Just over five years after it began, M. D. Anderson has completed its largest fundraising campaign ever.
"Making Cancer History: The Campaign to Transform Cancer Care" raised $1.215 billion, significantly more than the original $1 billion goal. The campaign received donations from more than 630,000 people around the world and included 172 gifts of more than $1 million, six donations of $10 million or more and three donations of $50 million or more. Making Cancer History was so successful that M. D. Anderson is ending it two months ahead of schedule.
The campaign received donations from more than 630,000 people around the world and included 172 gifts of more than $1 million, six donations of $10 million or more and three donations of $50 million or more
The money will fund research initiatives in several areas, create an endowment to educate and train cancer research specialists, fund a new 600,000-square-foot facility for pancreatic cancer research and personalized cancer care, and support other areas of the cancer center.
M. D. Anderson has also launched five institutes since the campaign's commencement, including the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, The Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment, The Institute for Basic Science, The Institute for Cancer Care Excellence, and The Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer. According to M.D. Anderson, "the institute model provides a structure that encourages scientists from various departments and centers to work together on a particular area, such as immunology or molecular markers, that impacts cancer care across disease sites," by encouraging collaboration, facilitating the sharing of resources and providing a competitive advantage.
"The campaign's early completion gives M.D. Anderson researchers and clinicians the means to make significant progress in the fight against cancer," new M.D. Anderson president Dr. Ronald DePinho said in a statement. "And completing the goal during difficult economic times of decreasing federal and state funding reflects an incredible outpouring of confidence in M.D. Anderson as the premier cancer hospital in the world.
"With the philanthropic support of those who share our passion, we'll make major progress in preventing, detecting and treating cancer. Together, we have the opportunity to do great good for humanity."
