Katherine Bensen Hope Award
Funding Amount
$150,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Deadline history & next window
- Cycle
- One-time opportunity
- Tracked since
- April 2026
Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.
Overview
Funder: A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation (with matching gift from Fruth Family Foundation)
Focus: Lung cancer research; cutting-edge translational research
Geographic Scope: National (United States)
Background: Named in honor of Katherine Bensen, who was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in December 2014 at age 40. As a young nonsmoker and mother of four, her diagnosis was unexpected. She fought her cancer for five years. In December 2019, the Fruth Family Foundation honored Katherine with a generous $50,000 matching gift designated to A Breath of Hope's research program. The A Breath of Hope community met this matching challenge by the end of 2019. Inspired by Katherine's courage, A Breath of Hope announced The Katherine Bensen Hope Award.
Research Focus Areas:
- Strong science and cutting-edge translational lung cancer research
- Innovative treatment approaches
- Research leading to new treatments to save lives
Recent Recipients:
- 2020: Dr. Esra Akbay, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Past recipients of this program
Recent awards under this program (from A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation's IRS filings)
Univ of Texas SW Medical
Dallas, TX · 2022
$38K
1 grant in A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation's 2022 filings reference “Katherine Bensen Hope Award” in their stated purpose. Amounts and places as reported by the funder.
What A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 4
- Total given
- $263K
- Median grant
- $75K
- Range
- $38K–$75K
- By dollars: Minnesota 29%, New York 29%, Georgia 29%. Top recipient cities: Rochester, MN; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX.
Example grants
Mayo Clinic · Rochester, MN
2023 Peg's Fight for Life Award
$75K
Emory University · Atlanta, GA
2024 Julie Swedberg YOLO Award
$75K
University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX
2025 Peg's Fight for Life Award
$38K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Science research
- Cancer
Categories
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