The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program

What The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program does

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) is a strategic venture philanthropy initiative within Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), the world's largest nonprofit health organization dedicated to blood cancer, established in 1949 and rebranded to Blood Cancer United in 2026. TAP accelerates the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics — spanning leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes — by providing funding, strategic guidance, and clinical development resources to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial availability for biotech and pharmaceutical partners.

The program operates a portfolio of initiatives including direct venture investments in clinical-stage biotech companies (e.g., co-participation in Immune-Onc Therapeutics' $73 million Series B1/B2 financing in 2026 to advance myeloid checkpoint inhibitors), co-funded research grants (e.g., the 2025 AstraZeneca Canada partnership awarding two $100,000-per-year grants for biomarkers and gene-editing research), and the Beat AML precision medicine clinical trial that matches acute myeloid leukemia patients with targeted therapies via genomic analysis. The broader Blood Cancer United platform surrounding TAP includes direct patient services (Clinical Trial Support Center, Information Specialists), financial assistance programs (Patient Aid, Co-Pay Assistance, Travel Assistance), mobile applications (Health Manager, Coloring for Kids), a Blood Cancer Patient Registry, and major fundraising campaigns (Light The Night, Team In Training, Big Climb, Visionaries of the Year).

TAP is not a revenue-generating entity; its capital comes from charitable donations, fundraising events, and corporate partnerships channeled through the 501(c)(3) parent (EIN 13-5644916). TAP has a lean team of 1-10 employees and serves a horizontal customer segment of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies developing blood cancer therapies. The program's competitive advantage derives from the parent organization's 75+ year brand, global patient and researcher ecosystem, and integrated platform of research funding, patient support, and advocacy infrastructure.

Name

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program

Legal name

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Website

https://lls.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TAP is the venture philanthropy arm of Blood Cancer United (formerly LLS), providing funding, strategic guidance, and equity co-investments to accelerate blood cancer therapy development by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. It bridges academic research and commercial drug availability across leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and MDS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Development (Phase I–III Trial Design & Execution) (HLAIALAE)

Keywords

• Venture philanthropy funding
• Blood cancer research
• Clinical trial acceleration
• Patient financial assistance
• Nonprofit healthcare services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grants and program funding, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: TAP operates as a therapy acceleration initiative within Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), providing funding to advance blood cancer treatments. Revenue comes from charitable donations, fundraising events, and corporate partnerships that support research grant programs.

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) is a strategic venture philanthropy initiative within Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) that invests in and partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics. TAP provides funding, strategic guidance, and resources to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial availability of new blood cancer therapies, including investments in clinical-stage assets such as myeloid checkpoint inhibitors.

Product overview

Blood Cancer United (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) is a nonprofit health organization focused on blood cancer research, patient support, and advocacy. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected programs including research funding initiatives (Therapy Acceleration Program® (TAP) and Beat AML®), direct patient services (Clinical Trial Support Center, Information Specialists, Registered Dietitians), financial assistance programs (Patient Aid, Co-Pay Assistance, Travel Assistance), and mobile applications (Health Manager, Coloring for Kids). The organization also runs major fundraising programs including Light The Night, Team In Training, Big Climb, and Visionaries of the Year campaigns. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society holds 501(c)(3) status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP): A strategic initiative that accelerates development of novel therapies for blood cancers by partnering with and investing in biotechnology companies.
• Beat AML
• Light The Night
• Dare to Dream Project

Products and services

• Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) Strategic venture philanthropy initiative providing funding, strategic guidance, and resources to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial availability of blood cancer therapies. Targets biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing novel blood cancer treatments.
• Beat AML Precision medicine clinical trial bringing targeted therapies to patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) through genomic analysis to match patients with individualized treatment protocols.
• Clinical Trial Support Center (CTSC) Support service providing registered nurses with expertise in blood cancers who personally assist patients and caregivers throughout each step of the clinical trial process.
• Information Specialists Oncology social workers and nurses providing patients and caregivers with accurate disease and treatment information along with access to comprehensive resources, available by phone, live chat, and email.
• Patient Aid Program Financial support program helping blood cancer patients access necessary treatments and care by covering associated costs.
• Co-Pay Assistance Program Program that helps blood cancer patients cover co-payment costs for treatments and medications.
• Patient Travel Assistance Program Financial assistance program covering travel expenses related to blood cancer treatment for patients and families.
• Pre-CAR T-cell Therapy Travel Assistance Program Specialized travel assistance program for patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy treatment for blood cancer.
• The Dare to Dream Project Program focused on transforming treatment and care for children with blood cancer, providing support for pediatric patients and their families.
• Light The Night Annual fundraising walk event bringing together communities to illuminate the path toward blood cancer cures, featuring lantern lighting ceremonies.
• Health Manager Mobile App Mobile application helping blood cancer patients track and manage their health information related to treatment and care.
• Coloring for Kids Mobile App Mobile application providing creative activities for children undergoing blood cancer treatment.
• Blood Cancer Patient Registry Registry connecting blood cancer survivors and patients with researchers to accelerate blood cancer progress and advance treatment understanding.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Pioneer of the venture philanthropy model in disease-specific nonprofit research funding, making equity and royalty-backed investments in biotech companies to accelerate cystic fibrosis therapies. Operates as the most direct functional peer to TAP within the disease-focused nonprofit research accelerator space.
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF): Blood cancer-specific nonprofit that funds translational research, runs clinical trials, and partners with biotech/pharma to accelerate myeloma therapies. Closely comparable to TAP in mission, patient-population focus, and acceleration-program structure.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: Cancer-focused nonprofit that funds translational research and therapeutic development through grants and partnerships. Comparable in operating model as a research-acceleration funder for oncology, though broader in cancer type than TAP.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Cancer research nonprofit funding high-impact investigators and translational research with strong ties to early-stage therapeutic development. Operates a similar venture philanthropy-flavored research funding model within oncology.
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN): Disease-specific cancer nonprofit that combines research funding, clinical trial acceleration, and patient services. Comparable as a vertically integrated research-acceleration and patient-support organization, though focused on pancreatic rather than blood cancer.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Pediatric cancer-focused nonprofit funding research and clinical trial infrastructure. Overlaps with TAP's Dare to Dream Project in pediatric blood cancer focus and translational research acceleration.
• National Childhood Cancer Foundation / CureSearch: Pediatric cancer-focused research and patient support organization funding clinical trials and translational research. Directly comparable to TAP's pediatric focus via Dare to Dream.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Largest broad-based US cancer nonprofit, funding research, patient support, and advocacy across all cancer types. Comparable as a large-scale funder of oncology research and patient services, but far broader and less specialized than TAP.
• Susan G. Komen: Major disease-specific nonprofit combining research grants, advocacy, and patient services with a heavy event-driven fundraising model. Comparable in operating structure (events + grants + patient programs) though focused on breast cancer.
• Stand Up To Cancer: High-profile cancer research funding nonprofit supporting translational and clinical research teams across cancer types. Comparable as a research-acceleration entity in oncology, though structured around team-science grants rather than biotech equity investments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/llsusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/LLSusa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments7 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program