Cancer fundraising helps turn donations into practical support for patients and families, research discoveries, public education, and policy change. The figures below cover Susan G. Komen, Cancer Research UK, Breastcancer.org, and the American Cancer Society. Measurement periods and geographies vary, so each statistic is identified with its organization and reporting period.
Contents
- Patient services and financial assistance
- Research investment and discovery
- Education, navigation, and caregiver-relevant support
- Advocacy and public investment
- Cancer Research UK fundraising and spending
- Community campaigns and fundraising partners
- American Cancer Society resource allocation
Patient services and financial assistance
Patient support is one of the clearest ways fundraising can affect day-to-day cancer care. The Komen impact reports describe both the scale of services and the number of people reached. These figures are associated with Susan G. Komen and should not be generalized to every cancer organization.
- Susan G. Komen provided more than 52,000 services through direct patient support programs in fiscal year 2024 (Komen impact report).
- Komen granted financial assistance to more than 19,000 patients in fiscal year 2024 (Komen impact report).
- Komen delivered more than 27,000 navigation services in fiscal year 2024 (Komen impact report).
- More than 1,100 people received training through Komen’s Patient Navigation Training Program in fiscal year 2024 (Komen impact report).
- Komen provided 42,895 direct patient services in the year covered by its 2025 impact report (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Those services reached 35,904 people in need in that reporting period (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen granted $7.5 million in financial assistance to 17,087 people in that reporting period (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Since 2021, nearly 144,000 people have received services through Komen’s Patient Care Center (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Since 2021, Komen has provided over $31.9 million in financial assistance through the Patient Care Center (Komen 2025 impact report).
The two Komen reports use different labels and reporting frames: one gives fiscal-year 2024 program totals, while the 2025 impact report describes its own “last year” figures and a since-2021 cumulative period. They are presented separately rather than combined.
Research investment and discovery
Fundraising statistics also show how organizations direct money toward cancer research. Research may include basic science, disease-specific projects, translation into products, and investigator-led grants. The figures below are organization-specific and use different currencies and periods.
- Susan G. Komen invested $10 million in breast cancer research in fiscal year 2024 (Komen impact report).
- Komen has invested nearly $1.1 billion in research to date (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen research funding contributed to 29 new breast cancer-fighting drugs over the past 30 years (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen’s investment added 26 new products to the research pipeline in the year covered by its 2025 impact report (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen engaged 1,093 participants in Komen-led research efforts such as ShareForCures in that reporting period (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £403 million on new and ongoing research in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK’s 2024/25 research spend included £169 million on projects focused on specific cancer types (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £93 million on research relevant to all cancer types in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £88 million on basic research in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £20 million on research administration and support costs in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £18 million on Cancer Research Horizons translational activity in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK committed £419 million to cancer research, infrastructure, and investigator-led grants in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
- Cancer Research UK spent £7 million on Scotland Institute research funded by external partners; that amount was excluded from its total research activity (Cancer Research UK annual report).
Education, navigation, and caregiver-relevant support
Caregivers often need understandable information, service navigation, and reliable support alongside clinical care. The available Komen and Breastcancer.org figures quantify reach, participation, and reported learning outcomes, while also showing the scale of public engagement.
- About 30 million people engage with the Susan G. Komen brand annually (Komen impact report).
- More than 300 million people have received breast health and breast cancer education from Komen (Komen impact report).
- About 1 million people participate in or support Komen fundraising walks (Komen impact report).
- Komen reached over 2.9 million people through educational programs in the year covered by its 2025 impact report (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen’s education program included over 180 education events in that reporting period (Komen 2025 impact report).
- After Komen educational programs, 90% of survey respondents said they had an improved understanding of breast cancer (Komen 2025 impact report).
- After those programs, 61% of survey respondents said they would take action to improve their breast health (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen’s second virtual Health Equity Revolution Summit drew more than 400 attendees (Komen 2025 impact report).
- More than 4 million breast cancer survivors and people living with the disease are in the United States, according to Komen (Komen impact report).
- An estimated 168,000 women are living with metastatic breast cancer in the United States, according to Komen (Komen impact report).
- Breastcancer.org’s free virtual support groups connected more than 6,785 participants in the year covered by its annual impact report (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- Breastcancer.org had more than 886,000 monthly visitors in 2023 (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
The 90% and 61% figures are survey results, so they describe respondents’ reported understanding and intended action rather than independently measured behavior across all participants. The 168,000 figure is explicitly an estimate.
Advocacy and public investment
Fundraising can also support work intended to change access, affordability, and public policy. Komen’s 2025 impact report records legislative activity, policymaker engagement, and funding connected to its policy work in 2024.
- Komen’s Center for Public Policy introduced 41 bills in 34 states in 2024 (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Sixteen of those Komen-backed bills were signed into law in 2024 (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen helped secure $329 million in federal and state funding for safety-net screening programs (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen helped secure $47 billion in federal research funding (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen policy work involved 21 states introducing legislation to eliminate cost sharing for diagnostic and supplemental imaging in 2024 (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen policy work involved 8 states introducing legislation to eliminate step-therapy requirements for metastatic breast cancer patients in 2024 (Komen 2025 impact report).
- More than 900 meetings with policymakers and staff were held as part of Komen’s policy work (Komen 2025 impact report).
- Komen has invested nearly $2.5 billion in advocacy, community programs, education, and patient support services to date (Komen 2025 impact report).
These numbers describe reported policy activity and funding outcomes attributed to Komen’s work. They do not establish that every dollar raised by the organization was used for a particular legislative result.
Cancer Research UK fundraising and spending
Cancer Research UK reports its income and commitments in pounds sterling for the 2024/25 reporting year. Its figures illustrate several fundraising channels and the uses assigned to income.
| Cancer Research UK measure | 2024/25 amount |
|---|---|
| Total income raised | £735 million |
| Regular gifts, philanthropic gifts, gifts in wills, corporate partnerships, events, giving platforms, and social media challenges | £530 million |
| Investments and other income | £11 million |
| Licensing intellectual property from discoveries | £59 million |
| Shops, superstores, and online marketplaces | £135 million |
| New and ongoing research spending | £403 million |
Additional 2024/25 commitments included £34 million for cancer information and influencing activity, £132 million for trading, and £130 million for generating funds (Cancer Research UK annual report). Cancer Research UK also spent £10 million on revenue shares in 2024/25 (Cancer Research UK annual report).
Cancer Research UK says that for every £1 donated, 78 pence was available to beat cancer (Cancer Research UK annual report). That statement is the organization’s reported allocation measure for the cited annual report; it is not a universal efficiency rate for all cancer charities.
Community campaigns and fundraising partners
Breastcancer.org’s impact figures show how campaigns and partners can combine fundraising with awareness and support. The amounts below span different partners and multi-year periods, so they should not be added to the organization’s annual totals.
- The third annual Women in Media and Marketing Awards Luncheon welcomed 350 industry professionals and raised more than $480,000 (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- More than 6 million Walgreens customers supported Breastcancer.org by rounding up purchases at checkout during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- USLI’s annual October Together campaign engages 1,200 employees and clients in breast health and breast cancer education and activities (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- USLI has raised $3.1 million for Breastcancer.org over 17 years (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- Vertex has raised $1.7 million for Breastcancer.org over 19 years (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery has raised $1.6 million for Breastcancer.org over 11 years (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- Wigs.com has raised over $300,000 for Breastcancer.org over 6 years (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- Blue Sky has raised $520,900 for Breastcancer.org over 15 years (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
- Quick Dry raised $5,000 in its first year supporting Breastcancer.org (Breastcancer.org annual impact report).
The duration matters when reading partner totals: a multi-year amount describes accumulated support over the stated number of years, while Quick Dry’s figure covers its first year. The Walgreens measure counts customers who rounded up; it does not state the dollar amount raised.
American Cancer Society resource allocation
The American Cancer Society fact sheet reports a 2022 resource split across patient support, discovery, advocacy, management, general expenses, and fundraising. Its figures provide a separate U.S. example of how cancer-related resources were categorized.
- The American Cancer Society invested $354 million in patient support in 2022 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It invested $166 million in discovery in 2022 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It invested $46 million in advocacy in 2022 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It spent $26 million on management and general expenses in 2022 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It spent $107 million on fundraising expenses in 2022 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- Its 2022 resource split was 81% invested in patient support, discovery, and advocacy (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- The remaining 19% of 2022 resources went to management, general, and fundraising expenses (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- The American Cancer Society operated with a presence in more than 21,000 communities (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It invested more than $5 billion in cancer research over 75 years (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- The American Cancer Society says healthy lifestyle choices could help eliminate approximately 50% of cancer deaths (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It helps transform care for more than 18 million cancer survivors in the United States (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- The organization attributes a 33% decrease in the overall U.S. cancer death rate since 1991 to progress that includes its work (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
- It says nearly 4.1 million cancer deaths have been avoided since 1991 (American Cancer Society fact sheet).
The American Cancer Society’s 2022 amounts and percentages are historical figures for that year. The 75-year research total and the since-1991 outcomes cover longer periods and should be read as cumulative or historical measures, not as 2022-only results.