CancerFree KIDS Research Grants - New Idea Awards

Location: Cincinnati, OH and Columbus, OH (US)
Mission: Fund early-stage pediatric cancer research that would otherwise go unfunded

Program Overview

New Idea Awards fund bold concepts in the earliest stages of discovery for pediatric cancer research. These grants support innovative, high-risk research that has the potential to revolutionize childhood cancer treatment.

Funding Details

• 2025 Funding: 17 New Idea Awards awarded
• 2024 Funding: 22 New Idea Awards awarded ($1.4 million total)
• 2022 Funding: 18 New Idea Awards awarded ($550,000 at Cincinnati Children's; $350,000 at Nationwide Children's)
• Lifetime Investment: $12.5 million across 265 research grants (as of 2025)

Geographic Scope

• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH)
• Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, OH)

Research Focus Areas

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Neurofibromatosis
• Rhabdomyosarcoma
• Neuroblastoma
• Ewing Sarcoma
• Gliomas and Glioblastoma
• Osteosarcoma
• Medulloblastoma
• Hepatoblastoma
• Lymphomas (Burkitt's, etc.)
• Sarcomas (peripheral nerve sheath tumors, etc.)
• CAR-T cell therapies
• Immunotherapy approaches
• Biomarker and target discovery
• Cancer predisposition syndromes

Eligibility

• Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
• Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH
• Early-stage researchers with promising preliminary data

What They Fund

• Novel therapeutic approaches
• Drug target identification
• Immunotherapy development
• Gene therapy approaches
• Biomarker discovery
• Mechanism of disease research
• Health disparities in pediatric cancer

Background

CancerFree KIDS has invested over $12.5 million in early-stage pediatric cancer research over 23 years, fueling 265 research grants. The organization focuses on funding research that would otherwise lack initial, critical funding, enabling researchers to prove their concepts and secure subsequent funding for clinical trials and commercialization.