Each year, cancer affects millions of lives worldwide. In 2024 alone, 20 million new cases were diagnosed, and 9.7 million people lost their lives to cancer-related causes. Despite groundbreaking advancements in treatment and early detection, cancer remains one of the most pressing global health challenges.
This year, on the 25th annual World Cancer Day, the European Commission has shared both heartening progress and concerning trends. In the Country Cancer 2025 reports for EU countries, cancer survival rates have increased by 12% across the EU. Yet, cancer prevalence has increased by 24%. According to the American Cancer Society, new cases are projected to hit 35 million globally by 2050.
This fact has prompted doctors around the world to stress the importance of international collaboration and shared research. According to Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, “Cancer knows no borders, and neither does our fight against it.”
France has long been at the forefront of cancer research, ranking third worldwide in clinical trial interventions and seventh in cancer-related scientific publications. Institutions like Gustave Roussy, Fondation ARC, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM), and the Fondation de France Cancer Research Program lead innovative studies, tackling everything from precision medicine to immunotherapy. In order to ensure global collaboration and shared investment in a cancer-free future, philanthropy must play a pivotal role.
Why does giving abroad improve cancer research?
Medical research thrives on collaboration. Cancer is a complex disease, requiring scientists across the world to share knowledge, data, and cutting-edge techniques. Funding cancer research internationally accelerates discoveries by supporting clinical trials, innovative treatments, and the exchange of expertise.
Philanthropy plays a critical role in this ecosystem. Many of today’s most promising treatments—such as immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and AI-driven diagnostics—have been made possible by donor-funded research. According to the American Cancer Society, $5 billion in philanthropic gifts has been invested in cancer research since 1946, helping almost 17 million survive cancer. But to make a more impactful difference, funding must extend beyond national borders.
France: A Leader in Cancer Research
France is home to some of the world’s most renowned cancer research institutions, each playing a pivotal role in advancing treatments and improving patient outcomes. Friends of Fondation de France supports leading French cancer research organizations that seek to fundraise in the United States.
Fondation de France, the largest philanthropic network in France and a major philanthropic leader in Europe, dedicates over €40 million per year each year to advance scientific discovery, develop new therapeutic approaches, and support emerging researchers.
The foundation stringently selects the most promising and developed projects each year to ensure maximal return on investment into research. At the heart of this effort, the Fondation de France Cancer Research Program is committed to funding groundbreaking projects that push the boundaries of medical science. By investing in innovative treatments and patient-centered approaches, the program ensures that research translates into real-world solutions, offering hope to those affected by cancer.
Friends of Fondation de France provides a trusted philanthropic channel, helping these institutions secure the resources needed to drive groundbreaking discoveries and enhance patient care. Some cancer research projects we support in France include renowned programs at Fondation de France, Fondation ARC pour la Recherche sur le Cancer, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, and Institut Gustave Roussy.
Fondation ARC pour la Recherche sur le Cancer stands as a leader in cancer innovation, investing over €30 million annually in research and supporting more than 300 research projects each year. Its work spans all forms of oncology, from fundamental discoveries to cutting-edge therapeutic advancements. Among the critical initiatives it supports is the SMARCB1 Hope Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing research on rare and aggressive SMARCB1-deficient cancers, which primarily affect infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Committed to advancing oncology on a global scale, Fondation ARC fosters international collaboration through initiatives like its Recruiting International Leaders in Oncology program. This €1.5 million initiative attracts top-tier researchers from around the world to establish teams and develop cutting-edge cancer research programs within French institutions. By bridging fundamental and translational research, Fondation ARC ensures that scientific breakthroughs lead to tangible improvements in cancer treatment on a global scale.
Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) continues to drive scientific breakthroughs. By focusing on drug resistance and novel therapies, FRM is helping to overcome some of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment, ensuring that patients receive more effective and targeted care. Despite advances in oncology, some tumors remain resistant to treatment, making it urgent to understand the mechanisms behind therapeutic failure and develop new strategies. As part of France’s 10-year cancer strategy, FRM plays a key role in this effort, funding 345 cancer research projects over the past five years and allocating €5.4 million to cancer research.
Among the world’s top cancer centers, Institut Gustave Roussy is a pioneer in precision medicine, developing cutting-edge treatments designed to match each patient’s unique genetic makeup. The institute is also at the forefront of CAR-T cell therapy, a revolutionary approach that reprograms a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer. This groundbreaking work has the potential to transform treatment for aggressive and previously untreatable cancers.
Together, these institutions are not only advancing cancer research in France but also contributing to global efforts to defeat the disease. By supporting their work, donors can help accelerate the next generation of life-saving treatments.
Fondation de France: A Celebration of Medical Research
As one of Europe’s leading philanthropic institutions, Fondation de France in particular plays a key role in advancing cancer research and medical innovation across France. Friends of Fondation de France is proud to support Fondation de France’s mission by leveraging French-American philanthropy to increase impact.
By financing, recognizing, and promoting impactful research, Fondation de France helps accelerate scientific breakthroughs and ensure that critical findings are shared within the global medical community. One of the ways Fondation de France fulfills this mission is through the Soirée pour la Recherche Médicale, an annual event where it presents its prestigious Medical Research Awards.
The annual Fondation de France Medical Research Awards recognize groundbreaking fundamental and applied research in fields such as oncology and cardiology. These awards provide additional funding for the most promising research projects, another way the foundation deploys philanthropic support for cancer breakthroughs. This year, 25 researchers were honored for their contributions to life-changing medical innovations.
Professor Joe-Elie Salem, a physician and professor at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, was awarded the Young Researcher Award – Fondation de France / Jean Valade Prize for his project on optimizing care for severe toxicities caused by cancer immunotherapies. With a €50,000 grant, this award recognizes innovative research with direct clinical applications, aiming to improve treatments and patient outcomes.
Professor Yohann Loriot, a leading oncologist at Gustave Roussy, received the Lucie and Olga Fradiss Foundation Award (€23,000) for his research on treatment resistance and the development of new therapies for urothelial and prostate cancers. This prize supports pioneering cancer researchers in partnership with Gustave Roussy.
Dr. Jeremy Baude, a radiation oncologist at the Georges François Leclerc Center in Dijon, was awarded the Lucien Mallet Foundation Prize (€7,000) for his research investigating whether radiation therapy planning can be conducted without CT scans, aiming to improve and streamline treatment techniques.
Dr. Silvère Baron and his team at the Institute of Genetics, Reproduction, and Development in Clermont-Ferrand received the Eliane and Gérard Pauthier Foundation Prize (€30,000) for their work on nuclear receptors and prostate cancer pathophysiology.
Doctoral researchers Romain Perouf and Luca Dirheimer, from the University of Lorraine, were each awarded the Lydie and Michel Wittner Foundation Prize (€10,000). Perouf’s research focuses on mitochondrial transfer between mesenchymal stromal cells and T lymphocytes in acute myeloid leukemia, while Dirheimer is developing a new contrast agent to detect tumor cells during surgery. These awards support promising young scientists advancing critical cancer research.
Finally, Dr. Christian Chabannon, head of the Cell Therapy Center at Institut Paoli-Calmettes in Marseille, received the Saint-Antoine-EBMT Achievement Award 2024, presented by the BOXIAO Foundation. This award honors hematologists for outstanding contributions to both scientific research and clinical practice, recognizing Chabannon’s work in hematopoietic cell transplantation and CAR-T cell therapies.With these awards, Fondation de France continues its commitment to driving medical breakthroughs and improving patient care worldwide.
Friends of Fondation de France: Your global entry point into international cancer research philanthropy
Breakthroughs in treatment and prevention come from international collaboration, where researchers across the globe share knowledge, resources, and discoveries to advance the science of cancer care. Yet, these life-saving efforts depend on funding that extends beyond national boundaries.
At Friends of Fondation de France, we believe in the power of cross-border philanthropy to accelerate the fight against cancer. We are proud to serve as your global entry point to support leading cancer research in France in order to fuel scientific advances world-wide.
By investing in the next generation of treatments, we can accelerate progress and bring hope to millions worldwide.With your support, we can fund the next breakthrough. Join us in shaping the future of cancer research.
Cover Photo © Gustave Roussy
