The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
An independent nonprofit organization that funds breast cancer research and related awareness programs.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is an independent, not-for-profit organization focused on financing breast cancer research and supporting programs intended to improve understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the disease. It was established in 1993 by Evelyn Lauder, a senior corporate vice president of The Estée Lauder Companies. Lauder had previously helped promote breast cancer awareness through a collaboration with Alexandra Penney, then editor of SELF magazine, that helped establish the pink ribbon as an internationally recognized symbol of breast cancer awareness. BCRF operates primarily as a research-funding organization rather than as a manufacturer, healthcare provider, or pharmaceutical company. Its grants have supported basic, translational, and clinical research at medical institutions in the United States and other countries. Areas associated with its funding include genetic susceptibility to breast cancer, breast cancer stem cells, magnetic-resonance imaging, hormonal therapies such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, anti-angiogenic treatment, and targeted therapies including trastuzumab, commonly known by the brand name Herceptin. The organization has also supported clinical-trial activity through the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. According to the cited encyclopedia material, BCRF has raised approximately $569.4 million for breast cancer research and has funded more than 255 researchers in 14 countries. These figures are presented as reference-period organizational claims rather than as current audited totals. BCRF's research leadership has included Dr. Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as director of research. The foundation's work connects donor fundraising with investigator-led research at academic and medical institutions. BCRF has stated that more than 91 cents of each dollar raised was directed to breast cancer research and awareness programs in 2014. Its financial-efficiency and charitable-governance profile has also been assessed by organizations including Candid, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch; CharityWatch gave it an A rating in a November 2021 report. Such ratings evaluate the nonprofit's reported use of funds and operations and should not be interpreted as investment or commercial performance measures. The foundation's public identity is closely associated with breast cancer awareness, philanthropy, and scientific research. Its scope is international in funding reach, although its headquarters and institutional base are in the United States. BCRF does not have publicly traded shares, a ticker symbol, or a corporate parent. Its principal stakeholders are research institutions, scientists, donors, patients, advocates, and the broader breast cancer community.
History
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation was created in 1993 by Evelyn Lauder, who was then a senior corporate vice president of The Estée Lauder Companies. The foundation emerged from Lauder's broader breast cancer awareness work. Before BCRF's creation, Lauder worked with Alexandra Penney, the former editor of SELF magazine, on an awareness initiative that helped make the pink ribbon a widely recognized international emblem of breast cancer awareness. BCRF was structured as an independent nonprofit research organization. Rather than developing commercial medicines or operating hospitals, it raises philanthropic funds and distributes support to researchers and medical institutions working on breast cancer. Its funding model has encompassed basic science, translational research, imaging, treatment development, and clinical studies. This broad research orientation has allowed the organization to support work ranging from biological mechanisms and inherited susceptibility to therapeutic testing and patient-oriented research. Research areas associated with BCRF grants include breast cancer genetics, breast cancer stem cells, magnetic-resonance imaging, endocrine treatments such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, anti-angiogenic approaches involving bevacizumab, and targeted treatment involving trastuzumab. The foundation has also supported clinical trials through the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. These areas illustrate BCRF's role in connecting laboratory findings with diagnostic and therapeutic applications, although the organization itself is a funder rather than the sole developer or owner of the resulting medical technologies. Over time, BCRF expanded its research reach beyond a single institution or local program. The cited reference material states that it has raised approximately $569.4 million and funds more than 255 researchers in 14 countries. Because the source does not provide a date for these aggregate totals, they should be treated as historical or source-period figures rather than current totals. The foundation's director of research has been identified as Dr. Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. BCRF has also emphasized the proportion of fundraising devoted to mission activities. For 2014, it reported that more than 91 cents of every dollar raised went to breast cancer research and awareness programs. External nonprofit-evaluation organizations, including Candid, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, have recognized or assessed the organization. CharityWatch gave BCRF an A rating in November 2021, providing an independently published reference point for its reported financial efficiency at that time. Today, BCRF is best understood as a philanthropic scientific institution with a United States base and an international research footprint. Its public-facing identity combines research fundraising, breast cancer education and awareness, and support for academic and clinical investigators. It has no publicly traded shares and is not identified as a subsidiary of a corporate parent.
- 2021
CharityWatch rating
[1]CharityWatch awarded BCRF an A grade in its November 2021 evaluation.
- 2014
Reported allocation of fundraising
[1]BCRF stated that more than 91 cents of every dollar raised was directed to breast cancer research and awareness programs.
- 1993
Foundation established
[1]Evelyn Lauder founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as an independent nonprofit organization supporting breast cancer research.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit research-funding institution linking philanthropy and breast cancer science, with emphasis on basic, translational, and clinical research.
Research funding · 1993
Breast cancer research grants
BCRF's central offering is philanthropic funding for scientists and medical institutions conducting breast cancer research. Grants have covered basic biology, inherited risk, tumor biology, imaging, treatment development, and patient-focused studies. The organization supports work in the United States and internationally rather than selling a commercial product.
Clinical research
Clinical and translational research support
The foundation supports research intended to move discoveries from laboratory settings into diagnosis and treatment. Its cited activities include support for clinical trials conducted through the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, as well as work involving targeted therapies, hormonal treatments, imaging, and anti-angiogenic approaches.
Public awareness · 1993
Breast cancer awareness programs
BCRF combines scientific fundraising with public breast cancer awareness. Its institutional history is linked to the pink-ribbon awareness movement, and its reported mission spending includes awareness programs alongside research support.
Marketing campaigns
- Pink ribbon breast cancer awareness initiative
United States · International
Before and around the establishment of BCRF, Evelyn Lauder and Alexandra Penney promoted the pink ribbon as a public symbol of breast cancer awareness. The initiative helped give breast cancer advocacy a recognizable international visual identity.
Outcome. The pink ribbon became an internationally recognized breast cancer awareness symbol.
Brand decisions
1993
Establish an independent research-funding foundationStrategyBackground
Evelyn Lauder's breast cancer awareness work created a platform for a dedicated organization focused on financing research.
Action taken
BCRF was established as an independent nonprofit supporting breast cancer research at medical institutions.
Aftermath
The organization developed a philanthropic model spanning basic, translational, and clinical research in the United States and abroad.
Recent events
FOX News Media and BCRF host breast cancer research panel[3]
Reported:
FOX News Media teamed up with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for a panel at Fox News headquarters in New York City highlighting advances in breast cancer research and treatment and encouraging women to take an active role in their healthcare.
Sources3 sources
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