Wisconsin Breast Cancer

What Wisconsin Breast Cancer does

Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse (WBCS, Inc.) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1998 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Nancé Kinney, a breast cancer survivor. Its mission is to raise and deploy philanthropic dollars in support of early-stage breast cancer and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Cancer Center. The organization does not develop or sell technology products; its core "offering" is a curated funding pipeline — solicitation, vetting via an in-house Scientific Review Committee that works in coordination with MCW's Graduate School peer review, and grant disbursement to MCW principal investigators. Since founding, WBCS has cumulatively invested $7.765 million in research awards, endowed professorships in breast and prostate cancer, and the WBCS Endowed Innovative Research Fund; researchers it has backed have leveraged those awards into $149.9 million in additional external (largely federal) funding, yielding a stated $157.665 million total research impact at MCWCC.

WBCS generates revenue through three streams: individual tax-deductible donations, corporate sponsorships (formalized as tiered event sponsorships of $500 to $7,000), and event-driven fundraising. Its recurring event portfolio includes the Pink Energy Run/Walk held at German Fest, the Pinktacular Luncheon & Survivors Fashion Show, and community partner tournaments such as the Lucky Lanes Bowling for a Cure (2014–2019). Distribution is regional (Midwest U.S.), accepted through the WBCS website (DonorPerfect platform), phone, mail, and on-site event registration via RunSignUp. The organization has zero paid employees, is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors (2025–2026 Chair: Ellen Irion), and is currently in the closing phase of a $1 million Prostate Cancer Research Professorship endowment campaign with $75,000 remaining.

The organization serves two tightly coupled customer groups: (1) donors — individual supporters and corporate sponsors in the greater Milwaukee region who fund cancer research for reputational, mission-driven, or community reasons — and (2) beneficiaries — MCW-based researchers (including named investigators Yunguang Sun, Carol L. Williams, and Marja Nevalainen) seeking seed capital for early-stage breast and prostate cancer studies that may not yet qualify for federal funding. WBCS's competitive position rests on a 27-year community track record, its embedded operational partnership with MCW, and a near-100% pass-through cost structure that maximizes the share of each donated dollar reaching research.

Name

Wisconsin Breast Cancer

Legal name

WBCS, Inc.

Website

https://breastcancershowhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse is an all-volunteer Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) that funds early-stage breast and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and annual fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Research Fundraising

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Cancer research fundraising
• Breast cancer research grants
• Prostate cancer research grants
• Charitable event fundraising
• Nonprofit research funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting breast cancer and prostate cancer research.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate support through event sponsorships at various tiers ($500-$7,000) and major gifts.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue from community events including runs, luncheons, fashion shows, and bowling tournaments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WBCS raises charitable donations from individuals and corporations through annual fundraising events (Pink Energy Run/Walk, Pinktacular Luncheon & Survivors Fashion Show, and community bowling tournaments) and grants those funds to early-stage breast cancer and prostate cancer researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center. It operates a Scientific Review Committee that selects and oversees funded research proposals and maintains endowed research professorships in breast and prostate cancer.

Product overview

Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse (WBCS) is a grassroots, all-volunteer 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1998 that does not offer technology products or services. Its primary offering is a fundraising platform for breast cancer and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, consisting of community fundraising events (Pink Energy Run, Pinktacular Luncheon & Fashion Show), donation processing via DonorPerfect, a Scientific Review Committee for evaluating research proposals, and endowed research professorships in breast and prostate cancer research. WBCS has had a $157.665 million research impact and a cumulative investment of $7.765 million to fund research awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Breast Cancer Research Grants
• Prostate Cancer Research Grants
• WBCS Prostate Cancer Research Professorship Endowment
• WBCS Research Professorships (Breast and Prostate Cancer)
• WBCS Endowed Innovative Research Fund
• Pink Energy Run/Walk at German Fest Annual fundraising run/walk held at German Fest supporting WBCS's cancer research funding; open to community participants and corporate sponsors with multiple sponsorship tiers.
• Pinktacular Luncheon & Survivors Fashion Show Annual fundraising luncheon and survivors fashion show supporting WBCS cancer research, including community engagement with breast cancer survivors.
• Lucky Lanes Bowling for a Cure Community bowling tournament fundraiser hosted by Lucky Lanes in Milwaukee from 2014-2019, raising over $50,000 for WBCS cancer research.
• Donation Program (Tax-Deductible Charitable Donations) Online and offline donation processing for individuals and corporations to make tax-deductible contributions supporting breast and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, processed via the DonorPerfect platform.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program (Pink Energy Sponsorship Tiers) Tiered corporate sponsorship packages for the Pink Energy Run/Walk ranging from $500 (Good Vibes) up to $7,000 (Pink Energy Presenting Sponsorship), offering graduated brand visibility benefits such as logo placement on race shirts, banners, Start/Finish Arch, website and social media features, print ads, and complimentary race entries.
• WBCS Scientific Review Committee Committee of board members chaired by Ellen Irion that annually evaluates and selects Medical College of Wisconsin research proposals for WBCS funding, with proposals first ranked by MCW's peer scientist review committee chaired by Ravi Misra, PhD, Dean of the MCW Graduate School.

Quantifiable outcome

• $157.665M in total research impact generated from $7.765M invested in research awards
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBCS maintains an active partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center (MCWCC). The organization funds early-stage breast cancer and prostate cancer research, with its Scientific Review Committee evaluating proposals from MCW researchers to select promising studies aligned with WBCS mission.
• Lucky LanesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLucky Lanes bowling alley in Milwaukee, owned by Tom and Michele Schweiger, hosted annual Bowling for a Cure fundraiser from 2014-2019, raising over $50,000 for WBCS cancer research.
• Medical College of Wisconsin Graduate SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRavi Misra, PhD, Dean of MCW Graduate School, chairs the MCW peer scientist review committee that reviews and ranks all research proposals before they are presented to WBCS Scientific Review Committee.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Prevent Cancer Foundation: A national nonprofit funding cancer prevention and early-detection research and outreach. Comparable in mission area (cancer research and community health) but operates at significantly larger scale with paid staff and multi-cancer focus.
• Susan G. Komen: The most prominent breast cancer research and support charity in the U.S. Directly comparable to WBCS in mission focus (breast cancer research fundraising) but vastly larger scale with paid staff, national reach, and a multi-decade brand. A key competitor for breast cancer donor dollars in WBCS's regional market.
• American Cancer Society: The largest U.S. cancer charity, funding research across many cancer types including breast and prostate. Comparable in mission area but vastly broader in scope, with paid staff, national infrastructure, and signature fundraising events (Relay For Life) that compete directly with regional cancer fundraisers.

Direct peers

• National Breast Cancer Foundation: A national nonprofit focused specifically on funding breast cancer research and providing education/support. Highly comparable to WBCS in single-disease focus and grantmaking model, though with a broader geographic scope and centralized programs.
• V Foundation for Cancer Research: A cancer research-focused nonprofit that funds translational and early-stage research grants at academic medical centers. Strongly comparable in grantmaking model (funding early-stage cancer research) and donor narrative (capital efficiency, research ROI), though operating at national scale.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: A grassroots, childhood-cancer-focused nonprofit that funds early-stage research through events and community fundraising. Highly structurally comparable to WBCS in its volunteer/event-driven model, single-disease research focus, and emphasis on funding researchers who lack other support.
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: A single-disease voluntary health organization that funds pancreatic cancer research through community events and grants to academic researchers. Directly comparable in disease-specific grantmaking model, event-based fundraising, and research-ROI donor messaging.
• Prostate Cancer Foundation: The leading U.S. nonprofit exclusively focused on prostate cancer research funding. Directly comparable because WBCS also funds prostate cancer research (including the Marja Nevalainen lab on castrate-resistant prostate cancer); competes for prostate cancer-specific donor dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-breast-cancer-showhouse-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Wisconsin Breast Cancer