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Impact for Hard-to-Treat Cancers Award

Children's Cancer Research Fund

Applications focused on Ewing sarcoma are especially encouraged, highlighting an area of special interest for the 2026 grant cycle. Applications addressing other eligible hard-to-treat cancer types are also welcome. All applications will be evaluated equally and fairly through our rigorous peer review process.

Please note that Children’s Cancer Research Fund permits investigators to submit only one Letter of Intent as Principal Investigator per calendar year. Applicants are encouraged to review all available grant mechanisms before applying.

Treatment success against hard-to-treat cancers has remained out of reach. This grant mechanism supports basic and translational studies. Projects may include pilot and feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of research methodology; and development of new research technology. With this award, we intend to support projects that enable the prevention, early detection, treatment, and improvements of outcomes for pediatric cancers that remain hard-to-treat. Only pre-clinical research is eligible. Clinical trials focused on hard-to-treat cancers are eligible via a separate funding mechanism.

For this funding opportunity, hard-to-treat is defined as a 5-year survival less than 70% in an individual cancer (e.g. osteosarcoma, AML, DIPG), in a cancer with unfavorable behavior (e.g. relapse or metastasis), or in a molecularly defined subtype (e.g. MLL rearranged leukemia, PAX3-FOXO1 rearranged RMS). Cancers with survival <70% in demographic groups defined by age, sex, or race/ethnicity may also qualify, provided a biologic hypothesis is being pursued.

Applicants must demonstrate that the cancer(s) they propose to study are consistent with this definition of hard-to-treat and with scientific literature.

Award Budget A budget for total costs up to $125,000 per year may be requested. This includes indirect costs of up to 10% of direct costs.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong relevance to pediatric oncology

The most competitive applications directly address:

hard-to-treat pediatric cancers,
leukemia,
brain tumors,
sarcomas,
survivorship,
childhood cancer disparities,
precision oncology,
pediatric immunotherapy,
metastatic or relapsed disease.

CCRF currently prioritizes:

hard-to-treat cancers,
survivorship,
health disparities,
early-phase clinical trials.

2. Clear translational and patient impact

Successful proposals usually demonstrate potential to:

improve survival,
reduce treatment toxicity,
improve quality of life,
enhance survivorship outcomes,
improve access and equity,
accelerate movement toward clinical application.

Applications with realistic pathways to clinical benefit are strongly favored.

3. Innovation and “gap-filling” science

CCRF particularly values:

early-stage innovative ideas,
proof-of-concept studies,
high-risk/high-reward approaches,
novel pediatric cancer technologies,
pilot translational projects.

The organization explicitly funds projects that may be too early for large federal funding mechanisms.

4. Strong preliminary data

Competitive applications frequently include:

pilot experimental findings,
feasibility studies,
preliminary genomic or biomarker data,
early therapeutic evidence,
retrospective pediatric datasets.

Strong preliminary evidence substantially increases reviewer confidence.

5. Strong methodological rigor

Successful proposals generally demonstrate:

robust experimental design,
realistic recruitment or sample plans,
validated outcome measures,
appropriate statistical methods,
feasible milestones and timelines.

Weak feasibility or poor study design is a common reason for rejection.

6. Focus on hard-to-treat pediatric cancers

Projects involving:

relapsed/refractory cancers,
osteosarcoma,
high-risk leukemias,
diffuse midline glioma,
metastatic pediatric cancers

are especially competitive because CCRF explicitly prioritizes “hard-to-treat” childhood cancers.

7. Survivorship and quality-of-life relevance

CCRF strongly supports research involving:

late effects of therapy,
survivorship interventions,
psychosocial outcomes,
long-term toxicities,
adolescent and young adult survivorship,
quality-of-life improvement.

8. Health disparities and equity focus

Applications addressing:

disparities in access to care,
inequities in outcomes,
underserved pediatric populations,
modifiable social determinants,
culturally tailored interventions

have become increasingly competitive. CCRF specifically prioritizes proposals that move beyond merely describing disparities toward reducing them.

9. Strong collaborative and institutional support

High-scoring applications often involve:

pediatric oncologists,
translational scientists,
genomic researchers,
survivorship specialists,
biostatisticians,
multicenter pediatric collaborations.

Institutional pediatric oncology infrastructure significantly strengthens feasibility assessments.

10. Potential to generate future major funding

Reviewers favor projects likely to:

attract NIH/NCI funding,
support clinical trials,
generate publishable findings,
create scalable pediatric oncology programs,
advance new therapeutic platforms.

CCRF highlights that its funded researchers frequently secure much larger follow-on funding.

Specialties

Cancer

Pediatrics

Eligibility Requirements

 Applicants must be eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator at their sponsoring institution.

 Applicant institutions must be based in the United States.

 Applicants are not required to be United States citizens.

 Awarded PIs are required to commit at least 10 percent of their research efforts each year to activities supported by this award.

 Submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) is required.

 Co-Investigators and/or collaborators are permitted, but the award must be made to a single institution which will act as the grant administrator.

 Applicants’ organizations may submit more than one application, provided each application is scientifically distinct. However, CCRF will only accept one LOI from a PI each calendar year.

 Applicants should review all necessary materials and use the appropriate templates and forms. Failure to comply with the instructions provided may result in programmatic or administrative rejection of your Letter of Intent (LOI) or full application.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Children's Cancer Research Fund

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1650 W 82nd St., Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55431

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