Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer

What it reported doing in 2025

Candlelighters is the first and oldest non-profit organization in Nevada serving families coping with childhood cancer. Two families, each with a child in cancer treatment, founded candlelighters in 1978, believing that families could find strength, knowledge, and comfort by banding together. For forty-five years, our mission has been to provide emotional support, quality of life programs, and financial assistance for children and their families affected by childhood cancer. Our services are a critical lifeline for families facing a cancer diagnosis. On a daily basis, we help families cope with the emotional trauma and financial hardship evoked by a childhood cancer diagnosis. All too often, families fall apart from the stress of the child's diagnosis, treatment, potential relapse, and, sometimes, death, leaving parents and siblings feeling isolated, depressed, and vulnerable. Our purpose is to alleviate the isolation many families feel at the time their child is diagnosed with cancer and provide access to financial resources, mental health services, and family support to ensure their ability to focus on the most critical element of cancer treatment-their child's survival. All services are provided to the entire family, at no cost. Our programs fall into three key areas: financial assistance many people do not realize the significant financial stress and hardship a childhood cancer diagnosis creates for a family. While dealing with the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis and the immediate need to begin treatment, parents also face the unexpected and unplanned increase in financial obligations, commonly associated with a cancer diagnosis. Out of pocket expenses due to medical co-payments, prescription costs, and other additional costs associated with cancer treatment coupled with unpaid time off to care for the diagnosed child creates financial instability within the home. Families are eligible for fiancial assistance for rent or mortgage, utilities, gas, and local transportation needs. Candlelighters also provides a medical and prescription co-payment reimbursement program. The reimbursement is based on a sliding scale that factors in household income and number of individuals within the household. In addition to the assistance above, other financial assistance include: travel for treatment while children typically receive treatment in southern Nevada, it is common for families and their children to travel to other states for specialized treatments, such as bone marrow transplants and brain tumor treatment. Should a family face the need to travel for care, candlelighters assists with airfare, lodging, car rental, food reimbursement, and gas cards to help offset the financial burden of travel. Bereavement support candlelighters provides funeral assistance to families whose children lose their battle with cancer. Candlelighters assists the family with funeral costs. Survivor and sibling scholarships one of the greatest joys parents can experience is seeing their children survive a cancer journey and go on to pursue opportunities in higher education. Candlelighters is proud to celebrate these important milestones and fund scholarships to surviving children and siblings for college, trade and technical schools. Emotional support the emotional and psychological toll of childhood cancer is crucial for the child, the family and the siblings. We ensure the entire family is supported throughout the childhood cancer journey and both short-term and long-term impact are addressed. Emotional support services provided consist of counseling, support groups, art and play therapy. Families may access our counseling services at any time during their cancer journey: at diagnosis, during treatment, survivorship, and bereavement. Quality of life programs to help alleviate the isolation many families feel, candlelighters provides family-focused opportunities for parents, the diagnosed child, and siblings to connect with other families who unders

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 52.3%; rating input score 52
• Program expense ratio: 67.8%; rating input score 68
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 24.5%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.4; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.1%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings