Curing Kids Cancer Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203388093
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Irving, TX, USA
Phone
2145199964
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,240,800
Expenses
$3,017,723
Assets
$865,691
Liabilities
$19,474

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Grainne M Owen (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Grainne M Owen (President): $138,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Organization was formed in 2005 and is dedicated to changing the world of childhood cancer by bringing awareness to childhood cancer and by funding the development of treatments, primarily in the United States, that are more effective and less toxic than traditional childhood cancer therapies. The Organization envisions a world where children do not die of cancer and do not suffer from dangerous side effects of their treatments. The Organization's funding is primarily through direct donor contributions and fundraising events.

What it reported doing in 2025

Curing Kids Cancer was founded in 2005 by Grainne and Clay Owen after they lost one of their twin sons, Killian, to leukemia at nine years old. Since its founding, Curing Kids Cancer has raised more than $36 million to advance pediatric cancer research. In 2025, the organization provided $2.1 million in funding to 14 pediatric cancer research projects across the United States. Curing Kids Cancer focuses its funding on innovative, cutting-edge research with the potential to lead to more effective and less toxic treatments for children with cancer. Funding priorities are strategically directed toward rapidly developing areas of pediatric cancer research, helping researchers accelerate promising discoveries and translate them into improved treatment options for children. Curing Kids Cancers commitment to long-term impact includes significant multi-year investments in pediatric cancer research. Current initiatives include the CONNECT x CKC International Brain Tumor Consortium Endowment, endowed research positions at Emory University, and Killians Hope for a United South Carolina, supporting collaboration between Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina. These investments provide sustained funding to accelerate research and develop more effective, less toxic treatments for children with cancer.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 79% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.7%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 25th 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: 6.9%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.7% of revenue deployed · 88.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $138K · 18 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 11 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.