American Association for Cancer Research

What American Association for Cancer Research does

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1907 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the first and largest professional organization dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration, and it currently serves more than 65,000 members worldwide, including cancer researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates. Its mission is operationalized through publications, scientific meetings, research grants, and policy advocacy.

AACR's product and technology footprint centers on a portfolio of ten peer-reviewed scientific journals (including Cancer Discovery, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, and Blood Cancer Discovery); the AACR Annual Meeting, which drew more than 22,000 attendees from over 140 countries in its 2026 edition; three annual Cancer Progress Reports covering overall, disparities, and pediatric cancer; Project GENIE, a publicly accessible international cancer registry aggregating real-world data from leading cancer centers; the Scientist↔Survivor Program connecting patient advocates with researchers; the AACR Cancer Centers Alliance of 94 member centers; and a grants program that administers fellowships, career awards, and the $15 million Trailblazer Cancer Research Grants.

AACR's business model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: recurring annual membership dues from 65,000+ members, subscription and licensing revenue from ten scientific journals, registration fees from the Annual Meeting and specialized conferences, foundation-level philanthropic income through the AACR Foundation, and grants and donations from corporate and institutional partners such as AWS, Pfizer, Mark Foundation, Lustgarten Foundation, and Debbie's Dream Foundation. Distribution is anchored by direct member engagement, flagship and specialized conferences, peer-reviewed journals, and the Project GENIE data registry. The organization does not monetize software products, SaaS platforms, or AI model APIs.

Name

American Association for Cancer Research

Legal name

American Association for Cancer Research

Website

https://aacr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1907 that serves over 65,000 cancer researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates worldwide through scientific journals, the AACR Annual Meeting, research grants, policy advocacy, and Project GENIE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Cancer Research Association

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Cancer research membership
• Scientific journal publishing
• Research conference hosting
• Cancer research grants
• Professional medical society

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from over 65,000 members worldwide including researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates
2. Publications and Journals: Revenue from scientific journal subscriptions and publications including Cancer Today magazine
3. Conference and Meeting Fees: Registration fees from Annual Meeting and specialized conferences throughout the year
4. Research Grants and Donations: Grants such as the $150,000 AWS Imagine Grant for Project GENIE, plus individual and corporate donations through AACR Foundation
5. AACR Foundation Philanthropy: Donations, planned giving, workplace giving, and corporate partnerships supporting cancer research

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AACR is a nonprofit professional membership organization that advances cancer research through membership services, a portfolio of ten peer-reviewed scientific journals, the premier global AACR Annual Meeting, specialized conferences and educational workshops, research grants and fellowships, the Project GENIE international cancer data registry, and policy advocacy. It serves more than 65,000 members worldwide, including cancer researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates, while connecting cancer centers through the AACR Cancer Centers Alliance of 94 member institutions.

Product overview

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) operates as a nonprofit membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include a portfolio of 10 peer-reviewed scientific journals (Cancer Research, Cancer Discovery, Clinical Cancer Research, etc.), the AACR Annual Meeting as the premier cancer research conference, and three annual progress reports documenting advances in cancer research, pediatric cancers, and cancer disparities. The organization also operates the Project GENIE international cancer registry, the Scientist↔Survivor Program connecting researchers with patient advocates, and maintains a grants program funding cancer researchers. AACR's ecosystem includes educational workshops, the Cancer Centers Alliance collaboration, and publications including Cancer Today magazine and the Cancer Research Catalyst blog. The organization does not offer software products, SaaS platforms, or technology integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AACR Scientific Journals Portfolio
• AACR Annual Meeting
• AACR Specialized Conferences and Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% decrease in overall age-adjusted cancer death rate in the U.S. from 1991 to 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach CancermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026Since 2014, the two organizations have collaborated on gastric cancer research grants. DDF has contributed approximately $1.65 million through various grants and awards. The AACR-Debbie's Dream Foundation Innovation and Discovery Grant provides $100,000 over two years ($50,000 in 2026, $50,000 in 2027) for innovative gastric cancer research.
• Mark Foundation for Cancer ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026The Mark Foundation launched a coalition of leading cancer research organizations (AACR, Lustgarten Foundation, Break Through Cancer, and Tina's Wish) dedicated to early detection of deadly cancers. The coalition is investing $12 million across six collaborative research projects focused on pancreatic, ovarian, and esophageal cancers.
• Lustgarten FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Coalition partner in the $12 million early detection initiative targeting pancreatic, ovarian, and esophageal cancers. The coalition aligns strategy and pools expertise to accelerate solutions that no single organization could achieve alone.
• Break Through CancercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Coalition partner in the $12 million early detection initiative. Part of ambitious shift in how cancer research is funded by aligning strategy and pooling expertise across organizations.
• Tina's WishcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Coalition partner in the $12 million early detection initiative focused on pancreatic, ovarian, and esophageal cancers. These cancers often grow silently and contribute to persistently poor long-term survival rates.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)majorTechnology or Integration · 3 December 2025AWS awarded AACR an Imagine Grant worth up to $150,000 to support Project GENIE, the international cancer registry. This funding supports the publicly accessible registry assembled through data sharing between leading cancer centers worldwide.
• AACR Cancer Centers AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AACR Cancer Centers Alliance facilitates collaboration among the nation's cancer centers on shared goals. The alliance has 94 member cancer centers working together on research coordination and advocacy.
• PfizermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPfizer provides generous support for the Patient Advocate Partners Pavilion at the AACR Annual Meeting, creating a vibrant hub for 30 patient advocacy organizations.
• UT Health San Antonio's Mays Cancer CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium with AACR. The symposium drew more than 11,000 attendees from 104 countries and generated $39.6 million in economic impact in 2025.
• Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACR partners with AACI for annual Hill Day events to advocate for NIH funding. The two organizations work together on congressional advocacy for cancer research funding.
• Cancer Vaccine CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCancer Vaccine Coalition, founded by patient advocate Kristen Dahlgren, works to fund the next generation of cancer treatments. Dahlgren serves on the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 Program Committee.
• Fight Colorectal CancerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnjee Davis, President of Fight Colorectal Cancer, serves as member of the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 Program Committee, demonstrating collaborative engagement with advocacy organizations.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): ASCO is the leading U.S. professional society for oncologists and cancer care professionals; it operates a parallel model of journals (JCO), a major annual meeting, member dues, and advocacy programs, making it AACR's closest direct peer in membership-based cancer research.
• American Cancer Society (ACS): ACS is a peer nonprofit health organization with a similar mission of advancing cancer outcomes through research funding, patient support, and advocacy. It shares AACR's donor/research-grant revenue model but operates with broader public health and patient-services scope.
• Cancer Research Institute (CRI): CRI is a peer nonprofit focused on cancer immunology research funding and scientific convening, operating with a similar grantmaking and conference model to AACR but with a narrower immunotherapy and tumor immunology focus.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: The V Foundation is a peer nonprofit that funds cancer research through competitive grants and partners with AACR on administering research awards, sharing AACR's nonprofit cancer-research funding and stewardship model.
• Stand Up To Cancer: Stand Up To Cancer is a peer nonprofit that raises and deploys funds for collaborative cancer research teams, often partnering with AACR on grant administration; it overlaps AACR's research-funding intermediary role.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Damon Runyon is a peer nonprofit that funds early-career cancer researchers through fellowship and award programs. It shares AACR's research-grant funding model and career-development mission.

Regional players

• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO): ESMO is the leading European peer to AACR, running a comparable model of journals (Annals of Oncology), the annual ESMO Congress, and member-driven oncology research advocacy. It is geographically distinct but offers directly overlapping membership and meeting competition.

Broad incumbents

• National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI is the federal government's primary agency for cancer research and training. Although it is a governmental, not membership-based, organization, NCI defines the funding landscape AACR's members and grant programs depend on, making it the dominant incumbent stakeholder in AACR's ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aacrfoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxr_bGdhkdyyFo5V3qDBwGg
• Facebookfacebook.com/aacrfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-association-for-cancer-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/aacr_cancerresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Association for Cancer Research