Cancer Foundation of India

What Cancer Foundation of India does

Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) is a Kolkata-based non-profit NGO founded in February 2002 by Prof. Maqsood Siddiqi, dedicated to cancer prevention and control across India through a multidisciplinary platform spanning research, advocacy, training, and community service. The organization delivers free cervical, breast, and oral cancer screening at its CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre (established 2016) and via mobile clinics operating across West Bengal, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, and other states, using WHO-aligned protocols including Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), Visual Inspection with Lugol's Iodine (VILI), Pap smear, colposcopy, biopsy, and cryotherapy/LEEP treatment of pre-cancers. Its research portfolio includes landmark studies such as the 1,000-girl HPV vaccination efficacy study in Sikkim and Mizoram (2009-2025), the Lancet-published 2016 HPV immunogenicity research, multi-wave tobacco control policy evaluations (in partnership with University of Waterloo, University of Michigan, and UCLA), and behavior change communication projects under India's NPCDCS program.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. CFI operates with approximately 11 regular and project staff supplemented by volunteers, generating resources from three streams: individual and corporate donations (including CSR funding via Tata Steel Kolkata 25K Run and Tata Mumbai Marathon), government research grants (ICMR, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science & Technology), and international grants (WHO, IARC, American Cancer Society, Bloomberg Philanthropies, University of Waterloo, Indian National Science Academy). All screening services to end beneficiaries are provided free of charge. The organization has trained 20,000 physician members of FOGSI and IAP on HPV vaccination (2019-2025) and operates awareness channels including FM radio broadcasts, Pink Ribbon campaigns, photography contests, corporate education lectures, and biennial Foundation Lectures featuring Nobel Laureates. CFI holds no patents, subsidiaries, or equity instruments, and is registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act with FCRA accreditation.

Name

Cancer Foundation of India

Legal name

Cancer Foundation of India

Website

https://cficancer.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cancer Foundation of India is a Kolkata-based non-profit NGO founded in 2002 that provides free cancer screening, HPV vaccination research, physician training, and tobacco control advocacy across eastern and northeastern India, funded by government grants, international organizations, and CSR donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Cancer Prevention Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGACAA

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAIAJAI

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Public Health Administration & Regulation

SECONDARYHLAJALAJ

Chronic Disease & Health Promotion Program Funding

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJALAH

Infectious Disease & Immunization Program Funding

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJANAG

Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

Keywords

• Cancer prevention services
• Cancer screening programs
• HPV vaccination advocacy
• Tobacco control research
• Public health NGO

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: CFI relies on donations from individuals and organizations. The organization runs community programs for public awareness of cervical cancer, HPV vaccination, breast cancer, oral cancer, and tobacco control, supported by charitable contributions.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Funding: CFI welcomes corporates to engage in CSR initiatives for cancer prevention. Services are supported by generous donations from Corporate & Individual donors. The CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre was initiated by funds raised at Tata Steel Kolkata 25K Run & Tata Mumbai Marathon.
3. Research Grants: CFI receives funding from government and international organizations for research projects including ICMR, Department of Biotechnology, WHO, IARC, American Cancer Society, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cancer Foundation of India operates free cancer screening, prevention, and early-detection services for cervical, breast, and oral cancers through its specialized CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre and mobile screening camps. The organization also conducts cancer epidemiology research, trains medical professionals through partnerships with FOGSI and IAP, runs HPV vaccination studies, executes tobacco control policy advocacy, and provides public cancer-awareness education. Services are funded primarily by donations, CSR contributions, and government and international research grants.

Product overview

Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) operates as a Kolkata-based non-profit NGO offering a portfolio of cancer prevention services, research programs, and educational initiatives rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre providing free screening for cervical, breast, and oral cancers; extensive cervical, breast, and tobacco control research programs spanning 2003-present; physician training initiatives through partnerships with FOGSI and IAP; HPV vaccination studies and promotion campaigns; community screening camps; and educational materials including books, manuals, workshops, symposiums, and corporate lectures. The organization also conducts policy advocacy for tobacco control and maintains resource materials on cancer prevention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre A specialized community clinic in Kolkata providing free screening services for cervical, breast, and oral cancers using WHO-aligned protocols including VIA, Pap smear, colposcopy, and biopsy with referral for cryotherapy and LEEP treatment, targeted at underserved populations.
• Cervical Cancer Screening Programme Field-based cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and Lugol's Iodine (VILI), with colposcopy, biopsy, cryotherapy, and referral services for detected cases among women in underserved communities.
• Breast Cancer Screening Programme Breast cancer awareness promotion and breast self-examination education program targeting middle-aged Indian women in urban and rural communities.
• Empowering Indian Medical Societies on HPV Vaccination A nationwide training initiative partnering with FOGSI and IAP to train 20,000 physician members on HPV vaccination through standardized research-based modules to promote cervical cancer prevention.
• Engaging Medical Societies for HPV Vaccination Training initiative engaging medical societies to increase HPV vaccination uptake across India through physician education.
• HPV Vaccination Dosage Follow-up Study Extended follow-up study of 1,000 adolescent girls vaccinated with quadrivalent HPV vaccine in Sikkim and Mizoram to evaluate effectiveness of one, two, and three doses against cervical neoplasia.
• Strengthening Cancer Screening in Northeast India A research project developing behavior change communication strategies to strengthen cancer screening for cervical, breast, and oral cancers in Mizoram and Meghalaya under the NPCDCS program.
• Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project - Wave III Multi-centric cohort study evaluating tobacco control policy implementation and usage in partnership with University of Waterloo, Canada, covering 2,600 individuals in Mumbai, Patna, Indore, and Kolkata.
• Smoke-Free Howrah Initiative Civil society action model project implementing and sustaining smoke-free rules in Howrah district through grassroots advocacy and capacity building.
• PAT-APPLE Tobacco Policy Advocacy Partnership against tobacco initiative supporting implementation of Tobacco Control Laws (COTPA 2003) through civil society mobilization and grassroots advocacy in West Bengal.
• Tobacco Control Law Training for Police Workshop training Kolkata Police officers on provisions of COTPA 2003 and enforcement procedures including distribution of challan and receipt books.
• Corporate Education Lectures Public education lectures for corporate sector employees on cancer prevention topics including preventing cancer, breast cancer, tobacco control, and early detection.
• Cervical Cancer Screening Camps Mobile screening camps providing cervical cancer screening services to underserved communities across rural and urban slum populations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9,000 underprivileged women screened for cancer through mobile clinics and screening centres
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO pre-field tested the Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Control Guide with CFI as country coordinating agency. WHO protocols are followed at CFI Cancer Screening & Prevention Centre aligned with Govt. of India norms.
• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIARC supported the cryotherapy efficacy study (2004-2006) investigating Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid and Lugol's Iodine in Diamond Harbour District. Currently funding HPV vaccination dosage follow-up study.
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICMR co-funded cervical cancer screening workshops and provided support for community-based health assessment programs in northeastern India.
• FOGSI (Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst time in 2023, FOGSI and IAP brought together by CFI to validate research results by engaging their members. 25% of members (20,000 physicians) being trained nationally using research-based structured training modules.
• Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFI brought together IAP with FOGSI for the first time in 2023 to work collectively on cervical cancer prevention and train members on HPV vaccination recommendations.
• Chittaranjan National Cancer InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNCI collaborated as partner in curcumin DNA protection study for arsenic-exposed population in Nadia district, West Bengal (2005-2008).
• Voluntary Health Association of IndiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVHAI New Delhi supported PAT-APPLE project (2009-2010) for tobacco control policy advocacy in West Bengal.
• Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealis supported Tobacco Control Project Wave I (2010-2011) and longitudinal adolescent tobacco use study (2017-2021) conducted in Kolkata.
• University of Waterloo, CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Waterloo partnered with CFI for Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project Wave III (2018-2019) conducted simultaneously in Mumbai, Patna, Indore and Kolkata.
• University of Michigan and UCLA Schools of Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership project with researchers from University of Michigan and University of Los Angeles Schools of Public Health for longitudinal study of adolescent tobacco use (2017-2021) in Mumbai and Kolkata.
• Serum Institute of IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as collaborator in CFI's network, supporting HPV vaccination initiatives and cervical cancer prevention efforts.
• HealthBridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as collaborator supporting CFI's health initiatives and cancer prevention programs.
• Government of MeghalayamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Meghalaya co-coordinated breast and cervical cancer screening workshop in Shillong (2009) and supported network programme on cancer in women.
• Government of MizorammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Hospital & Medical Education, Govt. of Mizoram co-coordinated cervical cancer screening training workshop in Aizawl (2007) and supported HPV vaccine research.
• Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, ImphalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIMS Imphal listed as collaborator in CFI's cancer prevention network for northeastern India.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Union for International Cancer Control (UICC): Geneva-based global membership organization coordinating cancer control worldwide — awarded CFI in 2008. Comparable as a global cancer-control convening body, though CFI is a member/awardee rather than direct competition.
• American Cancer Society: Large US-based cancer nonprofit funding research, screening and policy advocacy globally — a documented CFI financial partner on BSE and HPV vaccination projects. Comparable on mission and grant-making posture, but operating at vastly larger scale.
• Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI): Larger, established public health research and training institution working on NCDs, cancer screening and health systems in India. Comparable as a peer institution tackling cancer prevention research and training but at much greater scale and with a broader mandate.
• Tata Memorial Centre: India's premier government cancer hospital and research centre, conducting cancer treatment, training and prevention research. Comparable on cancer prevention focus in India but at much larger institutional scale and with a clinical-treatment primary mandate.
• Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI): Government cancer treatment and research institute in Kolkata — a documented CFI research collaborator (curcumin-DNA study). Comparable as a regional cancer institution doing cancer prevention research but focused primarily on clinical treatment rather than community screening.

Direct peers

• Indian Cancer Society: India's oldest nationwide cancer-focused nonprofit, providing cancer awareness, screening, patient support and survivor rehabilitation. Directly comparable as a disease-specific NGO operating across India with similar awareness, screening and advocacy mandates.
• V Care Foundation: Mumbai-based cancer nonprofit delivering awareness, screening support and patient aid. Closely aligned to CFI in scale, disease focus and free service delivery model; one of its own members (Sutapa Biswas) was recognized by V Care, indicating operational overlap.
• CanSupport: Delhi-based nonprofit providing cancer awareness, screening, palliative care and patient support across North India. Comparable as a similarly sized Indian cancer NGO running community screening and awareness programs in a different geography.
• Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI): National umbrella of health NGOs operating across India on NCD prevention, tobacco control and health promotion — a documented CFI partner on the PAT-APPLE tobacco advocacy project. Comparable as a similarly structured grant-supported health NGO with multi-state reach.
• Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health: Mumbai-based public health research NGO focused on tobacco control and NCD research — a documented CFI partner on tobacco projects. Comparable as a research-driven Indian NGO in cancer-adjacent disease areas with similar grant-funded operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancer-foundation-of-india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cancer Foundation of India