What is childhood cancer?
Cancer is a disease where cells grow in an unhealthy way. Pediatric cancers are rare, complex diseases that may develop at any age from before birth through the late teens. New research proves that cancer in children and adults frequently arises from different genes with different mutations. This reinforces the need for pediatric-specific precision therapies.
Why is childhood cancer research important?
On average, more than 290 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer every week. Worldwide, about 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer each year, and only half of these children’s diseases are diagnosed.
And while there is federal funding for childhood cancer research, it only accounts for 4% of the National Cancer Institute's budget, which is the main government agency for cancer research and training.
St. Jude relies on the generosity of supporters like you. And at St. Jude, families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
How is pediatric cancer research funded?
There are several ways in which pediatric cancer research can be funded. Generally speaking, funds can be:
- Provided through federal funding programs.
- Raised through fundraising initiatives.
- Donated directly by the public and/or organizations, foundations, charities, etc.
How St. Jude uses pediatric cancer funding to make a difference
St. Jude patient Reid
How St. Jude uses donations
Learn how St. Jude uses childhood cancer donations for pediatric cancer research and to ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
St. Jude patient Emma
Why support St. Jude
Learn why your support of St. Jude is critical to chidlren and families.
St. Jude patient Rinoa
St. Jude charity ratings
Read about the favorable charity ratings St. Jude has received from evaluators across the United States.
Childhood cancer research at St. Jude
How you can make an impact on childhood cancer research
Making direct donations
One of the most effective and simple ways to support childhood cancer research is to donate directly to organizations like St. Jude, which actively strive to advance treatment and cures for pediatric cancer.
Fundraising
Another effective way to help boost pediatric cancer funding is to fundraise for causes like St. Jude, which are working hard to provide children with cancer the chance they deserve.
Why support St. Jude kids?
Families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
Every child deserves a chance to live their best life and celebrate every moment. When you support St. Jude, you help give kids with cancer around the world that chance. Together, we can save more lives.
How your donation makes a difference
Learn more about the impact of your donation and what it can mean for St. Jude patients and families.
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Your $10 gift could help provide one platelet count test for a St. Jude patient.*
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Your $25 gift could help provide one rehabilitation ball for St. Jude patients. Rehabilitation balls help patients regain strength and mobility after cancer treatment.*
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Your $50 donation could help provide 13 IVs to St. Jude patients.*
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Your $100 gift could help provide a red wagon, which is the preferred mode of travel through the halls of the hospital for our youngest patients.*
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Your $250 gift could help provide five days of meals for a St. Jude patient and their guardian. St. Jude provides patients and their families breakfast, lunch and dinner in Kay Kafe, the hospital’s cafeteria.*
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Any amount supports kids around the world. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save even more children.*
*Items listed here are representative of services and supplies that are part of the treatment and care of children at St. Jude. The cost of each item or service is an approximation and will vary based on actual costs incurred and individual patient needs. Your donation will be used for the general operating needs of St. Jude, where no family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food.
St. Jude patient Aditya
Fundraising helps patients like Aditya
Adi was on vacation in India with his family when he began feeling sick. His parents took him to a doctor who prescribed medicine for Adi, but his fever persisted, which led to more tests at a local hospital. There, Adi received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Adi, who was 4, got immediate care in India, and then returned home to Tennessee. Adi began chemotherapy at a hospital near his home in January 2024, then he was referred to St. Jude.
Adi's father, Bhargav, said coming to St. Jude lifted much of the burden he had been feeling over his son’s diagnosis and treatment. Adi is described as a brave and happy boy who likes video games, Legos® and walking around the hospital. “He has given us strength to keep moving forward,” his dad said.
Make an impact on the children of St. Jude
Because of your support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families. Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. Join us, and be part of our lifesaving mission.
St. Jude patient Emma
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Our Patient Stories
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Ways to give
Find ways to give to St. Jude. Make a donation, memorialize a loved one, give through work or include St. Jude in your will.
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Why support St. Jude?
Learn how supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital helps pediatric cancer patients worldwide.