the tumor microenvironment. The website describes its work as including high-risk, high-reward research.
PICI’s 2025 filing says it partners with hospitals and academic research centers, provides shared resources such as scientific equipment, consumables, bioinformatics analysis, and a specimen biobank, and funds or otherwise supports research within its consortium. Its 2025 grants included universities and research institutions, as well as the Conquer Cancer Foundation. The foundation describes its own mission as funding research for every type of cancer to benefit patients. The University of Pennsylvania describes its mission as including research and patient care; the University of Pittsburgh describes itself as a public research university; and the J. David Gladstone Institutes describes its mission as advancing disease-oriented science and mentoring future leaders.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, PICI reported 11 grants totaling $3,373,255. Grant amounts ranged from $75,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $178,420. The largest awards were $1,000,000 to the Conquer Cancer Foundation, $820,714 to Stanford University, $254,161 to the University of Pennsylvania, and $249,999 to the University of Pittsburgh. Each was designated to support research in cancer immunotherapy.
PICI’s 2025 filing says institutions submit project proposals for review to ensure they have a legitimate research purpose and fit PICI’s charitable mission. Grants are made under a master collaboration agreement and an institution-specific grant agreement; PICI and each institution jointly review and approve proposals. Institutions and grant recipients must provide annual reports on project progress and associated spending.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
PICI is based in San Francisco. In filing year 2025, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (39%), Virginia (30%), Pennsylvania (15%), New York (7%), and Massachusetts (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.4M (2025) to $34.4M (2019). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $3.4M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Conquer Cancer Foundation ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 20 grants of 66 (30%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Conquer Cancer Foundation Alexandria, VA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $1,000,000 |
| Stanford University Palo Alto, CA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $820,714 |
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $254,161 |
| University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $249,999 |
| Regents of the University of California San San Francisco, CA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $191,308 |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc Boston, MA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $178,420 |
| The J David Gladstone Institutes San Francisco, CA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $175,000 |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $167,500 |
| Regents of the University of California Los Angeles, CA | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $133,886 |
| The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX | Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy | $127,267 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $285,156,429 | $180,131,815 | $53,795,577 | $3,373,255 | 11 |
| 2024 | $223,870,654 | $66,947,169 | $54,471,034 | $28,094,472 | 15 |
| 2023 | $255,027,743 | $23,662,636 | $42,903,351 | $13,967,003 | 12 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $285,156,429 | $223,870,654 | $255,027,743 |
| Revenue | $180,131,815 | $66,947,169 | $23,662,636 |
| Expenses | $53,795,577 | $54,471,034 | $42,903,351 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,466,352 | $16,986,942 | $12,348,436 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS November 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 1, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 31, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 6, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sean N. Parker as chair of the board and director; Karen E. Knudsen Costello as CEO as of March 2025; John Connolly, PhD, as chief scientific officer; Kevin Marks as chief legal officer; and Sara Coblin as senior vice president of finance and administration. It also lists Tarak Mody as chief business officer through August 2025, Chris Cabanski as senior director of network clinical research, Shane Corcoran as senior vice president of strategic operations and communications, Marko Spasic as senior medical director and head of medicine, and Christen DiPetrillo as head of intellectual property.
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy is led by Karen E. Knudsen Costello, CEO on the 2025 filing; 8 of 25 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Karen E. Knudsen Costello
CEO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$655K (2025)
Sean N. Parker
Chair of the Board & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey A. Bluestone PhD
Vice Chair & Director
President, CEO & Director → Vice Chair & Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$709K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Ramy Ibrahim MD
Director
Chief Medical Officer → Director & Former CMO, 2021
Director & Former CMO → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
$884K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Marko Spasic
Senior Medical Director & Head of Med
Senior Medical Director → Senior Medical Director & Head of Med, 2023
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$363K (2021) → $399K (2025)
Ben Horowitz
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Hugin
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Nelsen
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Pittman
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Parker PhD
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eric Esrailian MD MPH
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Huber
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Polansky
Executive Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Reed Jobs
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Gottlieb MD
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tom Van Loben Sels
Treasurer & Director
Secretary, Treasurer & Director → Treasurer & Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tony Coles MD
Director
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Margo Georgiadis
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Connolly PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$350K (2020) → $703K (2025)
Sara Coblin
Senior Vice President Finance & Administrator
Senior Vice President Finance → Senior Vice President Finance & Administrator, 2022
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$284K (2021) → $445K (2025)
Shane Corcoran
Senior Vice President, Strat. Ops. & Comms
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$521K (2022) → $442K (2025)
Tarak Mody
Chief Business Officer
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$587K (2022) → $792K (2025)
Kevin Marks
Chief Legal Officer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$559K (2023) → $623K (2025)
Christen Dipetrillo
Head of Intellectual Property
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$354K (2024) → $330K (2025)
Susan Dawson
Secretary
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Chris Cabanski (2023–2025) — Senior Director & Network Clin. Research · Filing note: Thru 12/2025
- Former: Ute Dugan MD (2021–2024) — Chief Med. Officer
- Former: Joel Marcus (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Lisa Butterfield (2020–2022) — Vice President Res. & Development
- Former: Justin Fairchild (2021–2022) — Vice President Clinical Development
- Former: Lacey Padron (2022) — Vice President Informatics
- Former: Melinda Griffith (2019–2021) — Chief Legal Counsel
- Former: Theresa Lavalle (2019–2021) — Vice President Translational Medicine
- Former: Frederic Pla PhD (2020–2021) — COO
- Former: Cheryl Selinsky PhD (2019–2020) — Vp-Research Operations
- Former: Nikesh Kotecha PhD (2019–2020) — Vp-Informatics
- Former: Susan Schultz (2019–2020) — Vp-Business Operations · Filing note: Thru 9120
- Former: Frederick J. Ramsdell (2019) — Chief Scientific Officer
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 $792K, to Tarak Mody (Chief Business Off. Thru 8/25). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 1 Letterman Drive D3500, San Francisco, CA 94129
Phone: (415) 930-4386
Website: https://parkerici.org
Frequently asked questions about Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
How much does Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy give each year?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy gave $3.4M across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $28.1M across 15 grants.
What is Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's typical grant size?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's median grant in 2025 was $178,420, and its average grant was $306,660, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy that year got $1M on average.
Where does Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy give grants?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's top state is California, with 39% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Virginia (30%) and Pennsylvania (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Research in Field of Cancer Immunotherapy" (11 grants).
Who are Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's largest grantees?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's largest 2025 grantees include Conquer Cancer Foundation ($1,000,000), Stanford University ($820,714) and University of Pennsylvania ($254,161), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy reported $285.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $180.1M.
What does Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy fund?
PICI’s program description says it encourages advances in cancer immunotherapy research, collaboration, and discovery, and the translation of these advances into treatments for patients. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check parkerici.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's EIN?
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3355381. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Here's the math on researching Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy by hand.
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