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Travel For Care

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

The mission of ALSF’s Travel For Care program is to ensure children battling childhood cancer have the financial assistance needed to travel to clinical trials, experimental therapeutics, or treatment innovations not currently available at their local institution.

• Child must be diagnosed with cancer or a cancer predisposition (Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Histiocytosis, LiFraumeni syndrome, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders (PTLD), etc.).

• Child must currently be under the age of 21. We will also consider young adults over 21 and under 25 years of age for travel support on a case-by-case basis as long as they meet all other guidelines (ie. Must be diagnosed with a childhood cancer and receiving treatment at a children’s hospital).

• Patient must be in active oncology treatment and one of the following:

1. Experiencing a pediatric oncology relapse

2. Enrolling in or currently enrolled in a clinical trial for active oncology treatment intervention

3. Receiving a treatment intervention that is not considered standard therapy (e.x.: Proton Beam Therapy, MIBG, etc.)

• Travel for Care is not meant to be the sole source of travel assistance for a family to get to treatment.

• All applications must be submitted by a member of the patient’s oncology treatment team.

• Referrals must be completed entirely and truthfully; false or misleading information will result in an automatic denial.

Things to know before applying:

• Travel For Care provides up to $4,000 annually ($8,000 for patients enrolled in ALSF-funded trials) in assistance as long as all eligibility criteria are met.

• Family’s estimated annual household income at the time of request must be less than $125,000.

• Travel assistance is intended for the patient and 1 caregiver to get to treatment.

ALSF pays travel vendors directly: we cannot reimburse travel expenses, pay for travel that has already taken place, or cover reservations made through a third party (Expedia, Travelocity, etc.).

• At this time, assistance is only available for travel within the US and Canada.

• Please provide as much lead time on travel dates as possible.

• ALSF requires a referral for each request for travel assistance. Requests must be submitted through our secure online application portal: proposalcentral.com/default.asp

• We process applications within 1 business day during our office hours: 9AM – 5PM Eastern Standard Time.

The program does not assist with:

• Travel for second opinions (i.e. cancer diagnosis has not been confirmed), integrative therapy, follow up appointments after active treatment is complete, and non-cancer treatments (dentist, PT, etc.).

Expenses that are not travel related (mortgage, rent, utilities, childcare, etc.).

• Travel for visits from additional family members.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to childhood cancer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the most important predictor.

The research should directly address cancers affecting children, including areas such as:

Pediatric brain tumors
Leukemia
Neuroblastoma
Sarcomas
Osteosarcoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Wilms tumor
Medulloblastoma
Diffuse midline glioma
Other childhood cancers

ALSF funds research across all types of childhood cancer, with particular programs targeting specific high-need cancers.

2. Scientific significance and potential impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALSF states that its Scientific Review Board considers factors including scientific significance and impact for children with cancer when scoring proposals. Grants are primarily awarded according to peer-review ranking.

A strong proposal should clearly establish:

What important problem is being addressed
Why it matters to pediatric cancer
What knowledge gap exists
How the research could change understanding or treatment
Why the expected results would be meaningful

3. Innovation and originality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Innovation is a major ALSF priority.

The Innovation Grant, for example, provides seed funding for experienced investigators with a novel and promising approach to finding causes and cures for childhood cancers.

Strong proposals may introduce:

Novel therapeutic targets
New treatment combinations
Innovative drug-delivery systems
New cancer models
Gene/cell therapies
Immunotherapy
Precision medicine
Novel diagnostic approaches
New computational/AI approaches

4. Potential for better and less toxic treatments ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALSF's mission emphasizes finding better treatments and cures, and several of its programs specifically prioritize approaches that could make pediatric cancer therapy more effective and less toxic.

Particularly strong proposals explain how the research could:

Increase treatment effectiveness
Overcome treatment resistance
Reduce toxicity
Reduce long-term complications
Improve survival
Improve quality of life

5. Translational potential and clinical applicability ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is particularly important for ALSF's Research Accelerator programs.

The Reach Grant, for example, is specifically designed to move hypothesis-driven research toward the clinic and requires applicants to identify an unmet clinical need and explain how the research will facilitate translation to clinical testing and implementation.

A strong translational pathway is:

Discovery → validation → preclinical evidence → clinical testing → pediatric patient benefit

6. Strong scientific rationale and testable hypothesis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALSF expects research proposals to be based on a strong scientific rationale and testable hypothesis, particularly for programs such as the R Accelerated Award.

Competitive applications should include:

Clear hypothesis
Specific aims
Strong preliminary rationale/data where appropriate
Appropriate experimental design
Appropriate controls
Statistical methodology
Feasible work plan

7. Early-career investigator potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALSF has a particularly strong commitment to developing pediatric cancer researchers.

Its early-career programs include:

Young Investigator Grant
'A' Award
POST Program
RUNX1 Early Career Investigator Grant

The Young Investigator Grant is designed for postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and instructors with promising pediatric cancer research ideas. It requires a mentor and career-development plan.

8. Institutional support and career development ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For early-career awards, this can be decisive.

The 'A' Award specifically identifies:

Original research
Outstanding institutional career-development support
Strong future commitment to pediatric cancer investigation

as critical components of a successful application.

Strong applications should therefore demonstrate:

Protected research time
Qualified mentor
Institutional resources
Career-development opportunities
Long-term commitment to pediatric oncology

9. Focus on difficult or underfunded childhood cancers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ALSF has specific programs targeting areas where major research gaps remain.

Examples include:

Pediatric brain tumors
Rare childhood cancers
RUNX1-FPD and leukemia prevention
Sarcomas
Neuroblastoma
Medulloblastoma
Diffuse midline glioma

Its 2026 annual report specifically highlights brain tumors as the deadliest childhood cancers and identifies more effective and less toxic treatments as a major priority.

Specialties

Cancer

Eligibility Requirements

• Patient must be in active oncology treatment and one of the following:

1. Experiencing a pediatric oncology relapse

2. Enrolling in or currently enrolled in a clinical trial for active oncology treatment intervention

3. Receiving a treatment intervention that is not considered standard therapy (e.x.: Proton Beam Therapy, MIBG, etc.)

• Travel for Care is not meant to be the sole source of travel assistance for a family to get to treatment.

• All applications must be submitted by a member of the patient’s oncology treatment team.

• Referrals must be completed entirely and truthfully; false or misleading information will result in an automatic denial.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 333 E Lancaster Ave, Suite 414, Wynnewood, PA 19096

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