What Sarcoma Foundation of America does

Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit patient-advocacy and research-funding organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Its mission is to advocate for sarcoma patients, fund sarcoma research, and increase public awareness of sarcoma — a rare cancer that accounts for roughly 1% of adult cancers and 21% of childhood cancers. SFA serves sarcoma patients, caregivers, survivors, and previvors, as well as the sarcoma research community, operating from a headcount band of 11–50 employees under CEO Brandi Felser and a board co-founded by Dr. Mark Thornton, Patricia Thornton, and Dr. John Brooks.

SFA's product surface is built around five service lines: education (a subtype library, webinars, conferences, the Sarcoma Stories podcast, and patient stories), research funding (SFA Research Grants and the Last Mile Sarcoma Research Award, with over $27M invested across 240+ grants at 120+ institutions in 13 countries), patient navigation (a treatment centers directory, clinical trials assistance including the Jordan's Dream Fund, and the Sarcoma Match peer mentorship program run in partnership with Imerman Angels), advocacy (Sarcoma Ally membership, Ambassadors, and Sarcoma Advocacy Weekend), and community fundraising (the nationwide Race to Cure Sarcoma event series and the annual Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala in New York). The underlying platform is a digital hub at curesarcoma.org with monthly newsletters to 50,000+ subscribers and active presence on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

SFA's revenue model is donation-based and diversified across individual contributions (with structured vehicles including the Sunflower Society monthly giving program and Seeds of Hope memorial/tribute giving), corporate sponsorships for Race events and the gala, and gross fundraising proceeds from community events (130+ Race events have engaged 55,000+ participants and cumulatively raised $8.5M+). All contributions are tax-deductible (Tax ID 52-2275294), and the SFA Ally membership tier is free. SFA operates as an independent 501(c)(3) with no parent company and is governed by a Board of Directors with a separate Medical Advisory Board chaired by George Demetri.

Name

Sarcoma Foundation of America

Legal name

Sarcoma Foundation of America

Website

https://curesarcoma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sarcoma Foundation of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2000 that funds sarcoma research, delivers patient education and peer support, and advocates for sarcoma patients across all 50 states and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Sarcoma Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Sarcoma research funding
• Patient advocacy services
• Cancer awareness education
• Nonprofit fundraising events
• Peer support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Damascus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals supporting sarcoma research and patient programs
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue from events including Race to Cure Sarcoma series, Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala, golf tournaments, and community fundraisers
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partnerships and sponsorship opportunities for Race to Cure Sarcoma events and annual gala

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Sarcoma Foundation of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit patient advocacy organization that funds sarcoma research through grants and donations, delivers educational resources covering 100+ sarcoma subtypes, and runs community fundraising events including the Race to Cure Sarcoma series and the Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala. It also operates the Sarcoma Match peer-to-peer mentorship program and provides clinical trial navigation assistance.

Product overview

The Sarcoma Foundation of America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a patient advocacy and research funding organization rather than a traditional technology product company. The organization offers a suite of services including: sarcoma education resources covering subtypes, causes, diagnosis, and treatment; research funding programs with over $27 million invested; clinical trials assistance; the Sarcoma Match peer-to-peer mentorship program; a treatment centers directory; the Race to Cure Sarcoma national event series; the annual Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala; educational webinars and conferences; the Sarcoma Stories Podcast; patient stories; and the SFA Ally membership program. The organization's website serves as the primary platform delivering these services to patients, caregivers, and the sarcoma community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Race to Cure Sarcoma: A nationwide series of race events that bring together the sarcoma community to increase awareness about sarcoma and create lasting, supportive connections
• Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala
• Sarcoma Match
• Sunflower Society
• Sarcoma Stories Podcast
• Seeds of Hope

Products and services

• Sarcoma Education Educational resources providing information about sarcoma types, causes, diagnosis, treatment options, and statistics for patients and caregivers.
• Research Funding Programs Grant programs funding sarcoma research including SFA Research Grants and The Last Mile Sarcoma Research Award, with over $27 million invested in research across 240+ grants at 120+ institutions in 13 countries.
• Clinical Trials Assistance Resources helping patients access and navigate clinical trials, including financial assistance through the Jordan's Dream Fund for Clinical Trials.
• Sarcoma Match Peer-to-peer mentorship program powered by Imerman Angels connecting sarcoma patients, survivors, caregivers, and previvors with mentors for one-on-one support.
• Treatment Centers Directory Directory of medical centers and hospitals specializing in sarcoma research and treatment across the United States.
• Race to Cure Sarcoma Nationwide fundraising race events bringing together the sarcoma community to increase awareness, with over 130 events held and $8.5 million raised for research.
• Stand Up to Sarcoma Gala Annual fundraising gala held in New York City celebrating the international sarcoma community, entering its 24th year in 2026.
• Webinars, Conferences and Discussions Educational webinar series including subtype-specific sessions, live expert sessions, and advocacy weekend information sessions for the sarcoma community.
• Sarcoma Stories Podcast Podcast featuring stories from sarcoma patients, caregivers, and advocates sharing experiences to inspire and support the community.
• Patient Stories Collection of sarcoma patient stories providing strength and support to others on their sarcoma journey.
• SFA Ally Program Free membership program for people who share SFA's goals and want to be part of the SFA community, providing advocacy and engagement opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• $27M+ invested in sarcoma research with 240+ grants at 120+ institutions in 13 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research: Childhood cancer research funder that combines grants, peer-support programs, and a national community-event footprint — closely parallel to SFA's mix of research funding and Race to Cure events.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Funds cancer research grants across institutions with a celebrity-driven brand and event-based fundraising, comparable to SFA's grantmaking-plus-events operating model.
• Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation: A rare-tumor foundation that funds research grants and supports patients, directly mirroring SFA's narrow-disease grantmaking and patient-advocacy structure.
• Chordoma Foundation: A rare-cancer foundation that funds research, runs a peer-support community, and supports clinical trials for chordoma — directly comparable to SFA's model in an adjacent rare-disease niche.
• Children's Tumor Foundation: Funds research and patient programs for neurofibromatosis — directly comparable to SFA as a rare-disease research and patient-support foundation with grantmaking and community events.
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: Funds pediatric cancer research and supports patients/families, overlapping SFA's mission across research funding, patient services, and advocacy — especially relevant given sarcoma's 21% share of childhood cancers.
• National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation: Sarcoma-subtype-specific foundation providing education, research support, and patient community for leiomyosarcoma — directly comparable to SFA as a niche sarcoma patient/research nonprofit.
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: Combines research grantmaking, patient services, advocacy, and signature fundraising events for a single cancer — closely mirroring SFA's integrated advocacy/research/event model.
• The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative: A sarcoma-specific nonprofit that funds research grants and provides patient support, directly overlapping SFA's mission, disease focus, and grantmaking model.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest US cancer nonprofit with broad research funding, patient support, and advocacy; overlaps SFA's mission but at massive scale and across all cancer types.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CureSarcoma
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sarcomafoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/CureSarcoma
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarcoma-foundation-of-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/curesarcoma
• TikToktiktok.com/@curesarcomasfa?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sarcoma Foundation of America