Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
Donate crypto to this medical research cause in the United States. We accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and six other coins, with no platform fee.
Funds early-stage clinical trials for childhood cancers, which are individually rare and attract far less drug-industry investment than adult cancers.
Why this matters in the United States
Cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among American children past infancy. Childhood cancers differ biologically from adult ones: leukemias, brain tumors, neuroblastoma and sarcomas arise from developing tissue, and many subtypes are so rare that only a few hundred children are diagnosed nationwide each year. Survival for some, such as the most common childhood leukemia, has improved dramatically, while certain brain tumors and relapsed solid tumors still carry very poor outlooks.
Small patient numbers and limited commercial return mean drug companies rarely design treatments for children first, and many drugs used in pediatric oncology were developed decades ago for adults. Survivors often live with lasting effects of chemotherapy and radiation on growth, fertility, hearing and heart function. Early-phase trials test whether newer targeted therapies and immunotherapies are safe and effective for children, and this is where academic researchers most often need independent money to get started.
What your gift pays for
- Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials testing new therapies in children whose cancer has relapsed
- Laboratory studies that prepare promising drugs for testing in pediatric patients
- Salaries for early-career investigators building a career in childhood cancer research
- Biobanking and data sharing that make rare pediatric tumor samples available to researchers
Organization
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation · United States
US IRS EIN · No. 56-2496146
Founded 2005 · Headquarters: Bala Cynwyd
US charity that funds childhood cancer research grants, including early-stage clinical research.
How they work: Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation awards grants through competitive review by scientific panels, with categories ranging from fellowships for early-career researchers to larger awards for established investigators and support for clinical trial infrastructure. It also builds shared research resources, including its Childhood Cancer Data Lab, which develops open tools for analyzing pediatric cancer data. Beyond research, the foundation offers travel assistance and support services to families during treatment.
Track record: The foundation has funded more than 1,500 childhood cancer research projects at 152 institutions and raised over $300 million since Alex's first stand in 2000.
✓ Verified by our team on 4 May 2023
Giving in the United States
Where public systems leave gaps, the American causes on this site step in: rural towns that have lost their only hospital or cannot afford to fix aging water lines, cities where rents have outrun shelter capacity, and counties hit hardest by opioid overdoses. Other funds back veterans, survivors of domestic violence, foster youth aging out of care and Hispanic college students, many of them first-generation. Partners range from national nonprofits such as Meals on Wheels America and the American Red Cross to a federal rural health office and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
24 causes are listed in the United States, each with its own verified organization. $2,628,640 has been distributed to causes in the United States since 2021.
Our guide to giving in the United States · all 24 causes
Donate Crypto to US Charities: 24 Verified Causes
Read the guide and compare causes →
See all Medical Research causes and how we choose them →
How your gift reaches this cause
- You send crypto to DonateCrypto’s verified wallet for the coin you choose. No platform fee is taken; blockchain network fees still apply.
- Your transaction ID ties the gift to this cause. Our team checks it on the blockchain and emails your official receipt once it’s confirmed.
- We then convert the funds for this cause and send them to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, the organization named above, by bank transfer to its registered bank account, within 24 hours of confirming your donation.
- Every cause is reviewed before it’s listed — see how we vet causes.
- DonateCrypto is a program of Global Relief Group, a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts may be tax-deductible for US donors.