National Pediatric Cancer Foundation Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
NATIONAL PEDIATRIC CANCER FOUNDATION (NPCF) IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO FUNDING RESEARCH TO ELIMINATE CHILDHOOD CANCER. OUR FOCUS IS TO FUND RESEARCH TO FIND LESS TOXIC, MORE TARGETED THERAPIES BY PARTNERING WITH LEADING HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE.
- Income
- $4.4 million
- Spending
- $5.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- 6.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 21
- Volunteers
- 300
- Highest pay
- $210,377, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.2 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 17% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 29% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 11% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1589% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2522 of 22 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 June 30, 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 (1)
- $5.1 million spent. THE NATIONAL PEDIATRIC CANCER FOUNDATION FUNDS PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH WITH THE GOAL OF LEADING TO THE TREATMENT AND ELIMINATION OF PEDIATRIC CANCER WORLDWIDE.WE ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION THROUGH OUR RESEARCH INITIATIVE, THE SUNSHINE PROJECT, AN INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION OF 40 HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE. THIS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH MODEL IS UNIQUE AND EFFECTIVE IN ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TREATMENTS AGAINST CHILDHOOD CANCER.SEE SCHEDULE O FOR FURTHER PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.IN DEVELOPING THIS COLLABORATION, THE FOUNDATION HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S LEADING INVESTIGATORS AND INSTITUTIONS TO DRIVE THE PROCESS OF FINDING A CURE. INVESTIGATORS ARE PERFORMING THREE VITAL PHASES OF RESEARCH SIMULTANEOUSLY: BASIC SCIENCE, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS. THESE MAJOR RESEARCH COMPONENTS NOT ONLY ALLOW DOCTORS TO IDENTIFY NEW AGENTS IN FIGHTING CANCER, BUT ALSO HELP RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND THE CANCER CELLS RESPONSE TO THE DRUG. THE NATIONAL PEDIATRIC CANCER FOUNDATION IS MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN ITS MISSION TO FIND A CURE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER.CURRENT INITIATIVES OF THE SUNSHINE PROJECT ARE AS FOLLOWS:SARCOMA TRIALS (OSTEOSARCOMA, RHABDOMYOSARCOMA, EWING SARCOMA, NON-RHABDOMYOSARCOMA); BRAIN CANCER TRIALS (MEDULLOBLASTOMA, HIGH-GRADE GLIOMA); SOLID STATE TUMORS1. EVOLUTIONARY INSPIRED THERAPY FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED, METASTATIC, FUSION POSITIVE RHABDOMYOSARCOMA - METASTATIC, FUSION POSITIVE RHABDOMYOSARCOMA (RMS) HAVE A POOR OUTCOME WHICH IS WORSENED WITH ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS COMMONLY CALLED THE OBERLIN CRITERIA. PATIENTS THAT MEET ALL 4 OBERLIN CRITERIA HAVE AN EVENT FREE SURVIVAL (EFS) OF LESS THAN 20% AT 2 YEARS. ALL THERAPEUTIC ARMS ON THIS STUDY ARE DESIGNED TO MEET THE SAME PRIMARY AIM OF IMPROVING THE 3-YEAR EVENT FREE SURVIVAL FROM 6% TO 35% FOR THESE PATIENTS. 2. BLOOD BASED BIOMARKERS FOR MINIMAL RESIDUAL DISEASE DETECTION IN PEDIATRIC SARCOMAS - THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO SEE IF DETECTING CELL-FREE PLASMA TUMOR DNA (PTDNA) AND CIRCULATING TUMOR CELLS (CTC) CAN PREDICT RECURRENCE OF DISEASE IN PATIENTS WHO ARE IN RADIOGRAPHIC REMISSION 2-3 WEEKS AFTER TREATMENT. PLASMA TUMOR DNA (PTDNA) IS FREE FLOATING DNA FROM THE TUMOR FOUND IN THE BLOOD STREAM AND CIRCULATING TUMOR CELLS.3. A MULTI-INSTITUTION STUDY OF TGFB IMPRINTED, EX VIVO EXPANDED UNIVERSAL DONOR NK CELL INFUSIONS AS ADOPTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY IN COMBINATION WITH GEMCITABINE AND DOCETAXEL IN PATIENTS WITH RELAPSED OR REFRACTORY PEDIATRIC BONE AND SOFT TISSUE SARCOMAS: THE TINKS TRIAL - THE PURPOSE OF THIS TRIAL IS TO DETERMINE THE SAFETY OF THE ADDITION OF ADOPTIVE TRANSFER OF UNIVERSAL DONOR, TGFB IMPRINTED (TGFBI), EXPANDED NK CELLS TO GEMCITABINE/DOCETAXEL (GEM/DOX) FOR TREATMENT OF RELAPSED AND REFRACTORY SARCOMAS AND TO DETERMINE THE 6 MONTH PROGRESSION FREE SURVIVAL ACHIEVED WITH THIS TREATMENT.4. FEASIBILITY OF GENERATING NOVEL TRANSLATIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES BASED ON A MULTICENTER, PEDIATRIC AND AYA EVOLUTIONARY TUMOR BOARD (PEDSETB) - PEDIATRIC EVOLUTIONARY TUMOR BOARD (PEDSETB) IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY FORUM TO APPROACH AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT'S CANCER AND PROPOSE ADDITIONAL IDEAS FOR CARE. THE PEDSETB WILL GATHER DISCIPLINES NOT OFTEN ENGAGED IN CANCER WORK AND USE INSIGHTS FROM EVOLUTION TO OPTIMALLY MODEL, RESEARCH, AND IMPACT PEDIATRIC CANCER OUTCOMES. STRATEGIES FROM PEDSETB'S PREDECESSOR HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DESIGN OF SEVERAL OF NPCF'S MOST RECENT CLINICAL TRIALS5. EVALUATION OF DIGOXIN FOR RELAPSED NON-WNT, NON-SHH MEDULLOBLASTOMA (PHASE 2 STUDY) - THIS TRIAL WILL EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF DIGOXIN IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH RELAPSED NON-SHH, NON-WNT MEDULLOBLASTOMA AND TO DETERMINE IF DIGOXIN IMPROVES PROGRESSION FREE SURVIVAL AT 4 MONTHS AFTER INITIATION OF STUDY TREATMENT IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. 6. METASTATIC EWING'S TRIAL TESTING SCHEDULE ENHANCEMENT TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES - THIS TRIAL WILL TEST OUR ABILITY TO ADMINISTER FREQUENTLY CHANGING CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMENS, CALLED SEQUENTIAL SECOND STRIKES, TO PATIENTS WITH WIDELY METASTATIC EWING SARCOMA TO STOP ITS DEVELOPMENT OF RESISTANCE TO CHEMOTHERAPY AND IMPROVE CURE RATES.7. RNA LIPID PARTICLES TARGETING PEDIATRIC RECURRENT INTRACRANIAL MALIGNANCIES AND OTHER SYSTEMIC SOLID TUMORS - THIS TRIAL TESTS THE SAFETY, IMMUNE EFFECTS, AND POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF RNA-LOADED LIPID NANOPARTICLES (RNA-LP) VACCINES IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT PEDIATRIC HIGH-GRADE GLIOMA (PHGG), A TYPE OF BRAIN CANCER, AND RECURRENT OSTEOSARCOMA (OSA), A TYPE OF BONE CANCER. 8. OPEN-LABEL, COHORT-SEQUENTIAL DOSE-ESCALATION AND DOSE-CONFIRMATION PHASE 1-2 CLINICAL TRIAL TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF DOMATINOSTAT IN COMBINATION WITH SIROLIMUS IN ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS WITH RELAPSED, REFRACTORY SARCOMA AND OSTEOSARCOMA - THIS TRIAL TESTS THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO DRUGS, DOMATINOSTAT AND SIROLIMUS, USED TOGETHER IN PATIENTS WITH OSTEOSARCOMA AND OTHER SARCOMAS THAT HAVE COME BACK OR DON'T RESPOND TO OTHER TREATMENTS. 9. ENGINEERED DESTABILIZED AU RICH ELEMENTS OF C-MYC 3'UTR AS THERAPEUTICS FOR C-MYC DRIVEN PEDIATRIC CANCERS - THIS STUDY HAS IDENTIFIED A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN CONTROL AND DEGRADE A SPECIFIC C-MYC GENE (KNOWN AS THE MASTER REGULATOR) ACROSS MANY TYPES OF CANCERS. SINCE C-MYC IS DETECTED IN 74% OF HUMAN CANCERS, THE ABILITY TO DEGRADE AND ATTACK THIS COMMON LINK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM THE TREATMENT OF CANCER. 10. TREATING LEPTOMENINGEAL SPREAD OF PEDIATRIC MEDULLOBLASTOMA WITH QUANTUM RADIOLOGY - THIS STUDY WILL USE QUANTUM MECHANICS TO PRECISELY TARGET SPECIFIC TUMOR CELLS WITHOUT HARMING NORMAL CELLS. THE METHOD USES CONVENTIONAL CLINICAL PROCEDURES IN A NOVEL COMBINATION WITHIN A WEAK MAGNETIC FIELD, AKIN TO A REFRIGERATOR MAGNET'S, SUCH THAT IF SUCCESSFUL IT COULD BE INTRODUCED INTO ANY HOSPITAL WITHOUT MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURAL, FINANCIAL OR PROCEDURAL DIFFICULT TO TREAT CHILDREN AND EVEN INFANTS WITH MEDULLOBLASTOMA, THE MOST COMMON CHILDHOOD BRAIN CANCER.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 October 13, 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 June 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 May 1992.
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 October 21, 2026.
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