Elevate Childhood Cancer Research and Advocacy

What it reported doing in 2025

Strategic Investment Program Accomplishments. Elevate Childhood Cancer Research and Advocacy advances its charitable mission through strategic investments in collaborative and translational research aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people with cancer. These investments focus on addressing critical gaps in research infrastructure, data access, and early-stage scientific development, with an emphasis on rare and. high-risk pediatric cancers, including rhabdomyosarcoma and pediatric renal cancers, such as Wilms. Elevate supported research conducted at Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) focused on advancing understanding of pediatric sarcomas, particularly the mechanisms driving metastatic disease. This investment supports translational research infrastructure that enables the development of patient-derived cellular models. During the reporitng period, research efforts included investigation of key signaling pathways involved in metastasis, including PDGFR activity, and the development of monoclonal antibody approaches designed to disrupt these pathways. This work addresses a critical unmet need, as most current therapies target primary tumors rather than metastatic disease, which is responsible for the majority of cancer-related mortality. Elevate's investment is intended to support the advancement of research, contributing to the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for children and young people affected by pediatric sarcomas. In addition, Elevate collaboratively funded the Rhabdo Coalition Statistician in Residence to support research efforts within the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee at the end of the reporting period. This investment is intended to address a critical infrastructure gap by improving access to high-quality, harmonized data for researchers and strengthening the analytical capacity needed to support collaborative pediatric cancer research. This role provides dedicated statistical expertise to support data analysis, study development, and interpretation of findings across multiple rhabdomyosarcoma research initiatives. Planned activities include support for ongoing and future research projects, facilitation of data harmonization across institutions, and contribution of US clinical trial data to the international INSTRuCT database to enable broader global collaboration. This investment is expected to accelerate statistical analyses and manuscript development and to support emerging research in areas such as risk stratification, treatment tailoring, toxicity management, and identification of potential biomarkers, including circulating tumor DNA. These efforts are intended to strengthen data-driven clinical trial design and support the development of more precise and effective therapeutic strategies for children and young people with rhabdomyosarcoma. Elevate's continued support is intended to sustain and expand this capacity, enabling ongoing analysis and translation of research findings into future clinical applications. Population Served: Elevate's strategic research investments serve children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, particularly those affected by rare and high-risk diseases such as rhabdomyosarcoma and pediatric renal cancers, as well as their families and caregivers. The program also serves clinicians, researchers, and collaborative stakeholders engaged in pediatric oncology. Beneficiaries are indirect and not precisely quantifiable, as investments support research infrastructure, data accessibility, and early-stage and translational efforts intended to inform future clinical applications and improve outcomes for current and future patients. Based on disease incidence, rhabdomyosarcoma affects approximately 400 young people in the US each year.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 22.8%; rating input score 23
• Program expense ratio: 31.2%; rating input score 31

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 27.1%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.22; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 103.1% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 74% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 71.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings