The Role of Philanthropy in Research: How Nonprofits Drive Progress in Cancer Care Forward

PHASE ONE Board Member Jordan Bernstein with with PHASE ONE Grant Recipient Dr. Santosh Kesari of Saint John's Cancer Institute at the 2025 PHASE ONE Gala.

Medical progress does not happen all at once. It begins with an idea, often a bold one, tested long before it becomes a standard treatment or a headline-making breakthrough. Beneath every advance that reshapes patient care is early research: the painstaking work of exploring what might be possible before the outcome is clear. It is also one of the most difficult stages to fund. That is precisely why philanthropy matters. 

FUELING PROGRESS

Philanthropy helps move promising science from possibility to proof. In research, especially in early-stage and early-phase clinical work, traditional funding sources often favor projects with more established data, clearer paths to approval, or more immediate commercial potential. That leaves many innovative ideas in a vulnerable middle ground: full of promise, but without the resources to move forward.  

Philanthropic investment bridges that gap, enabling researchers to collect early evidence, test novel approaches, and strengthen the case for broader institutional investment. In many cases, that first infusion of support is what allows an idea to become a viable research pathway rather than a missed opportunity. 

This kind of support is not simply helpful; it is catalytic. Early philanthropic support can influence far more than a single study, institution, or disease area. A grant that helps launch one clinical trial may lead to additional funding, broader collaboration, and ultimately new treatment options for patients. Especially in cancer research, where discoveries in one area often inform progress in another, this kind of support can have far-reaching effects. Philanthropy gives scientists the freedom to pursue questions that are ambitious, unconventional, and potentially transformative. 

“The role of philanthropy is to support innovative ideas— high-risk, high-reward ideas. And that’s really what PHASE ONE Foundation has done.”

—Dr. Santosh Kesari, Saint John's Cancer Institute

SUSTAINING INNOVATION

Now more than ever, that role matters. At a moment when federal research support is increasingly uncertain, philanthropy is becoming even more critical to sustaining innovation.  

That role is especially important in research areas that require patience, vision, and a willingness to invest in the long game. The path from an initial scientific insight to an approved therapy can take a decade or more. Treatments that now seem established once depended on someone being willing to fund them at the stage when the evidence was still emerging, and the path ahead was far from guaranteed. Philanthropic donors are often uniquely positioned to step in at that moment– when speed, flexibility, and belief in the potential of an idea matter most. 

TURNING SUPPORT INTO HOPE

Philanthropy is not separate from research progress; it is a key part of what makes that progress possible. It strengthens the pipeline of discovery, expands what researchers can pursue, and helps bring new treatment options closer to the people who need them. 

Research is also more than a scientific enterprise. It is deeply human. It is about patients searching for answers, families hoping for more time, and physicians working to expand what is possible in care. Philanthropy brings people into that process in a meaningful way, allowing donors and communities to help drive progress that can improve lives. 

PHASE ONE remains committed to backing the research that might otherwise go unfunded– the ideas with the potential to open new doors for patients and move cancer care forward. By supporting early-phase clinical trials, we are helping create more opportunities for discovery, more pathways to treatment, and more reasons for hope.