Breast Cancer Action

What Breast Cancer Action does

Breast Cancer Action was a San Francisco-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1990 by Eleonor Pred, Susan Claymon, Linda Reyes, and Belle Shayer during the AIDS outbreak and breast cancer epidemic. The organization adopted activist tactics from ACT UP and positioned breast cancer as a social justice and public health crisis rather than a personal tragedy, serving newly diagnosed individuals, their loved ones and caregivers, breast cancer activists, and communities affected by breast cancer disparities. It was known for refusing corporate funds from companies that profited from or contributed to breast cancer.

Its core offerings were free educational and advocacy resources rather than technology products, including fact sheets, toolkits, podcasts, webinars, eAlerts, and a comprehensive Resource Library, alongside two flagship campaigns: Think Before You Pink® (launched 2002, which coined the term 'pinkwashing') and Don't Pink For Me®. The organization also produced op-eds in national outlets and engaged in policy advocacy on issues including pink ribbon marketing accountability, environmental causes of breast cancer, PFAS regulation, fossil fuel proliferation, gene patents, FDA approval standards, and racial inequities in breast cancer outcomes. Its principal documented legal victory was its role as the only breast cancer plaintiff in the 2009 ACLU lawsuit that resulted in the 2013 US Supreme Court decision striking down Myriad Genetics' patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

The business model was donation-funded, with revenue derived from individual member contributions and event fundraisers; the budget grew to nearly $1M by the end of Barbara Brenner's tenure as Executive Director and membership tripled under Karuna Jaggar's leadership in the 2010s. The organization operated with 1-10 staff throughout its 34-year history. In June 2024, Breast Cancer Action announced its closure; by December 2024, treatment resources were transferred to Our Bodies Ourselves Today and the Think Before You Pink® trademark and campaign to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP), with the final closure update issued May 3, 2025.

Name

Breast Cancer Action

Legal name

Breast Cancer Action

Website

https://bcaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Breast Cancer Action is a San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1990 that advocated for breast cancer patients and challenged pink ribbon marketing. The organization closed in 2024-2025, transferring its resources and campaigns to Our Bodies Ourselves Today and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Policy, Advocacy & Litigation (BPAGAGAG), Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Breast cancer advocacy
• Patient advocacy nonprofit
• Health education resources
• Cancer prevention campaigns
• Community health organizing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations and Contributions: Breast Cancer Action operated as a membership-based nonprofit organization, funded primarily through donations from individual members and supporters. The organization maintained independence from corporate funders and did not accept funds from companies that profited from or contributed to breast cancer.
2. Event Fundraisers: The organization hosted member connectors and fundraisers throughout the year to generate support for its advocacy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Breast Cancer Action is a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides free, science-based educational resources, fact sheets, toolkits, podcasts, and webinars to help individuals understand breast cancer research and treatment options. The organization runs flagship campaigns — notably Think Before You Pink® and Don't Pink For Me® — to challenge pink ribbon marketing culture and hold corporations accountable. It mobilizes members through grassroots activism to advocate for systemic change in breast cancer prevention, treatment access, and environmental health policy.

Product overview

Breast Cancer Action is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a software technology company) that offers a portfolio of activist campaigns and free educational resources focused on breast cancer awareness, prevention, and corporate accountability. The core offerings include the Think Before You Pink® campaign (launched 2002), the Don't Pink For Me® campaign, and a Resource Library containing fact sheets, toolkits, podcasts, webinars, and eAlerts. These materials are distributed as downloadable PDFs and web content rather than as software products. The organization has no technology product integrations, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think Before You Pink®: Industry-disrupting campaign launched in 2002 to challenge pink ribbon marketing and pinkwashing. BCAction coined the term 'pinkwashing' and created resources to help consumers question pink ribbon products.
• Don't Pink For Me®

Products and services

• Think Before You Pink® Campaign Flagship awareness and accountability campaign that provides tools and resources for consumers to challenge pink ribbon marketing culture and hold corporations accountable for exploitative cause marketing practices. Aimed at breast cancer activists, advocates, and conscious consumers.
• Don't Pink For Me® Campaign Campaign encouraging people to take action beyond buying pink products to support those living with and at risk of breast cancer, directing supporters to learn about pinkwashing and access Breast Cancer Action's resources.
• Think Before You Pink® Toolkit Free downloadable toolkit providing resources, information, and tools to understand pink ribbon marketing, conflicts of interest in the cancer industry, and action strategies for activists.
• Resource Library Free educational materials providing balanced, science-based analysis of breast cancer issues, including fact sheets, toolkits, podcasts, webinars, and eAlerts for individuals impacted by breast cancer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won Supreme Court case against Myriad Genetics in 2013, striking down patents on human genes BRCA1 and BRCA2
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Our Bodies Ourselves TodaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Breast Cancer Action's treatment-focused resources and environmental health information were transferred to Our Bodies Ourselves Today. This organization, an initiative of the Center for Women's Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University, will maintain and expand upon BCAction's materials, vetting and developing breast cancer resources going forward. Our Bodies Ourselves Today has an expert panel that will steward Breast Cancer Action's materials and convene feminist breast cancer experts.
• Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Breast Cancer Action's Think Before You Pink® campaign and trademark were transferred to Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (formerly known as Breast Cancer Fund). BCPP will continue to develop the Think Before You Pink® campaign and protect its legacy and integrity, including ownership of the registered trademark. BCPP has long been a valued partner in environmental policy and prevention work.
• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Breast Cancer Action was the only breast cancer organization to join as a plaintiff on the lawsuit against Myriad Genetics brought by the ACLU in 2009. The organization rallied at the Supreme Court during oral arguments, and on June 13, 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled in their favor to strike down Myriad Genetics' patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bright Pink: Prevention-focused breast and ovarian health nonprofit targeting younger women. Closely aligned with BCAction's prevention and environmental-cause framing of breast cancer risk.
• Tigerlily Foundation: National women's health and breast cancer advocacy organization with intersectional and racial-equity framing that mirrors BCAction's later programmatic emphasis under Dr. Krystal Redman.
• Breast Cancer Prevention Partners: The direct recipient of BCAction's Think Before You Pink® trademark and campaign assets upon closure. Operates as an environmental health and breast cancer prevention nonprofit with closely overlapping mission, audience, and corporate-accountability positioning.
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer: Patient-centered nonprofit providing information and support to people impacted by breast cancer. Closely overlaps BCAction's primary customer segment of newly diagnosed patients, caregivers, and advocates.
• Young Survival Coalition: Advocacy and support organization focused on young adults affected by breast cancer. Shares BCAction's advocacy-plus-education model though narrowly focused on a younger demographic.
• National Breast Cancer Coalition: Advocacy-led breast cancer coalition focused on legislative and policy change, mirroring BCAction's grassroots advocacy model and federal-policy orientation.
• Our Bodies Ourselves Today: Recipient of BCAction's treatment-focused patient education resources. Operates a feminist health and human-rights nonprofit with overlapping patient-education and women's health content scope.
• METAvivor: Nonprofit dedicated to metastatic breast cancer research, advocacy, and awareness. Comparable patient-advocate positioning with a narrower disease-stage focus.

Broad incumbents

• Susan G. Komen: The largest and most visible breast cancer nonprofit in the US. Operates a national fundraising and corporate-partner network that BCAction explicitly positioned itself against, making it the principal competitive reference point for mission and scale.
• American Cancer Society: Large incumbent operating across all cancer types with extensive patient services, research funding, and corporate partnerships — a broader portfolio version of the patient-support and advocacy work BCAction focused on for breast cancer specifically.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bcaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/BCAction
• Instagraminstagram.com/bcaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breast-cancer-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Breast Cancer Action