The Cancer Support Community

What The Cancer Support Community does

The Cancer Support Community (CSC), legally Cancer Support Community and headquartered at 5614 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 280, Washington, D.C., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating the world's largest professionally led cancer support network. CSC traces its roots to The Wellness Community (founded 1982 by Harriet and Dr. Harold Benjamin) and Gilda's Club Worldwide (founded 1995 in honor of Gilda Radner), which merged in 2009. The organization provides free psychosocial, emotional, and practical support to cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones through a portfolio of integrated channels: a toll-free Cancer Support Helpline (branded as CSC-867-5309), the MyLifeLine online community platform with 15,000+ active members, over 200 physical CSC and Gilda's Club locations across 50 markets worldwide, virtual programs, distress screening tools (CancerSupportSource, Checking IN), and healthcare system partnerships. CSC serves approximately 617,000 patients and families annually, delivers $50 million in free support services each year, and records 3.2 million in-person visits, support calls, and digital connections.

CSC's product portfolio is anchored by five core platforms: the Cancer Support Helpline for personalized navigation across financial, clinical trial, genetics, pediatric oncology, and CAR T-cell topics; the MyLifeLine online community (acquired 2018); over 200 local support centers; the Cancer Experience Registry, a longitudinal online research survey capturing emotional, physical, practical, and financial impact data; and the Research & Training Institute and Cancer Policy Institute, which generate psychosocial research and advocate at federal/state levels. Supporting modules include Virtual Programs, the CancerSupportSource distress screener (integrated into clinical workflows via the 2022 Carevive partnership and 2022 Equiva Health partnership), the Peer Clinical Trials Support Program, the Justified Medical Mistrust docuseries (2023), and the Cancer Disparities Toolkit. Acquired brands include MyLifeLine (2018) and Patient Planning Services (2023).

CSC operates a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit business model with all services provided at no cost to end users. Revenue streams span individual donations (monthly recurring and one-time gifts), corporate and foundation partnerships (15+ named pharmaceutical funders including AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Regeneron, Sanofi, and Takeda), licensing of evidence-based programs and brand to network affiliates, and event-driven fundraising (DC Bike Ride, Marine Corps Marathon, NYC Marathon, Sunburst Gala). A new FreedomPay Donation on Device partnership (2024) adds retail point-of-sale giving. CSC reports between 251-500 employees and holds platinum-tier nonprofit transparency certifications (Candid Platinum, Charity Navigator 4-Star, Independent Charities Seal of Excellence). The CEO since January 1, 2024 is Sally Werner, RN, BSN, MSHA.

Name

The Cancer Support Community

Legal name

Cancer Support Community

Website

https://cancersupportcommunity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Cancer Support Community is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the world's largest professionally led cancer support network, providing free psychosocial, emotional, and clinical navigation services to cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers via 200+ locations, a toll-free helpline, and the MyLifeLine online community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Cancer support services
• Psychosocial oncology support
• Patient navigation programs
• Online patient communities
• Cancer distress screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CSC receives donations from individual supporters, including one-time and monthly giving programs. The website features a donation portal with options for monthly recurring gifts and one-time contributions.
2. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: CSC receives funding from pharmaceutical companies (AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Regeneron, Sanofi, Takeda, etc.) and corporate partners. Partners sponsor CSC programs, events, policy summits, and research initiatives.
3. Program Service Revenue (Licensing and Network Partnerships): CSC licenses its brand and evidence-based programs to network partner locations (CSC and Gilda's Club affiliates) and healthcare partners. These partners operate independently as tax-exempt organizations under CSC's umbrella, contributing to the network's scale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Cancer Support Community delivers free, professionally led psychosocial support to cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones through an integrated multi-channel platform: a 24/7 toll-free Cancer Support Helpline, over 200 CSC and Gilda's Club physical locations across 50 markets, the MyLifeLine online community with personal support sites, virtual programs, evidence-based distress screening, the Cancer Experience Registry research platform, and federal/state policy advocacy. All services are offered at no cost, with CSC providing approximately $50 million in free support programming annually to 617,000 patients and families.

Product overview

The Cancer Support Community (CSC) operates as a platform-plus-modules nonprofit organization offering free psychosocial cancer support through multiple integrated products. The core portfolio includes: the Cancer Support Helpline (CSC-867-5309) providing personalized phone/online navigation; MyLifeLine Online Community enabling patient/caregiver connections via forums and personal sites; over 200 local CSC/Gilda's Club Support Centers; the Cancer Experience Registry research survey platform; the Research & Training Institute conducting psychosocial/behavioral research; and the Cancer Policy Institute for advocacy. Supporting modules include Virtual Programs, CancerSupportSource distress screening, the Cancer Disparities Toolkit, Peer Clinical Trials Support Program, and the Justified Medical Mistrust docuseries. Acquired brands include MyLifeLine (2018) and Patient Planning Services (2023). Services are provided at no cost, with annual free support programming valued at $50 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cancer Support Helpline Toll-free helpline staffed by community navigators and resource specialists providing free, personalized navigation by phone and online for cancer patients and loved ones, including specialized navigation for financial, clinical trials, genetics, pediatric oncology, and CAR T cell therapy. Available in 200+ languages via over-the-phone translation.
• MyLifeLine Online Community Free online support community with 15,000 active members enabling patients and caregivers to create personal network sites, join discussion forums moderated by licensed mental health professionals, and connect 24/7 with peers to reduce stress, anxiety, and isolation.
• Local CSC and Gilda's Club Support Centers Over 200 physical locations in 50 markets worldwide, including CSC and Gilda's Club primary locations and healthcare partner sites, offering professionally led support groups, yoga classes, educational workshops, and other programs at no cost to anyone impacted by cancer.
• Cancer Experience Registry Free, confidential online research survey for anyone diagnosed with cancer or caregivers to share their cancer experience, generating data on emotional, physical, practical, and financial impact to inform research, programs, and policy. Participants may take follow-up surveys tracking changes over time.
• Cancer Policy Institute Works to ensure cancer patient and loved ones' voices play a central role in federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive policy making through advocacy, the Advocacy Action Center, and the IDEAL Ambassadors Program.
• Research & Training Institute Conducts novel psychosocial, behavioral, and survivorship research to advance scientific knowledge, inform policy initiatives, and support development of supportive care programming and education for the cancer community.
• Virtual Programs Digital programming including videos, webinars, and on-demand educational sessions covering cancer topics, health equity, and survivorship, enabling access to education and support from home via phone or computer.
• Education Materials Award-winning educational and digital resources for patients, caregivers, families, and providers covering cancer types, coping strategies, treatment decisions, and clinical trials, distributed through CSC's online ordering portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 617,000 cancer patients and families served in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Klick HealthminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 June 2026Klick Health won a Cannes Lions Silver Lion for its '867-5309' campaign supporting Cancer Support Community and Gilda's Club. Klick Health is a creative agency that developed marketing campaigns for CSC.
• Wellness Place (CSC Central Washington)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 November 2025Wellness Place joined CSC's global network, rebranding as CSC Central Washington effective January 1, 2026. This partnership expands CSC's psychosocial support, education, and resources to cancer-impacted individuals and families in Central Washington state.
• FreedomPayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 June 2024FreedomPay partnered with CSC for the Donation on Device platform launch, enabling charitable donations at point-of-sale. CSC is the founding partner for this initiative, allowing consumers to support CSC at retail checkout.
• Whitman-Walker Institute and GRAILcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 August 2023A collaboration to evaluate multi-cancer early detection screening with the Galleri test to increase cancer detection in underserved populations. Whitman-Walker Institute, CSC, and GRAIL collaborate on research aimed at advancing health equity in cancer screening.
• Methodist Le Bonheur HealthcarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 March 2023CSC opened its newest Gilda's Club location at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee, serving Tennessee's second largest city as a healthcare partnership.
• Facing Cancer Together (CSC Massachusetts)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 March 2023CSC announced CSC Massachusetts, resulting from a merger between Facing Cancer Together and CSC, bringing free support, education, and activities to cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones in Massachusetts.
• National Rural Oncology Collaborative (NROC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2022Partnership to improve healthcare outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients in rural America, using Breckinridge Health as the launchpad for a larger, long-term initiative. NROC is the oncology division of Community Infusion Solutions.
• CarevivecoreTechnology or Integration · 11 August 2022Partnership to provide an innovative nursing and social work team-based care delivery model to health systems across the U.S. Using best-in-class technologies, Carevive and CSC monitor and manage the physical and psychosocial distress of patients and caregivers in collaboration with cancer care teams.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CancerCare: CancerCare is a national nonprofit providing free professional support services including counseling, support groups, financial assistance, and educational workshops to anyone affected by cancer — directly overlapping with CSC's helpline, support group, and financial navigation offerings.
• LIVESTRONG Foundation: LIVESTRONG provides direct services to cancer survivors and their families, including navigation, fertility preservation resources, and emotional support — overlapping materially with CSC's psychosocial and survivorship programs.
• Look Good Feel Better: Free, non-medical beauty-focused program helping people with cancer manage appearance-related side effects of treatment — operates a similar in-person + workshop model under a coalition of corporate sponsors (cosmetics industry), analogous to CSC's pharma-funded workshop format.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest US cancer nonprofit, providing research funding, patient services, and advocacy across a much broader portfolio than CSC. It is the dominant incumbent in cancer support and competes for donor dollars and corporate sponsorships in the same fundraising pool.
• Susan G. Komen: Focused on breast cancer, Komen runs a national affiliate network similar in structure to CSC's CSC/Gilda's Club model and provides patient navigation, support resources, and a research/advocacy agenda that competes with CSC's breast-cancer-specific Care for HER program.
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Disease-specific cancer nonprofit supporting blood cancer patients through information specialists, financial aid, peer-to-peer support, and advocacy — comparable structure to CSC but narrower indication focus, competing for similar pharma and donor dollars.

Emerging players

• Stupid Cancer: National nonprofit focused on young adult cancer patients (ages 15-39), providing community, resources, and advocacy — addressing a narrower age cohort that overlaps with parts of CSC's pediatric and AYA programming.
• Triage Cancer: National nonprofit providing education on the legal and practical aspects of a cancer diagnosis, including insurance, employment, and financial navigation — directly comparable to CSC's financial navigation and benefits guidance services.
• First Descents: Provides outdoor adventure experiences and community programs to young adults impacted by cancer and other serious health conditions — competes with CSC's lifestyle and wellness programming (yoga, workshops) for community-based survivorship engagement.

Others

• National Comprehensive Cancer Network: Not-for-profit alliance of leading academic cancer centers that publishes oncology guidelines and patient resources; an adjacent, enabling organization rather than direct competitor, but relevant as a peer institution in cancer patient education and supportive care standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CancerSupportComm
• Facebookfacebook.com/cancersupportcommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancer-support-community
• Instagraminstagram.com/cancersupporthq
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cancersupportcm
• Xx.com/cancersupportcm

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Cancer Support Community