Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative

What Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative does

The Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative (BTFC) is a non-profit partnership among four private philanthropic and advocacy organizations — the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA), Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF), Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, and National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) — that coordinates pooled funding for multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary brain tumor research projects. Founded in 2005, BTFC operates without a dedicated office or staff, relying on existing resources of its member organizations, and is governed by an advisory board of approximately 20 senior academic and industry figures from institutions including Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, UCLA, UCSF, Washington University, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

BTFC's core offering is periodic Request for Proposals (RFP) grant cycles that fund collaborative research in targeted areas: preclinical drug development for glial tumors (2005, $6M), non-invasive monitoring tools for pediatric and adult gliomas (2009, 8 grants), immunotherapy for primary human brain tumors (2018, $3M), and liquid biopsy for primary brain tumors (2025, $1M). Individual grants range from $500,000 to $2 million, typically over two-year periods, and are awarded to multi-institutional teams at leading cancer centers and academic medical institutions. The most recent 2024-2025 cycle also draws on six supporting organizations beyond the four core members.

BTFC's business model is that of a philanthropic funding pass-through: member and supporting organizations pool contributions, the collaborative issues RFPs, conducts peer review, and awards grants to research institutions. There are no products, services, or pricing structures; the entity generates no conventional revenue, holds no intellectual property, and distributes its capital as research grants rather than retaining it as operating income. Geographic reach spans the United States and Canada.

Name

Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative

Legal name

Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative

Website

https://braintumorfunders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative is a non-profit partnership among four brain tumor philanthropic organizations (ABTA, PBTF, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, NBTS) that coordinates pooled grant funding for multi-institutional brain tumor research through periodic RFP cycles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Grants

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Companion Diagnostic (CDx) Co-Development Services (biopharma partnerships, clinical strategy) (HLAAAMAB)

Keywords

• Brain tumor research grants
• Philanthropic research funding
• Liquid biopsy funding
• Immunotherapy grant programs
• Nonprofit collaborative funding

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BTFC is a partnership among private philanthropic and advocacy organizations that coordinates pooled funding for brain tumor research through periodic Request for Proposals (RFPs). Its offerings are grant programs — Liquid Biopsy, Immunotherapy, GBM Long-term Survivors, and Non-Invasive Monitoring — distributed to multi-institutional research teams, typically at $500,000 to $2 million per project over two years.

Product overview

The Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative (BTFC) is a partnership among private philanthropic and advocacy organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people with brain tumors. Rather than a technology product company, BTFC operates as a grant-making and funding coordination organization. Its offerings consist of periodic Request for Proposals (RFPs) that fund research initiatives across member organizations. Major funded programs include Liquid Biopsy research grants, Immunotherapy grants, GBM (Glioblastoma Multiforme) research grants, and Non-Invasive Monitoring research grants. BTFC does not maintain a central office or staff; member organizations utilize their existing resources to fulfill the collaborative's goals. The organization connects researchers with funding opportunities through its website and coordinates multi-institutional, multidisciplinary team-based research projects in amounts typically ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000 over two-year periods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2024-2025 Liquid Biopsy Grants Funding program awarding up to $500,000 per project over two years for multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary team-based research on liquid biopsy for primary brain tumors; funded projects include Connecticut Children's Medical Center's CSF-based liquid biopsy platform and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's project on detecting childhood brain tumors in biofluids.
• 2018 Immunotherapy Grants Funding program awarding grants for immunotherapy research for primary human brain tumors; projects included active vaccination and checkpoint blockade at UCLA, brain tumor immune-microenvironment work at McGill, adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy at UPMC, and neoantigen-based immunotherapy at UCSF.
• 2013 Comprehensive Evaluation of Long-term Survivors of GBM Grant Funding program awarding $2 million over two years for a comprehensive evaluation of long-term survivors of glioblastoma (GBM); awarded to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in support of EORTC.
• 2009 Non-Invasive Monitoring Grants Funding program of 8 grants supporting new approaches for developing tools for non-invasive or minimally-invasive monitoring of pediatric and adult gliomas; funded projects spanned biomarkers, imaging, and blood-based diagnostics across leading U.S. cancer centers.
• 2005 Glial Tumors Preclinical Drug Development Grants Funding program totaling $6 million for new mechanisms for preclinical development and testing of agents for glial tumors; supported tumor stem cell drug discovery, molecularly guided clinical trials, and resistance mechanism research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Funding of $1,000,000 available for liquid biopsy research in 2024-2025 grant cycle
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of the BTFC. A private, nonprofit organization dedicated to funding brain tumor research and providing information and support for brain tumor patients and their families.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of the BTFC. A nonprofit organization focused on funding research and providing support for children with brain tumors.
• Brain Tumor Foundation of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of the BTFC. A Canadian nonprofit dedicated to funding brain tumor research and supporting those affected by brain tumors.
• National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of the BTFC. A nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of brain tumor patients through research, education, and advocacy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Stand Up To Cancer: A collaborative philanthropic funding model that pools resources from multiple donors and media partners to fund multi-institutional, team-based cancer research. Most comparable to BTFC's pooled-funder, RFP-driven, multi-institutional team grant structure, though at significantly larger scale and broader oncology scope.
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: A nonprofit funding collaborative focused on pediatric cancer research through multi-institutional partnerships. Comparable to BTFC in its pediatric focus and emphasis on consortium-style research grants.
• Mark Foundation for Cancer Research: A private foundation funding high-risk, high-reward cancer research through grants and partnerships with academic institutions. Comparable to BTFC in issuing substantial project-based research grants to leading cancer centers.
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: A disease-specific funder that issues targeted research grants and drives multi-institutional collaborations in a narrow oncology vertical. Comparable to BTFC's approach of concentrating resources on a single disease through coordinated RFP cycles.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: A cancer research funder issuing competitive grants to high-impact oncology projects, often requiring multi-institutional or translational components. Comparable to BTFC in its emphasis on team-based, outcome-oriented cancer research grants.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: A cancer research funder that issues competitive grants to early-career investigators and high-impact projects. Comparable to BTFC's grant-making function and focus on advancing oncology research through structured funding calls.
• The Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research: A brain tumor-specific nonprofit funding research and providing patient resources, directly overlapping with BTFC's mission and disease focus. Most directly comparable in disease scope, though differs in operating model.
• Melanoma Research Alliance: A disease-specific collaborative that funds multi-institutional melanoma research through coordinated grant cycles. Directly comparable to BTFC's model of focused RFPs on a single cancer type with team-based project requirements.

Broad incumbents

• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: A large, established disease-specific foundation funding extensive research and translational programs with a track record of driving approved therapies. Comparable to BTFC's disease-targeted research funding model but at much larger scale and with continuous operations.
• American Cancer Society: The largest US cancer research nonprofit, funding broad oncology research through grants, training programs, and multi-institutional initiatives. Comparable to BTFC in mission and grant-making function, but vastly larger scale and broader cancer scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/theABTA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative