Ovarian Cancer Research Fund

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) was founded in December, 1994, as the Ann Schreiber Ovarian Cancer Research Fund by Sol Schreiber in memory of his wife, Ann, who died of ovarian cancer. The organization later became the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. In 1997, Liz Tilberis, editor-in-chief of Harpers Bazaar and also battling ovarian cancer,^[1] became the organization’s first president. Liz, with help from Donna Karan, started OCRF’s signature fundraiser, Super Saturday, hosting the first one in 1998 in the Hamptons in New York. The first Super Saturday raised $200,000, and today raises over $3.5 million annually.^[2]

OCRF is now the oldest and largest charity in the U.S. funding ovarian cancer research.^[3] OCRF has awarded over $50 million in research through grants to scientists at 63 medical centers in 29 states and Washington, D.C. OCRF launched a patient program in 2012, called Woman to Woman, for women undergoing treatment for any type of gynecologic cancer. OCRF is governed by a Board of Directors.

The majority of ovarian cancer research funding in the United States comes from two government sources—the National Cancer Institute and United States Department of Defense. OCRF is the largest non-governmental funding source of ovarian cancer research,.^[4] OCRF research grants are approved by a committee of gynecologic oncologists and scientists treating and/or studying ovarian cancer.^[5]

Research

Through grantmaking programs, OCRF funds scientific research at cancer centers and academic research centers in the U.S. The first grants were awarded in 1998. OCRF offers three grants:^[6]

• Program Project Development Grant: OCRF’s largest grant ($900,000 over three years) is for senior investigators with established research careers, and provides funding for large ovarian cancer research projects that involve several investigators within one institution or collaborations between groups in multiple institutions. ($300,000 per year for three years)
• Liz Tilberis Early Career Award: This award is for junior faculty, and supports a time commitment to research and academic endeavors in ovarian cancer. ($150,000 per year for three years).
• Ann Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award: This award was created in 2003, and funds clinical fellows or post-doctoral fellows working under the supervision of a mentor who is considered a leader in the field of ovarian cancer research. ($75,000 over one or two years)

OCRF selects research projects through a peer-review process, conducted once each year by a panel of advisors called the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), which is chaired by Jeff Boyd, Ph.D., of Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Less than 10% of applicants are awarded grants. Institutions that have received the most grants include University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Duke University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

OCRF presents an educational webinar series featuring speakers on topics in ovarian cancer research and addresses clinical trial enrollment with an ovarian cancer clinical trial finder on its website.^[7]

Woman to Woman Program

In 2011 OCRF began a national expansion of Woman to Woman,^[8] a local program originating at Mount Sinai Hospital.^[9] This program pairs volunteer gynecologic cancer survivors with women recently diagnosed and actively going through treatment, and offers information and support for caregivers.^[10] With funding from QVC, OCRF expanded the program nationally and established new Woman to Woman sites at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Duke Cancer Institute, Yale–New Haven Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, and Stanford University.^[11]

Woman to Woman program sites are selected through an application process. OCRF gives each selected institution a one-year, $50,000 grant to cover the cost of a part-time program coordinator, with remaining funds allotted to a patient fund. Newly established Woman to Woman programs are expected to become self-funding after the first year.

Awareness and Support

The first OCRF ovarian cancer awareness broadcast and print public service announcements^[12] were created in partnership with L'Oréal and featured Andie MacDowell.^[13] Since then, OCRF has been included in print^[14] and online publications, including books,^[15] national and international magazines and local newspapers, as a resource for ovarian cancer information.

Contributions to public discourse on ovarian cancer in are done through various forums, including Letters to the Editor in The New York Times',.^[16][17] OCRF hosts a yearly free webinar series for the public on topics related to ovarian cancer.^[18] Support is provided by Genentech.

In 2012, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund launched OCRF Team Hope and OCRF Team Hope Endurance,^[19] a program which allows supporters to plan and promote campaigns to raise ovarian cancer awareness and funds for research.

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund has four signature events. The earliest established, called Super Saturday, is an annual fundraiser held in Water Mill, New York. Super Saturday was founded in 1998 by fashion designer Donna Karan, and late OCRF President and Editor-In-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, Liz Tilberis. It is dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of garage sales”^[20] by The New York Times, and has been hosted by Kelly Ripa and sponsored by Donna Karan, QVC and InStyle. Super Saturday includes a "garage sale" of new designer products, a live on-site QVC broadcast, a children’s carnival, and other activities. In 2013, Super Saturday raised $3.5 million^[21] for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The Legends Gala was sponsored for several years by L’Oréal Paris, and is held every other year. A 2011 Gala was held at the American Museum of Natural History, and was hosted by Julianna Margulies. The gala has raised nearly $19 million since 2002,^[22] and typically honors individuals from a range of industries. Past honorees have included Sherry Lansing, Trudie Styler, Terry Lundgren, and Kathy Black.

A signature "Stand Up for Madeline and OCRF" comedy event is held annually in tribute to Madeline Kahn, who passed away from ovarian cancer. Her husband, John W. Hansbury, joined the Board of Directors of Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and created the comedy event^[23] which is held at Carolines on Broadway.

In 2012, Ovarian Cycle, formerly an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, became a signature event series of OCRF.^[24] Ovarian Cycle had previously held indoor cycling events to raise money for ovarian cancer research. OCRF was the national charity recipient of a portion of their annual fundraising.

Partners

Through corporate sponsorships and cause-marketing campaigns, OCRF has received support from a variety of companies. Some sponsors have included QVC, L’Oreal Paris, Electrolux, Alex and Ani, and LeSportsac.

Accountability

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund has a four-star rating from independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, and ranks among the top 10% of all four-star rated charities.^[25] OCRF is also a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity that meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance accreditation standards for charity accountability, and has had their seal since 2010.^[26] Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is a Silver-level GuideStar Exchange participant.^[27] In October 2012, SELF magazine ranked OCRF as one of the three best cancer charities.^[28]

References

External links

• A Woman's Health, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
• "Ovarian Cancer, The Stealthy Specter," Hour Detroit, September 2012, Monica Mercer
• "Confronting the Silent Killer," The Jewish Week, October 10, 2012, Elecia Brown
• "Audra Moran, CEO, and John W Hansbury, Board Co-President, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund," International Innovation, August 28, 2013
• No Time to Die: Living with Ovarian Cancer, Liz Tilberis, Harper Collins, 1999