Vera Bradley Foundation

What Vera Bradley Foundation does

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, Inc. is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation established in 1993 by Vera Bradley co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller following the loss of their friend Mary Sloan to breast cancer. Headquartered in Roanoke, Indiana, the foundation operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) and a single mission: raising funds to support breast cancer research exclusively at the Indiana University School of Medicine, channeled through the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research inside the NCI-designated IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-driven, with no product sales of its own. Fundraising flows through annual signature events (the multi-day Vera Bradley Foundation Classic featuring women's golf and pickleball tournaments, Turn the Town Pink, Quilt with a Cause, Pink Patio Party, Ribbons for Research), direct online donations (give.verabradley.org), and a retail-affiliate channel with Vera Bradley stores that release limited-edition products with 100% of proceeds directed to the foundation. The foundation holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star rating (2025) and a BBB Charity Seal.

Funded research concentrates on difficult-to-treat breast cancers, especially triple negative breast cancer, with capabilities spanning genomics, precision medicine ("Monogrammed Medicine"), antibody-drug conjugates (T-Ama), nanotechnology (the patented Nano-bomb targeting POLR2A), clinical trial design (EAZ171, designed for Black women), exercise-oncology (MOVE Program), and ancestry-diverse single-cell atlases (88,000 cell nuclei from 92 women, published in Nature Medicine with Chan Zuckerberg Initiative support). The foundation has cumulatively contributed over $42.7 million to IU since 1993.

Name

Vera Bradley Foundation

Legal name

Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, Inc.

Website

https://verabradley.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1993 that raises and grants funds exclusively to Indiana University School of Medicine for breast cancer research, generating over $42.7 million cumulatively through events, retail partnerships, and direct donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Health Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Breast cancer research
• Nonprofit foundation
• Cancer research funding
• Charitable fundraising
• Precision medicine oncology

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation raises funds exclusively for breast cancer research at Indiana University School of Medicine through donations, special events, partner events, and individual contributions.
2. Retail Partnership Proceeds: Vera Bradley releases limited-edition products with proceeds donated to the foundation. Examples include face masks ($25 two-pack with 100% proceeds donated) and specialty patterns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that raises funds exclusively for breast cancer research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. It operates through signature fundraising events (the Classic, Turn the Town Pink, Quilt with a Cause, Pink Patio Party), donor-driven campaigns, and limited-edition retail product partnerships, with all proceeds directed to the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research.

Product overview

The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer is a charitable foundation that raises funds for breast cancer research. The Foundation operates primarily through fundraising campaigns and events, including the annual Quilt with a Cause, Vera Bradley Foundation Classic sporting events, Turn the Town Pink campaign, Pink Patio Party, and Ribbons for Research. It also offers product offerings including Gifts of Hope (pre-packaged Vera Bradley gift sets) and Mastectomy Pillows. The Foundation does not offer a technology product; all funds raised support the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quilt with a Cause Annual quilt raffle campaign with donations of $5 or more entering participants for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind quilt, raising funds for breast cancer research.
• Vera Bradley Foundation Classic Annual signature fundraising event held in Fort Wayne, Indiana, featuring women's golf tournaments, pickleball tournaments, and celebration events.
• Turn the Town Pink Annual fundraising campaign during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, featuring volunteers creating pink ribbon pathways throughout Fort Wayne.
• Gifts of Hope Pre-packaged Vera Bradley gift sets offered as donor incentives, including items like face masks in exclusive Foundation prints.
• Mastectomy Pillow Specialty pillow designed for post-mastectomy recovery comfort, offered as part of the foundation's patient support offerings.
• Pink Patio Party Social fundraising event hosted by the Vera Bradley Foundation to engage supporters and raise funds for breast cancer research.
• Ribbons for Research Fundraising campaign supporting breast cancer research initiatives at the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research.

Quantifiable outcome

• $42.7 million raised for breast cancer research since 1993
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Indiana University School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary research partner hosting the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research. The foundation has contributed over $42.7 million to fund breast cancer research including genetics, immunotherapies, vaccines, and clinical trials.
• Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (one of 57 in the nation, the only one in Indiana) that houses the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research.
• Susan G. Komen Tissue BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's only collection of healthy breast tissue, housed at IU Simon Cancer Center. Provides critical samples for research on normal breast biology and breast cancer development across different genetic ancestries.
• Vera BradleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConsumer goods company founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller. Releases limited-edition products with proceeds donated to the foundation. Donations collected at retail locations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Susan G. Komen Foundation: The largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to breast cancer research and patient support. Directly comparable in mission, donor-acquisition through retail partnerships (pink ribbon), and event-based fundraising model; serves the same donor pool as Vera Bradley Foundation.
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF): Nonprofit exclusively funding breast cancer research with a high-volume annual grants program and celebrity-driven fundraising events. Most directly comparable peer based on shared sole-mission focus on funding breast cancer research rather than patient services.
• National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund: Grassroots breast cancer advocacy and research funding organization with strong focus on patient outcomes and disparity issues. Comparable mission targeting breast cancer research and advocacy, with overlapping donor demographics.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest U.S. cancer nonprofit covering research, patient support, and advocacy across all cancer types. Overlaps Vera Bradley Foundation on breast cancer research funding but operates at much greater scale and scope.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Major cancer research funder founded by Jim Valvano with sports-anchored fundraising events. Comparable on the sports-event-driven donor model (similar to Vera Bradley Classic) and cancer-research-funding mission, though broader than breast cancer.
• Stand Up To Cancer: High-profile collaborative cancer research funding model with celebrity-driven media campaigns. Overlaps with Vera Bradley Foundation's precision medicine / translational research portfolio and large-donor fundraising approach.

Emerging players

• Tigerlily Foundation: National nonprofit focused specifically on breast cancer in young women, with significant emphasis on Black women and communities of color. Directly overlaps Vera Bradley Foundation's EAZ171 disparity-focused initiatives and shared target demographic of understudied populations.
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer: Nonprofit providing education, support, and resources for people impacted by breast cancer. Comparable in mission focus on breast cancer outcomes but differentiated by patient-services orientation versus research funding.
• Promise Fund of Florida: Nonprofit addressing breast and cervical cancer disparities in underserved populations. Comparable niche focus on health equity in breast cancer, similar to Vera Bradley Foundation's emphasis on Black women's outcomes in EAZ171.

Others

• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR Foundation): Scientific society and adjacent philanthropic arm funding cancer research including breast cancer grants. Relevant as a research-funding counterpart that the Vera Bradley Foundation's supported researchers publish in and apply to for parallel grants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/verabradleyfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/verabradleyfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Vera Bradley Foundation