The mission of the American Cancer Society is to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, aiming to ensure everyone has the opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
ACS Research Priority Areas include six key areas to guide the research funding: Etiology, Obesity/Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL), Screening and Diagnosis, Treatment, Survivorship, and Health Equity Across the Cancer Continuum. The Arizona Discovery Boost Grants, in partnership with the Simone Charitable Foundation, aim to stimulate cancer research in Arizona to increase knowledge, collaboration, and advance efforts in answering cancer's biggest questions. This initiative also seeks to increase geographic diversity in cancer research. Discovery Boost Grants support exploratory cancer research that is high-risk and high-reward across the research continuum, including developing research methodologies, establishing feasibility, and leading pilot tests with the expectation to secure additional funding for further research. Eligibility includes working at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit in Arizona with an independent faculty appointment. Grants are funded up to $135,000 per year for up to two years, with a maximum allowable budget of $297,000 for a 2-year project period.