Mission & History

Our Mission

ThinkCure! is an innovative, community-based non-profit that raises funds to accelerate collaborative research to cure cancer.

Our Vision

More than 11.1 million people in the United States are living with a previous diagnosis of cancer, far higher than the 3 million who were cancer survivors in 1971. And today, 65 percent of people with cancer are expected to live at least five years after their diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute. For children, the statistics are even brighter: 30 years ago, about half of children with cancer were cured; today, 90% are cured. That’s a testament to the value of research. Because of research, more and more kids and adults are beating cancer and returning to the ballpark, or the beach, or the mountains, or wherever they love to be, as survivors.

We aim to find the cure for cancers by funding innovative research projects at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. How do we do this?

Convene an objective, peer-based panel of expert doctors.
Award two-year grant applications once every year.
Give to the most promising collaborative and cutting edge cancer research projects that can involve other top cancer research hospitals.

At ThinkCure!, we rely on community support, calling on everyone in our community to get involved and make a difference in the fight against cancer.

ThinkCure!’s partners and beneficiaries are two of the leading cancer research institutions, City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Scientists at both institutions collaborate to better understand and treat brain tumors, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma and other cancers. And researchers in bone marrow transplantation at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have joined forces to look for cures for children and adults with cancer. They are also developing clinical trials to evaluate new immune therapies to improve cancer treatments.

Both institutions belong to the Children’s Oncology Group, a network of top institutions that evaluate new drugs and treatments throughout the nation. In addition, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope are members of Therapeutic Advances for Childhood Leukemia, a group of cancer centers headquartered at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles that rapidly develop and open early clinical trials of potential new therapies for children whose cancer has returned despite treatment. This research leads to better treatments for both children and adults.

This is only the beginning. In an era defined by collaboration, City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles are poised to make even greater contributions. Their scientists will leverage their expertise in the fields that are crucial to modern cancer research. These include: immunotherapy, which uses the immune system to fight cancer; T-cell therapy, the transfusion of disease-fighting cells to combat cancer; new customized drugs and targets to better treat a variety of cancers, among many others.

Our History

ThinkCure! was endowed as a gift to Los Angeles from the McCourt Family and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and we celebrate our heritage and roots in sport through developing active events and ways for our community to get involved in a cause we can all believe in: curing cancer in our lifetime.

Join our team. Donate now or pledge your support to help find cures for cancer, starting with research right here in Los Angeles.