- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
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Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation 
Founder(s) Walter Winchell Founded 1946 Location New York, New York Key people Lorraine Egan, Executive Director Area served United States Focus "Discovering the talent to discover the cure."[1] Method Cancer research.[2] Revenue $8,650,545[3] Employees 16[4] Website damonrunyon.org The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Damon Runyon) is a not-for-profit cancer research organization focused "discovering the talent to discover the cure."[5] The Foundation states that its goals are to: "identify the best and brightest early career scientists in cancer research, accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into new diagnostic tools and treatments, and to enable risk-taking on bold new ideas."[6]
The Foundation was founded in 1946 by controversial media personality Walter Winchell in New York City under the name Damon Runyon Cancer Memorial Fund in memory of his colleague and friend Damon Runyon.
Contents
History
Almost immediately after Runyon's passing on December 10, 1946, Winchell went on the air and asked his audience for contributions to cancer research.
"Mr. and Mrs. United States! A very dear friend of mine - a great newspaperman, a great writer, and a very great guy - Damon Runyon, was killed this week by America's Number Two killer - Cancer. It's time we tried to do something to fight this terrible disease. We must fight back, and together we can do it. Won't you send me a penny, a nickel, a dime, or a dollar? All of your money will go directly to the cancer fighters, in Damon Runyon's name. There will be no expenses of any kind deducted."[7]
The organization gained more notoriety in 1949 when Milton Berle, a long-time friend of both Runyon and Winchell, hosted the first-ever telethon, raising $1,100,000 for the Foundation over 16 hours.[8][9] In its first three decades, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation was a popular cause among celebrities from Hollywood to Broadway and the sports world. Marlene Dietrich, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and many of their contemporaries served as supporters and Board members.[10]
Award Programs and Research
Damon Runyon currently manages three award programs "aimed at encouraging and advancing the work of early career cancer researchers with high promise." The Fellowship Award is the oldest and most widely known in the scientific community, giving postdoctoral researchers $100,000-$200,000 over 3 years.[11] Other programs include the Clinical Investigator Award and the Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award.
The Foundation has funded 11 Nobel Prize laureates including Albert Szent-Györgyi, Salvador E. Luria, Susumu Tonegawa, and Sidney Altman among others.[12] Sixty-one Damon Runyon scientists and alumni have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Evaluations
Charity Navigator rates the Foundation three of four stars, indicating the organization "exceeds or meets industry standards and performs as well as or better than most charities in its Cause."[13] According to the Better Business Bureau, Damon Runyon meets the 20 standards for charity accountability as of 2011.[14] A timeline listing of specific accomplishments and milestones by Damon Runyon scientists is available on the Foundation's website.[15]
References
- ^ "Our Mission". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/more/our_mission/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Our Mission". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/more/our_mission/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Income Statement". Charity Navigator. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4948. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Staff". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/categories/category/leadership#staff. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Our Mission". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/more/our_mission/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Our Mission". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/more/our_mission/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ Herr, Michael (1990). Walter Winchell: A Novel. London, England: Chatto and Windmus Limited.
- ^ Breslin, Jimmy (1991). Damon Runyon. New York, USA: Ticknor & Fields.
- ^ "Telethon". Museum of Broadcast Communications. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/T/htmlT/telethon/telethon.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- ^ "Our History". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/about_us/more/our_history/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Our Award Programs". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/research_results/categories/category/award_programs/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Our Nobel laureates". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/research_results/more/our_nobel_laureates1. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Charity Navigator". Income Statement. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4948. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- ^ "Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Report". Better Business Bureau. http://charityreports.bbb.org/public/report.aspx?charityid=1589. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Research & Results". Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. http://www.damonrunyon.org/research_results/timeline_of_results/. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
External links
Categories:- Cancer organizations
- Charities based in the United States
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