Sarcoma Alliance

What Sarcoma Alliance does

The Sarcoma Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 by Suzanne Leider and headquartered in Mill Valley, California. It provides guidance, education, and support to sarcoma patients and their families, offering all services free of charge and funded entirely by donations. Its core programs include Second Opinion Grants (direct financial assistance to patients seeking specialist consultations), the annual Sarcoma Exchange conference, peer support groups, a New Patient Guide, a Sarcoma Centers Database, educational webinars, financial assistance, a wellness blog, and an e-newsletter. The organization also operates a Medical Advisory Board comprising leading sarcoma oncologists, lending clinical credibility to its educational content.

The Sarcoma Alliance operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and an international scope, distributing content through digital channels to reach patients globally. Its addressable population is approximately 17,000 sarcoma diagnoses annually in the US, with international expansion beyond US borders. The business model is donation-driven: there are no fees charged for services, and revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and partnerships. Major partners include Wendy Walk (a core partnership channeling funds through the Leslie Schimel Memorial Grants), SpringWorks Therapeutics, ONEHOPE Wine, Imerman Angels, CAREasy, the Cancer Support Community of Redondo Beach, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the EHE Foundation, plus six pharmaceutical sponsors of the 2026 Sarcoma Exchange.

The organization's strategic posture is one of incremental programmatic expansion: launching subtype-specific conferences (Synovial Sarcoma with CHOP in 2025; EHE 360 with the EHE Foundation in 2025), scaling the flagship Sarcoma Exchange to its 9th annual edition in 2026, and expanding the Second Opinion Grant Program. Board leadership is anchored by founder-family continuity through President Philip Leider, with governance supported by VP Natasha Serrano, Treasurer Michael Rhine, and Secretary Jeffrey Coyne.

Name

Sarcoma Alliance

Legal name

Sarcoma Alliance

Website

https://sarcomaalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sarcoma Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that provides free guidance, education, and support to sarcoma patients and their families through grants, conferences, support groups, and digital resources, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Sarcoma patient advocacy
• Cancer support services
• Rare cancer nonprofit
• Patient education resources
• Second opinion grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Mill Valley

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sarcoma Alliance is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides free, direct support services to people affected by sarcoma. Its core offerings include one-on-one peer guidance from trained mentors, Second Opinion Grants that reimburse patients for sarcoma-specialist consultations, moderated online support groups, and the Sarcoma Exchange educational resource library, supplemented by community events such as the annual Steps to Cure Sarcoma walk.

Product overview

Sarcoma Alliance operates as a single unified nonprofit service offering, not a technology platform. The organization provides a portfolio of patient support services centered around its core mission: guidance, education, and support for sarcoma patients and families. Key offerings include the Second Opinion Grants program (Suzanne Renée Leider Memorial Assistance Fund), the annual Sarcoma Exchange educational symposium, support groups, a New Patient Guide, a sarcoma centers database, educational webinars and resources, financial assistance programs, and a wellness blog. The organization also sells merchandise (ribbon pins, apparel) through its shop to raise awareness and funds. All services are provided free of charge to patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Second Opinion Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Free services to all sarcoma patients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ONEHOPE WineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with ONEHOPE Wine and entrepreneur Jessica Pajak. For each wine purchase, 10% is donated to the Sarcoma Alliance—and the Pajak family matches that amount. Emma Pajak, daughter of Jessica, is an Ewing sarcoma survivor. This ongoing partnership supports sarcoma awareness through wine sales.
• Imerman AngelsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership connecting sarcoma patients with Mentor Angels—someone who has survived the same type of cancer. Patients can sign up to receive one-to-one support from trained volunteer survivors.
• Wendy WalkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Wendy Walk, founded by the children of sarcoma patient Wendy who died in 2013. Wendy Walk hosts annual fundraising walks and has raised over $4 million for sarcoma research. Through this partnership, the Leslie Schimel Memorial Grants provide second medical opinions for sarcoma patients. The organizations co-host the annual Wendy Walk event.
• SpringWorks TherapeuticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical company sponsor of free webinars on desmoid tumors. Partnership focused on patient education about desmoid tumor diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
• Charitable Auto Resources Inc (CAREasy)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVehicle donation partner allowing donors to contribute cars, trucks, or other vehicles. The organization handles pickup anywhere in the USA (and parts of Canada), sells the vehicle, and donates proceeds to the Sarcoma Alliance. Phone: 855-500-RIDE.
• Cancer Support Community of Redondo BeachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Sarcoma Alliance Networking Group, a free drop-in support group for newly diagnosed sarcoma patients, those in treatment, survivors, caregivers, and family members. Facilitated by Jill Gray, MA, LMFT.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the Inaugural 2025 Synovial Sarcoma Virtual Conference on March 1, 2025, in partnership with the Sarcoma Alliance.
• EHE FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2025 Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE) 360 Global Patient Conference (April 10-11, 2025). The EHE Foundation organizes the largest annual gathering of EHE patients, clinicians, and researchers, with participants from 25+ countries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): Large umbrella rare-disease advocacy organization serving patients across 7,000+ rare conditions. Comparable in rare-disease patient advocacy, education, and policy work though broader scope and much larger scale.
• Cancer Support Community: Large national nonprofit offering support groups and educational resources to all cancer patients. Comparable in delivering free psychosocial support and education, though across all cancer types with much larger infrastructure.
• Children's Oncology Group: Major pediatric cancer research and treatment consortium that serves ~15% of sarcoma patients in the pediatric population. Comparable in addressing pediatric sarcoma specifically with a clinical/research focus rather than patient guidance.
• Livestrong Foundation: Large cancer survivorship organization providing patient navigation, education, and support. Comparable in mission emphasis on survivorship and patient support, though broader scope and substantially larger budget.
• American Cancer Society: Largest US cancer nonprofit providing research, patient support, and education across all cancer types. Competes for the same donor dollars and offers overlapping patient navigation services.

Direct peers

• EHE Foundation: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma patient organization and active Sarcoma Alliance partner. Directly comparable in subtype-focused patient advocacy, conferences, and small-team operation.
• Wendy Walk: Fundraising-focused sarcoma nonprofit and Sarcoma Alliance's core strategic partner that has raised over $4M for sarcoma research. Comparable disease focus with a fundraising/events-led model.
• Sarcoma Foundation of America: The largest US sarcoma nonprofit, focused primarily on research funding and advocacy. Directly comparable disease focus and patient community, though focused on research rather than guidance/support services.
• Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) Foundation: Sarcoma subtype-specific patient advocacy and research organization serving LMS patients. Directly comparable in disease focus, patient support mission, and small nonprofit structure.

Emerging players

• Imerman Angels: Cancer 1:1 peer support organization and Sarcoma Alliance partner. Directly comparable in providing free survivor-mentor matching for cancer patients, though broader across cancer types.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SarcomaAlliance
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SarcomaAlliance/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/sarcomaalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarcoma-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/sarcomaalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Sarcoma Alliance