Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE (OCRA) IS COMMITTED TO PREVENTING, DEVELOPING BETTER TREATMENTS FOR AND ULTIMATELY CURING OVARIAN AND RELATED GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS THROUGH INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, RAISING AWARENESS AND ENSURING THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE THROUGH ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES.
- Income
- $19.5 million
- Spending
- $17.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 7.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 29
- Volunteers
- 1,937
- Highest pay
- $368,755, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 83 out of 100. Higher than 40% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.3 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 36% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 94% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 18 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $10.4 million spent. OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE WAS FOUNDED IN 1994 (AS THE OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH FUND, INC.) AND IS A FULL-SPECTRUM ORGANIZATION FUNDING MEDICAL RESEARCH, ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF PATIENTS AND PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.OVARIAN CANCER IS THE DEADLIEST OF ALL GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS AND RANKS FIFTH AS THE CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN WOMEN. IN 2025, THERE WERE 20,890 NEW CASES OF OVARIAN CANCER AND 12,730 DEATHS FROM THE DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OCRA'S PROGRAMS REFLECT OUR COMMITMENT TO THE OVARIAN AND GYNECOLOGIC CANCER COMMUNITIES. SINCE 1998, OCRA HAS AWARDED 457 GRANTS FOR OVARIAN AND RELATED CANCER RESEARCH TO PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS AT 103 LEADING MEDICAL CENTERS, WHICH IS AN INVESTMENT TOTALING OVER $137 MILLION. THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS, OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE WORKING ON MANY FRONTS TO DEFEAT OVARIAN CANCER. BY DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR EARLY DETECTION AND EXPLORING THE GENETICS THAT INCREASE RISK FOR OVARIAN CANCER, WE HOPE TO SAVE WOMEN'S LIVES BY FINDING THE CANCER EARLY OR STOPPING IT BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS. RESEARCHERS ARE GAINING INSIGHTS INTO THE MANY TYPES OF OVARIAN AND RELATED CANCERS TO DETERMINE THE ORIGINS, WHICH MAY LEAD TO MORE EFFECTIVE TESTING AND EFFECTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY TREATMENT OPTIONS. FURTHERMORE, THEY ARE IDENTIFYING NEW AND BETTER TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE OVERALL SURVIVAL, PREVENT DRUG RESISTANCE, MINIMIZE SIDE EFFECTS, PREVENTING RECURRENCE AND METASTASIS AND ENHANCE PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE. IN ADDITION TO OCRA'S ESTABLISHED RESEACH GRANT PROGRAM, OCRA ALSO CONTINUED THE HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH GRANTS BEGUN IN 2023. THESE GRANTS FOCUS ON IMPROVING HEALTH EQUITY IN THE GYNECOLOGIC CANCER SPACE. AS PART OF OUR GLOBAL GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CONSORTIUM, MADE UP OF PARTNERS FROM THE UK, AUSTRALIA AND CANADA, OCRA LAUNCHED A NEW AI GRANT IN 2025. THE FIRST GRANT WAS AWARDED IN 2025 WITH A START DATE OF 2026. AND WITH THE RIVKIN CENTER JOINING OCRA IN 2025, THE FORMER RIVKIN PILOT GRANTS WERE ADDED, AS WELL. ACCOMPLISHMENTS ACHIEVED AS A RESULT OF OCRA GRANTS INCLUDE:IDENTIFIED A MOLECULE THAT COULD BE KEY TO IMPROVING IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST OVARIAN CANCER; SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND WHY CERTAIN OVARIAN CANCER CELLS RESIST OLAPARIB TREATMENT, AND DISCOVERED THAT INTRODUCING A SECOND DRUG (MIFEPRISTONE) WHILE TARGETING CERTAIN CELLS (POLYPLOID GIANT CANCER CELLS) MAY OFFER A SOLUTION; IDENTIFIED A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN CHEMORESISTANT PATHWAY IN HGSC WHICH LED TO WORKING ON A NEW THERAPY TO OVERCOME THIS; SHED NEW LIGHT ON HOW THE MOST COMMON SUBTYPE OF OVARIAN CANCER DEVELOPS AND METASTASIZES, BY IDENTIFYING A KEY MOLECULE THAT ALLOWS MALIGNANCIES IN THE FALLOPIAN TUBE TO MIGRATE TO THE OVARIES AND CONTINUE TO GROW; UNCOVERED SEVERAL MECHANISMS OF IMMUNE ESCAPE TO HELP EXPLAIN SOME OVARIAN CANCERS' RESISTANCE TO IMMUNOTHERAPY; SHOWED THAT RUCAPARIB EXTENDS PROGRESSION FREE SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN CANCER; DISCOVERED THAT 18% OF OVARIAN CANCER CASES INVOLVE INHERITED MUTATIONS; PINPOINTED TWO GENES THAT TRIGGER OVARIAN CANCER; DEMONSTRATED HOW GENE THERAPY MAY HELP PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT DISEASE; DISCOVERED THAT ANALYZING DATA FROM PAP SMEARS COULD HELP DETECT ENDOMETRIAL AND OVARIAN CANCER; ESTABLISHED THERE IS NO LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND RISK FOR THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF OVARIAN CANCER; SHOWN THAT FGFR4 IS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR OVARIAN CANCER; DEFINED SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOME ENDOMETRIAL, BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCERS; EXPLAINED HOW AN EXPERIMENTAL DRUG MAY BE HELPFUL IN FIGHTING PLATINUM-RESISTANT OVARIAN CANCER; IDENTIFIED BIOMARKERS THAT CAN BE USED TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLATINUM RESISTANCE THERAPIES; IDENTIFIED NOVEL BIOMARKERS OF HGSOC AND SPECIFIC DRUG TARGETS; TARGETED MDM2 DEGRADATION AS A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR OVARIAN CANCER; USED MACHINE LEARNING TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN DISPARATE DATA SETS SPECIFICALLY IN PATIENTS WITH HGSOC; DOSED THE FIRST PATIENTS IN THE CLINICAL TRIAL "IMMUNOTHERAPY PLATFORM STUDY IN PLATINUM RESISTANT HIGH GRADE SEROUS OVARIAN CANCER (IPROC)" (NCT04918186); FOUND KEY PROTEINS IN HGSOC CANCER CELLS WHICH RESULTED IN COMBINED TREATMENT OPTIONS WHICH RESULTED IN SMALLER TUMORS AND LONGER SURVIVAL; SHOWED HOW SURGICAL REMOVAL OF FALLOPIAN TUBES MAY REDUCE OVARIAN CANCER RISK; UNCOVERED SEVERAL MECHANISMS OF IMMUNE ESCAPE TO HELP EXPLAIN SOME OVARIAN CANCERS' RESISTANCE TO IMMUNOTHERAPY; FOUND A DECREASE IN OVARIAN CARCINOMA INCIDENCE AFTER SALPINGECTOMY FOR TREATING ECTOPIC PREGNANCY; SHOWED PARP1 IS INVOLVED IN REPAIR OF TELOMERES, AND THAT IMPAIRING THIS PROCESS CAN LEAD TO TELOMERE SHORTENING AND GENOMIC INSTABILITY THAT CAN CAUSE CANCER; DEVELOPED A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT STUDY TO SHOW HOW THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING CAN SHOW HOW CANCER CELLS AND CAR-T INTERACT WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD TO BETTER TREATMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH HGSOC SOLID TUMORS; DISCOVERED THAT AGGRESSIVE OVARIAN CANCERS OFTEN SHOW SUDDEN LARGE-SCALE DNA DAMAGE, POINTING TO DISTINCT ORIGINS AND DETECTION STRATEGIES; AND IDENTIFIED THAT LOSS OF A GENE CALLED SMARCA4 MAKES OVARIAN CANCER CELLS MORE VISIBLE TO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, BOOSTING IMMUNE ATTACK AND SUGGESTING A NEW STRATEGY TO IMPROVE IMMUNOTHERAPY.IN 2025 ALONE, OCRA RESEARCHERS: DEVELOPED A PIONEERING AI TOOL TO BETTER PREDICT TREATMENT RESPONSE, A STEP TOWARD EARLIER PERSONALIZED TREATMENT PLANS; SYSTEMATICALLY TESTED EXISTING THERAPIES TO FIND AN EFFECTIVE DRUG COMBINATION THAT SHOWS PROMISE; UNCOVERED KEY DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNE ENVIRONMENTS BETWEEN PRIMARY TUMORS AND METASTASES THAT MAY EXPLAIN WHY HIGH-GRADE SEROUS OVARIAN CARCINOMA OFTEN SUPPRESSES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM; FOUND THAT MUCINOUS OVARIAN CANCERS WITH KEY GENE CHANGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH WORSE SURVIVAL EVEN AT EARLY STAGES, SUGGESTING GENETIC TESTING AT DIAGNOSIS MAY HELP GUIDE CARE AND PREDICT OUTCOMES; DISCOVERED THAT BLOCKING A KEY NUTRIENT WHILE ALSO USING IMMUNOTHERAPY COULD OFFER A PROMISING NEW TREATMENT STRATEGY FOR AROUND HALF OF OVARIAN CLEAR CELL CANCE
- $3.2 million spent. IN 2025, OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE (OCRA) PROVIDED COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION, SUPPORT, AND NAVIGATION SERVICES TO THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY OVARIAN AND GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS. OCRA'S PATIENT SUPPORT TEAM RESPONDED TO 4,237 PATIENT AND CAREGIVER CONTACTS THROUGH OUR PATIENT SUPPORT LINE, A 68% INCREASE FROM 2024, PROVIDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, INFORMATION, CLINICAL TRIAL GUIDANCE, PEER MENTORING, AND CARE NAVIGATION. OCRA'S WOMAN TO WOMAN PEER MENTOR PROGRAM CONTINUED TO CONNECT NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS WITH TRAINED SURVIVOR MENTORS THROUGH 19 ACTIVE SITES NATIONWIDE AND A NATIONAL VIRTUAL MATCHING PROGRAM. SINCE ITS LAUNCH, THE PROGRAM HAS FACILITATED MORE THAN 2,800 MENTOR MATCHES. IN 2025, THE NATIONAL TEAM COMPLETED 103 MATCHES AND SUPPORTED 167 MENTORS. OCRA ALSO PROVIDED INDIVIDUALIZED COUNSELING THROUGH ITS STEPS 1:1 COUNSELING PROGRAM AND FACILITATED ONGOING SUPPORT THROUGH STAYING CONNECTED, WHICH ENGAGED 3,530 PARTICIPANTS IN VIRTUAL SUPPORT AND EXPRESSIVE ARTS PROGRAM DURING THE YEAR. TO ADDRESS THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS, OCRA DELIVERED ITS INTERNATIONAL GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CONFERENCE, WEBINARS, WORKSHOPS, ROUNDTABLES, AND MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT ADVANCES, SURVIVORSHIP, BIOMARKER TESTING, AND CLINICAL TRIALS. OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE FOR THE FIRST TIME, OCRA'S INTERNATIONAL GYNECOLOGIC CANCER CONFERENCE EXPANDED ITS REACH TO MORE THAN 2,100 PARTICIPANTS WORLDWIDE. NEARLY 300 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN OCRA'S EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING OVARIAN CANCER 101, ENDOMETRIAL/UTERINE CANCER 101, AND SURVIVORSHIP SERIES, WHILE NATIONAL WEBINARS REACHED ALMOST 900 PARTICIPANTS. OCRA'S NEW STAYING CURRENT EDUCATIONAL SERIES PROVIDED DISEASE-SPECIFIC UPDATES AND CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION TO MORE THAN 200 PARTICIPANTS. COLLECTIVELY, OCRA'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS REACHED MORE THAN 4,000 PARTICIPANTS IN 2025, PROVIDING TIMELY, EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION TO HELP PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS THROUGHOUT THEIR CANCER JOURNEY.IN ADDITION TO ITS SUPPORT AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS, OCRA OFFERS FREE GENETIC TESTING TO QUALIFIED HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS AND FACILITATES ACCESSS TO CERTIFIED GENETIC COUNSELORS. SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, OCRA HAS HELPED MORE THAN 3,000 INDIVIDUALS BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR INHERITED RISK FOR OVARIAN AND OTHER GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS, EMPOWERING THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE INFORMED HEALTHCARE DECISIONS. ADDITIONALLY, OCRA'S CLINICAL TRIAL NAVIGATOR CONTINUED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION, WITH 1,540 COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND MORE THAN 11,700 WEBSITE VISITS IN 2025.OCRA IS ALSO COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS DEDICATED TO IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS. THROUGH OCRA'S ONCOLOGY SOCIAL WORK FIELD PLACEMENT PROGRAM, MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK CANDIDATES RECEIVE SPECIALIZED TRAINING AND SUPERVISION FROM LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS, GAINING EXPERIENCE ADDRESSING THE UNIQUE PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PRACTICAL NEEDS OF PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS AFFECTED BY GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS.OCRA'S SURVIVORS TEACHING STUDENTS (STS) PROGRAM TRAINS OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS TO CONDUCT PRESENTATIONS IN MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO EDUCATE FUTURE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER. SURVIVORS SHARE THEIR STORIES OF DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND BEYOND, ALONG WITH FACTS ABOUT THE DISEASE. IN 2025, MORE THAN 930 SURVIVOR VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED MORE THAN 400 PRESENTATIONS IN THE US, UK, AND AUSTRALIA REACHING OVER 10,627 MEDICAL, NURSING, AND PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT STUDENTS. THESE PRESENTATIONS ENSURE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS UNDERSTAND BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE DISEASE, ARE AWARE OF RISK FACTORS, AND CAN IDENTIFY THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER, HELPING ENSURE A TIMELY DIAGNOSIS.THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS, OCRA EMPOWERS PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS WITH TRUSTED INFORMATION, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, AND CONNECTIONS TO RESOURCES THAT IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND INFORMED DECISION-MAKING FROM DIAGNOSIS THROUGH SURVIVORSHIP AND BEYOND.
- $595,806 spent. OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE IS A POWERFUL VOICE ON CAPITOL HILL, IN STATEHOUSES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES FOR EVERYONE TOUCHED BY GYNECOLOGIC CANCER. IN 2025, OCRA ESTABLISHED ITS CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY TO EXPAND POLICY EDUCATION, LEGISLATIVE TRACKING, AND ADVOCACY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PATIENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND SUPPORTERS NATIONWIDE. OCRA TRAINED AND MOBILIZED MORE THAN 160 ADVOCATES AND SUPPORTERS TO ENGAGE IN THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS. NEARLY 120 ADVOCATES FROM 35 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PARTICIPATED IN OCRA'S ADVOCACY DAY, CONDUCTING MORE THAN 135 MEETINGS WITH CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES. THROUGH 12 GRASSROOTS ACTION ALERTS, ADVOCATES GENERATED MORE THAN 21,000 MESSAGES TO POLICYMAKERS, AND MORE THAN 6,000 NEW ADVOCATES JOINED OCRA'S ADVOCACY NETWORK. OCRA'S ADVOCACY CONTRIBUTED TO PRESERVING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS, SUPPORTED ENACTMENT OF STATE BIOMARKER ACCESS LAWS, SECURED BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR INCREASED OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH FUNDING, AND HELPED OBTAIN MORE THAN 120 PROCLAMATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS RECOGNIZING OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1995.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.