Pediatric Cancer Foundation

Our aim is to help eradicate the number one non-accidental killer of children. Pediatric Cancer Foundation has been funding game-changing pediatric cancer research and providing hope for children and their families. We also fund patient treatment and endow world-class hospitals and oncologists with the equipment they need to save lives and improve patient care. Our Medical Advisory Committee reviews grant proposals from doctors and makes decisions on research programs that have committed Principal Investigators to see their research in pediatric oncology go to the next level of success.

We at PCF organize many fundraising events during the year. These funds have enabled the Foundation to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, support research projects and bring exceptional fellows to both the surgical and oncology departments. With the inclusion of advanced technological equipment that we support, our doctors are in collaboration with hospitals both nationally and internationally. Many hours are spent by our caring membership (which consists of over 200 volunteers). They enable us to raise significant funds in a time of underfunded hospitals and scarce government grants. This year we will have committed almost half a million dollars in programs, research and equipment. In an effort to meet these commitments, we organize annual events including the Evening Benefit, Annual Journal, Camp-a-thons, and a number of satellite events.

We have a network of over 200 volunteers in the tri-state area, who work tirelessly and organize different types of fundraising events for PCF. Our communication reaches out to people in other parts of the country as well via social media and emails, who participate in their own communities and help us in our fundraising efforts. The doctors and hospitals we support have collaborated with researchers on national and international levels, broadening their research and capabilities to strive for a better and healthy future for pediatric cancer patients.

Pediatric Cancer Foundation, known as the Maxwell Leeds Pediatric Tumor Foundation until well after 1982, was founded in 1970 by grateful parents whose son underwent surgery at Babies Hospital, New York Presbyterian Medical Center. (This hospital is now known as Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian.) These grateful parents established the Foundation after realizing that malignant pediatric tumors were extremely prevalent and that children afflicted in this way needed treatment with the most advanced medical techniques. The Foundation started simply and utilized the services of devoted volunteers to perform every aspect of fund raising. The first group of Directors were the parents’ family, neighbors and friends, but in a relatively short period of time the membership expanded rapidly to over 40 committed individuals who gave their expertise, time, and support to achieve outstanding goals in basic and clinical research as well as care and treatment of children with cancer. Today PCF has grown to include support for children and their families afflicted with ALL types of cancer. Four decades of support has enabled the Foundation to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, support research projects and bring exceptional fellows to both the surgical and oncology departments.

Research will be funded to bring novel treatments collaborated with renowned physicians around the world. PCF plans on funding other programs to find a cure for various types of pediatric cancer involving Immunotherapy and Gene targeted therapy, in several leading research programs at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at NYU Langone Medical Center, Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and Comer Children’s Hospital, The University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences, Mt. Sinai Health System, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Children’s National Hospital - Children’s National Research Institute, Washington, D.C.