Charity Review: Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Last Updated: July 17, 2025

Many of us are interested in making donations in support of cancer research. But figuring out which organizations will make the most effective use of our contributions isn’t always an easy task. This post is part of a series in which we’re looking at individual charities that focus primarily on cancer research.

Making a choice based on value for our money means considering factors such as how an organization uses the money it raises, its financial health, and how transparent it is about what has been accomplished with the contributions it has received.

In this post, we review the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, including its mission and approach, history, notable financial facts and results reporting.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation: It’s Mission and Approach

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation says that its mission is “to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research.” It seeks to carry out this mission by providing grants to researchers for studies that have the potential for rapid application in the clinic.

The grant-making process is overseen by a Scientific Advisory Board, whose members include a number of well-known, highly regarded breast cancer researchers and clinicians.

Unsolicited grant applications are discouraged. Instead, the SAB seeks out investigators whose have demonstrated the potential to advance the understanding of breast cancer and its treatment toward the goals of cure or prevention. Grants are awarded for one year and are announced each year in August. All grantees are required to submit two progress reports and a final report.

BCRF says that it supports projects in all stages of development. Its basic approach is to provide seed money to enable researchers to generate the preliminary data necessary to obtain additional funding from government agencies and other foundations.

Researchers are encouraged to partner with other researchers from around the world and focus on research that can be moved quickly from the lab to the patient. Areas of focus include understanding the basic biology of breast cancer, heredity & ethnicity, “lifestyle” factors that reduce risk, developing more personalized treatments, quality of life after treatment and understanding metastasis.

The Organization’s History

BCRF was founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder and Dr. Larry Norton. Evelyn Lauder was a senior executive with the Estee Lauder Companies, a philanthropist and a member of the board of overseers of the Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Larry Norton is a medical oncologist who is currently Senior Vice President at Memorial-Sloan Kettering and is a former president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

BCRF is a founding member of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, an alliance of patient advocacy groups, research charities and pharmaceutical companies that was formed in 2013. The alliance is working to advance progress in scientific research into metastatic breast cancer and to improve access to information and support for people living with metastatic breast cancer.

Major Program Areas, Expenses and Funding*

BCRF reported $76 million in program service expenses for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024. It awarded $65 million in grants for the fiscal year.

Of BCRF’s total expenses, 85% were spent on its programs and services, 5% went to administrative expenses and 10% were allocated to fundraising.

BCRF raises funds for breast cancer research from individuals and corporations. The Estee Lauder Companies and affiliates have been and continue to be major donors.

Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs

These are the ratings BCRF has received from charity rating agencies:

Charity Navigator: 4 stars
Charity Watch: A
GuideStar: Platinum Seal of Transparency

Results: What Does the Charity Report?

For research being conducted over 2024-2025, BCRF is funding $70 million in grants to over 260 researchers at universities and medical institutions in the United States and other countries. Its website has profiles for each grantee including descriptions of their current specific areas of study that are being funded by BCRF grants.

BCRF reports on research progress in articles that it publishes on its blog, The Progress Report and on its podcast, Investigating Breast Cancer. Recent updates include, for example:

a report on a published study by BCRF investigators that showed that when higher than usual levels of a certain enzyme involved in the body’s response to infection were present in an individual their breast cancer progressed more quickly. Implications from the study include the potential ability to tailor treatment to prevent resistance to therapy from occurring.
a podcast on how BCRF researchers are making progress toward a potential vaccine that would bolster the body’s immune system to prevent breast cancer from developing in the first place.

*Sources: BCRF’s website, audited financial statements and IRS Form 990

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