What Ivy Foundation does

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, established in 2005 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a private non-profit foundation dedicated to funding brain tumor research, with a particular focus on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Following founder Catherine Ivy's loss of her husband Ben to GBM, the foundation has deployed over $179 million across 40 institutions and 120+ research grants since 2008, establishing itself as the nation's largest privately funded foundation focused on brain tumors. Its flagship initiative is the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, established with a $50 million gift in 2018 — the largest private grant in brain tumor research history — which operates the world's largest Phase 0 clinical trials program, testing therapeutic combinations matched to individual patients in compressed timeframes relative to conventional drug development.

The foundation's core products are its grant programs, including the Emerging Leader Grant Award (early-to-mid-career investigators) and the Translational Adult Glioma Award, supplemented by the Ivy Neurological Science Internship Program at TGen and ARCS Scholar support at Arizona universities. Underlying the grant-making platform is a research consortium of over 40 institutions (including MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic, Dana-Farber, UCLA, Mass General, Duke, Stanford, Cleveland Clinic, and others) and 25+ biopharma collaborations, supported by a 75,000-square-foot headquarters under construction in Phoenix.

The foundation operates as a grant-making non-profit, not a revenue-generating enterprise. Its capital is sourced from the original Ivy endowment and ongoing donations directed to the Scottsdale office or the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow. Funds are deployed as investments in research partnerships with milestone-based oversight, reviewed by scientific advisors. Patient beneficiaries (GBM patients with 12–18 month median survival and limited treatment options) and medical research institutions constitute its two primary stakeholder segments, with the foundation announcing it will not accept grant proposals in 2026, signaling a pause in its traditional annual RFP cycle.

Name

Ivy Foundation

Legal name

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation

Website

https://ivyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is a Scottsdale-based non-profit established in 2005 that has committed over $179 million to brain cancer research across 40 institutions and 120+ grants, operating the world's largest Phase 0 clinical trials program through the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Research Grant Funding

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Brain tumor research
• Cancer research grants
• Glioblastoma research
• Clinical trials funding
• Biomedical research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Funding: The foundation receives donations and contributions from Catherine Ivy and other donors. Donations can be made via check and mailed to the Scottsdale office address, or via the link for the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation that provides grant funding to medical researchers and institutions conducting patient-focused brain cancer research, with a primary focus on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). It awards competitive research grants (Emerging Leader Grant Award, Translational Adult Glioma Award), funds the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute which runs the world's largest Phase 0 clinical trials program, and supports neuroscience STEM training through the TGen internship program and ARCS scholarships at Arizona universities.

Product overview

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to finding a cure for brain cancer. The organization funds patient-focused research through grant programs including the Emerging Leader Grant Award and Translational Adult Glioma Award, both targeting glioblastoma research. The foundation also operates the Ivy Neurological Science Internship Program providing research opportunities for students, and supports ARCS Scholars at Arizona universities. The foundation's major initiative is the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, which houses the world's largest Phase 0 clinical trials program for brain tumor drug development. Since 2005, the foundation has committed over $179 million to brain tumor research across 40 institutions with over 120 different research grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ivy Foundation Emerging Leader Grant Award Grant support provided to early-to-mid-career investigators conducting high-impact, high-reward translational research for glioblastoma, intended to support ambitious pilot projects designed to identify drug strategies appropriate for early-phase pharmacodynamic- and pharmacokinetic-driven clinical trials in partnership with the Ivy Brain Tumor Center.
• Ivy Foundation Translational Adult Glioma Award Grant support provided to investigators conducting high-impact, high-reward translational research for glioblastoma, intended to support projects designed to contribute to identifying therapies that will impact the survival of patients with brain cancer.
• Ivy Neurological Science Internship Program A fully-funded internship program for high school and undergraduate students to conduct hands-on biomedical research under mentorship at TGen, focusing on glioma research, neuroscience, and neurogenomics.
• ARCS Scholar Support Program Partnership with the ARCS Foundation to support exceptional students in science, engineering, and medical research through scholarships at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona.
• Ivy Brain Tumor Center A nonprofit translational research program at Barrow Neurological Institute employing a bold, early-phase clinical trials strategy to identify new treatments for aggressive brain tumors including glioblastoma; operates the world's largest Phase 0 clinical trials program, which tests therapeutic combinations matched to individual patients in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional drug development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $179 million invested in brain cancer research funding 40 institutions and 120+ research grants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Barrow Neurological InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018The Ivy Foundation made a $50 million gift, the largest private grant in brain tumor research history, to establish the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. The center is the largest Phase 0 clinical trials program in the world and employs a bold, early-phase clinical trials strategy to identify new treatments for aggressive brain tumors including glioblastoma.
• ARCS FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation partners with ARCS Foundation to support exceptional students in science, engineering, and medical research. Since 2015, the Ivy Foundation has funded an ARCS Scholar at Arizona's top universities including Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona.
• University of California San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Part of the collaboration developing technologies to anticipate and treat therapy resistance in GBM patients, including molecular imaging and precision medicine approaches.
• Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012TGen hosts the Ivy Neurological Science Internship Program and conducts extensive brain tumor research funded by the foundation. The partnership supports translational research in neurological sciences with fully-funded internships for high school and undergraduate students.
• Massachusetts General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Part of the Ivy Early Phase Clinical Trials Consortium, contributing to genomic research and precision medicine approaches for glioblastoma treatment.
• Duke University Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Part of the Ivy consortium working on personalized immunotherapy for glioblastoma, genomic signatures for therapy responsiveness, and systematic functional interrogation of the GBM genome.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Conducts imaging research including 18F PPRGD2 PET/CT and 18F FDG PET/CT evaluation for anti-angiogenesis therapy response. Also developing molecular imaging strategies for monitoring viral therapies.
• Swedish Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Site for large-scale chemical screens to identify therapeutic agents against tumor-initiating cells derived from individual patients, evaluated in patient-derived xenograft models.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008The Ivy Foundation partnered with HHMI to offer four research fellowships to medical students to enhance the number of young investigators in brain tumor research.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008A consortium member in the Ivy Genomics-Based Medicine project, conducting research on glioblastoma and brain tumor treatment. Part of a collaborative effort to develop innovative clinical trials matching molecular pathology to targeted therapies.
• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Part of the Ivy Early Phase Clinical Trials Consortium, contributing to deep genomic analysis and molecular characterization of glioblastoma tumors. Research includes identifying molecular signatures for personalized immunotherapy.
• Mayo CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Part of the Ivy Foundation's research consortium conducting brain tumor research including mathematical neuro-oncology, immunotherapy, and preclinical models of glioblastoma.
• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Part of the Ivy Foundation research network, contributing to clinical trials and CAR T-cell therapy research for glioblastoma treatment.
• City of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Collaborator on CAR T-cell therapy research and clinical trials for glioblastoma. Research includes engineering tumor-specific CAR-modified T cells and developing novel therapeutic approaches.
• Allen Institute for Brain SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Collaborated on the Ivy GBM Atlas Project, creating an anatomic gene expression atlas of human glioblastoma. The project represents a significant data resource for brain tumor research.
• MD Anderson Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Part of the Ivy Genomics-Based Medicine consortium, contributing to combination therapy research and functional genomics for glioblastoma treatment.
• Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ivy Brain Tumor Center is located on the Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center campus in Phoenix. The new 75,000-square-foot headquarters is being constructed at this location.
• Barrow Neurological FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in supporting the Ivy Brain Tumor Center along with Barrow Neurological Institute and Dignity Health, contributing to the continued success of the Phase 0 clinical trials program.
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution conducting preclinical investigation of focused ultrasound guided delivery for biological therapy in glioblastoma and molecular imaging research.
• University of Miami Miller School of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts research on tumor cell modulation of bone marrow-derived macrophages and microglia for novel therapeutics targeting tumor associated macrophages.
• Virginia Tech Fralin Biomedical Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of the Ivy Foundation Emerging Leader award ($500,000) for studying interstitial fluid flow in glioblastoma and developing patient-specific therapies targeting protein receptors.
• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the research consortium conducting tumor-specific radiation sensitization studies and immunotherapy research for glioblastoma treatment.
• Cleveland ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts research on remodelling chromatin to force glioma stem cells to differentiate for improved glioblastoma control using first-in-class drug approaches.
• Indiana UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner working on structural basis and molecular mechanism of SUM01 degraders for glioblastoma treatment in combination with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• Society of St. Vincent de PaulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Ivy Family Wellness Program providing education, lifestyle improvement skills, and medical/counseling services to families dealing with diabetes and obesity.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Brain Tumor Society: National nonprofit that advocates and funds brain tumor research across the U.S., with comparable mission of accelerating treatments and cures for brain tumors. Operates a similar grant-funding model and is one of the most direct comparables in scale and patient-advocacy focus.
• American Brain Tumor Association: Long-standing U.S. patient-focused nonprofit funding brain tumor research and providing patient/family support services. Closely overlapping mission with the Ivy Foundation, though ABTA emphasizes broad brain tumor types versus Ivy's GBM specialization.
• Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research: Patient-focused nonprofit funding brain tumor research and maintaining one of the largest public brain tumor clinical trials databases. Similar grantmaking and awareness mission though operates at a smaller scale than Ivy Foundation.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: Nonprofit funding pediatric brain tumor research and family support; overlapping grantmaking model but focused exclusively on pediatric tumors, making it a partial-scope peer rather than full GBM competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Stand Up To Cancer: Major entertainment-industry-funded cancer research grantmaker operating Dream Teams across multiple cancer types including GBM. Significantly larger scale and broader scope than Ivy, but competes for top translational investigators and consortium partnerships.
• The V Foundation for Cancer Research: Nationally recognized cancer research grantmaking foundation with large endowment and broad funding across cancer types including brain tumors. Larger scale and broader portfolio, but operates the same investigator-initiated grant model and competes for translational talent.
• National Foundation for Cancer Research: Long-established cancer research nonprofit funding translational science across multiple cancer types. Overlapping model with Ivy in basic and translational funding, though NFCR operates globally and across many oncology indications.
• Cancer Research Institute: Major nonprofit funding immunotherapy research across cancers including brain tumors. Operates the same grantmaking/clinical-trial-partnership model as Ivy, particularly around IO approaches like those Ivy funds at City of Hope and Dana-Farber.

Emerging players

• Sontag Foundation: Private foundation funding brain tumor research and fellowship programs, with similar single-disease focus on brain tumors. Operates at smaller scale than Ivy but directly competes for translational GBM investigators.
• Mark Foundation for Cancer Research: Relatively new private cancer research foundation funding high-risk, high-reward translational science including in GBM. Operates with similar venture-philanthropy mindset and risk-tolerance culture as Ivy Foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IvyFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/IvyFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ben-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ivy Foundation