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Young Investigator Grant (YIG)

Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation

Mission

Cannonball Kids’ cancer (CKc) Foundation’s mission is to fund innovative, accessible research for children fighting cancer to provide better treatments and quality of life, and to educate for change. Our vision is to create cures for all childhood cancers.

About CKc

Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation was founded in 2014 by Michael and Melissa Wiggins, parents of Cannon Wiggins, who was diagnosed with Stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma when he was just 20 months old. During Cannon’s treatment, they learned that very little time, effort and funding is devoted to finding cures for children’s cancer compared to adult cancers, and as a result, children are unnecessarily and unjustly lost. CKc aims to stop the tragic reality of children suffering and dying because of the lack of research in the world of children’s cancer treatments. CKc believes "Research is the Key" that will unlock a cure, and the foundation has now awarded $5.4 million in research grants, providing an option for over 1,000 children who were told they had "no more options". Most of those studies are first-of-their-kind and are dispersed throughout 35 U.S. states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Scotland and Switzerland.

Grant Programs

CKc offers two types of research grants: Clinical Trial and Young Investigator. The maximum award amounts and durations for the 2026 cycle are as follows:

• Young Investigator: $100,000 over 3 years

Funding Priorities

For the 2026 Grants Cycle, CKc will prioritize funding clinical trials and research that is nearing translation to a clinical trial. Grants funded by CKc must be innovative and provide better quality of life or symptom relief than current treatments.

For CKc, “innovation” means the invention or application of novel methods or treatments, specifically treatments that have fewer side-effects than standard care, increase a child’s quality of life, and/or create an option for care where there otherwise were few or none (either on primary diagnosis, relapse, or for recalcitrant cancers). Whenever possible, CKc will prioritize funding research with a focus on:

• cancers that are under-funded or under-researched.

• with a focus on patient populations who are traditionally underserved.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🧒 1. Strong Pediatric Cancer Focus (Non-Negotiable)

Projects must directly address:
- Childhood cancers (especially high-risk or relapsed cases)
Priority given to:
- Underfunded or rare pediatric cancers
- Underserved patient populations

👉 Adult oncology or indirect pediatric relevance → low success probability

🚀 2. Highly Innovative, First-of-Its-Kind Research (Top Predictor)

CKc explicitly funds:
- “innovative, first-of-its-kind research”
Innovation includes:
- Novel therapies
- New mechanisms or technologies
- Unexplored treatment strategies

👉 ~94% of funded trials are first-of-their-kind

💊 3. Clear Path to Clinical Trials (Critical Differentiator)

Strong preference for:
- Early-phase clinical trials
- Research close to trial readiness
Funding programs include:
- Clinical Trial Grants (~$200K)
- Translational projects nearing human studies

👉 Pure basic science without clinical trajectory is less competitive

🎯 4. Focus on Better Treatments (Less Toxic, More Effective)

Successful proposals demonstrate:

Therapies that:
- Reduce toxicity and side effects
- Improve survival and outcomes
- Enhance quality of life

👉 “Better than standard of care” is a key requirement

⚡ 5. Addressing Unmet Clinical Needs

Priority for:
- Relapsed/refractory cancers
- Conditions with limited treatment options
Focus on:
- Expanding treatment choices for children

👉 High unmet need = higher success probability

🔄 6. Translational & Impact-Oriented Research

Must show:
- Clear bench → bedside pathway
Emphasis on:
- Rapid movement toward patient benefit

👉 CKc is strongly impact-driven, not publication-driven

👩‍🔬 7. Investigator Capability & Clinical Environment

Requirements include:
- Affiliation with clinical departments
- Access to infrastructure and patient populations
PI must demonstrate:
- Ability to execute clinical or translational studies

🤝 8. Collaboration & Multidisciplinary Approach

Successful projects often involve:
- Oncology + immunology + translational science
Partnerships:
- Hospitals, clinical centers, research institutions

👉 Collaboration improves feasibility and scalability

🌍 9. Equity & Inclusion Considerations

CKc prioritizes:

Research involving:
- Underserved populations
- Diverse investigators

👉 Equity focus is a growing differentiator

🧪 10. Feasible, Milestone-Driven Study Design

Clear:
- Timeline
- Deliverables
Realistic within funding limits (often 1–3 years)

👉 Overly ambitious proposals are commonly rejected

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

Pediatric cancer focus
First-of-its-kind innovation
Clear path to clinical trials

Moderate predictors:
4. Better/less toxic treatments
5. Addressing unmet needs
6. Translational relevance

Supporting factors:
7. Investigator capability
8. Collaboration
9. Equity considerations

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to other pediatric cancer funders:

Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation is:
👉 extremely innovation + clinical-trial focused

👉 Key evaluation question:
“Will this create a new treatment option for children—and can it reach patients quickly?”

First-in-human or near-trial research ✔️
High-risk, high-reward ideas ✔️
Clear patient benefit ✔️
→ Highest success probability

Specialties

Cancer

Pediatrics

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants are limited to one Letter of Intent (LOI) per Principal Investigator (PI)

• PI must be employed by an academic or non-profit research institution or laboratory

• PI must be affiliated with a clinical department that supports the proposed research

• PI must have a medical doctoral degree: MD, DO, MD/PhD, or equivalent

• PI must demonstrate the potential to successfully conduct and complete the proposed clinical study and/or research

• The institution must have the infrastructure and resources necessary to support the proposed clinical study and/or research

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1555 Howell Branch Rd., Suite C202 Winter Park, FL

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