Fighting Chance

What Fighting Chance does

Fighting Chance is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Duncan Darrow after his mother's death from lung cancer, operating as what it describes as America's oldest and largest free regional cancer counseling center. The organization serves cancer patients, survivors, families, and caregivers across the Eastern End of Long Island, covering approximately 600 square miles including the North and South Forks, through two physical locations: a headquarters office at 34 Bay Street in Sag Harbor and a satellite office inside the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Phillips Family Cancer Center opened in Spring 2019.

The core service portfolio includes free oncology counseling delivered by licensed oncology social workers in individual, family, caregiver, and support-group formats via in-person, phone, Zoom, or hybrid sessions; free patient navigation ("Cutting Red Tape") to help patients traverse healthcare bureaucracy; free transportation via Hampton Jitney tickets for NYC cancer treatment and Hometown Taxi rides for East End doctor appointments; and educational resources including the 25-page Tips & Strategies guide co-developed with the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Simplified Podcast hosted by the founder. All services are provided at no cost to patients.

The business model is donation-based rather than commercial: revenue is sourced from individual donations (online, check, Donor Advised Funds), planned giving (bequests, charitable remainder trusts, IRA QCDs), and event fundraising including the annual Summer Gala, Courage & Cancer Film Festival, and Boaters Against Cancer charity cruise. FY2023 audited financials report Total Revenue of $645,904 against Total Expenses of $637,624, an ~$8K operating surplus. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on referrals from oncologists at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, local press coverage, social media, the podcast, and recurring community events, with a small staff of oncology social workers and the founder serving as Cancer Patient Advocate.

Name

Fighting Chance

Legal name

Fighting Chance

Website

https://fightingchance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fighting Chance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that provides free cancer counseling, patient navigation, transportation, and educational resources to cancer patients and families on the Eastern End of Long Island. It operates offices in Sag Harbor and within Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Counseling and Patient Support Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital-Integrated Cancer Centers (Acute Oncology Programs) (HLAFAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Cancer counseling services
• Oncology social work
• Patient navigation services
• Nonprofit healthcare support
• Cancer resource center

Headquarters

HQ city

Sag Harbor, NY

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the free cancer counseling services. Donors can give online, by check, or through Donor Advised Funds (DAF).
2. Planned Giving: Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, and beneficiary designations from retirement accounts and life insurance policies.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue from special events including annual galas, film festivals, and charity cruises such as Boaters Against Cancer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fighting Chance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free oncology counseling, patient navigation, and transportation assistance to cancer patients and their families on the Eastern End of Long Island. Services are provided at no cost by licensed oncology social workers at offices in Sag Harbor and at the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Phillips Family Cancer Center, complemented by subsidized Hampton Jitney and Hometown Taxi rides for treatment access.

Product overview

Fighting Chance operates as America’s oldest and largest free regional cancer counseling center, serving the Eastern End of Long Island (approximately 600 square miles). The organization provides a portfolio of free services centered around cancer patient support: free emotional counseling delivered by oncology social workers in multiple formats (individual, family, caregiver, and support groups), free transportation via Hampton Jitney to NYC cancer centers and local taxi services, educational resources including the Cancer Simplified Podcast and Tips & Strategies guide, patient navigation services to cut through healthcare bureaucracy, and a media library of patient stories. Services are delivered through two offices: the main Sag Harbor office and a satellite office at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Phillips Family Cancer Center (opened 2019). All services are provided free of charge to cancer patients and their families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cancer Simplified Podcast: A podcast hosted by Founder & Chairman Duncan Darrow that simplifies cancer-related topics for patients and caregivers.

Products and services

• Free Cancer Counseling Free emotional support counseling provided by oncology social workers for cancer patients and their families on the Eastern End of Long Island. Sessions are offered in multiple formats—individual, family, caregiver-inclusive, and small monthly support groups (typically 5–7 members)—delivered in-person at Sag Harbor or Southampton offices, by phone, via Zoom, or in hybrid formats, with sessions typically lasting 45 minutes in private settings.
• Free Transportation Services Subsidized transportation program providing free Hampton Jitney tickets to cancer patients from the North and South Forks traveling to NYC cancer centers (with Hampton Jitney matching donations at 30 cents on the dollar) and free local taxi rides via Hometown Taxi for East End doctor appointments. Approximately 500 free rides are provided each year.
• Patient Navigation Services (Cutting Red Tape) Navigation services that help cancer patients cut through healthcare bureaucracy, paperwork, insurance processes, and bottlenecks in the East End healthcare system, supplemented by Duncan Darrow's Cancer Patient Advocate role when contentious patient-provider relationships arise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 counseling sessions provided to cancer patients, family members, and caregivers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Stony Brook Southampton Hospital - Phillips Family Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Fighting Chance opened a satellite office within the Phillips Family Cancer Center in Spring 2019. This partnership provides cancer patients with therapeutic counseling integrated into the medical treatment facility, with day-to-day contact with oncologists and nurses.
• Hometown TaxicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Jointly subsidized program providing free taxi transportation from cancer patients' homes to East End doctor appointments. Hometown Taxi provides cabs with plexiglass shields separating drivers from passengers and intensive sanitizing procedures.
• Hampton JitneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Joint subsidy program providing free Jitney tickets to cancer patients from the North and South Forks who need specialized treatment in NYC. Hampton Jitney matches donations and provides tickets at 30 cents on the dollar, with the program now in its 10th year.
• Yoga ShantisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellness partner offering yoga services to support cancer patients' physical and mental well-being during treatment.
• Wolffer Estate VineyardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal winery that supports Fighting Chance through event hosting and fundraising.
• CTree Therapeutic Horse FarmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free equine therapy sessions for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers at the Sagaponack farm location.
• Cormaria Retreat House / Sister Ann MarinosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetreat house providing spiritual support and prayer guidance for cancer patients seeking spiritual and emotional healing.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Livestrong Foundation: Cancer support nonprofit providing navigation, counseling, and survivor resources. Direct peer in providing free psychosocial support, patient navigation, and educational resources to cancer patients and survivors.
• Cancer Support Community: Global nonprofit providing free cancer support services including professional counseling, support groups, and patient navigation. Directly comparable to Fighting Chance in delivering free psychosocial support to cancer patients across multiple delivery formats.
• CancerCare: Provides free professional counseling, support groups, education, and financial assistance to anyone affected by cancer. The most directly comparable organization to Fighting Chance as a free cancer counseling and patient-support nonprofit serving patients and families.

Emerging players

• Susan G. Komen: Breast cancer-focused support and research organization. Comparable in providing cancer patient support services but with disease-specific focus and a much larger national fundraising apparatus.
• Stupid Cancer: Young adult cancer support organization providing advocacy, peer support, and resources. Comparable in providing emotional support and navigation for cancer patients, though with a narrower demographic focus.
• Triage Cancer: Provides cancer-related legal and financial navigation services to patients and caregivers. Comparable to Fighting Chance's patient navigation focus but with a more specialized legal/financial angle rather than emotional counseling.
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Disease-specific cancer support organization providing patient services, research funding, and advocacy. Comparable in patient support services but focused on blood cancers rather than serving all cancer types like Fighting Chance.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Largest national cancer nonprofit providing patient services, research funding, and advocacy. Operates at vastly greater scale than Fighting Chance but shares the patient support mission and competes for the same Hamptons donor pool.
• National Cancer Institute: Federal agency providing cancer research, education, and patient information. A much broader institution with overlapping patient-education mission, operating at national scale as a primary source of cancer information Fighting Chance directs patients to.

Others

• Jack's Caregiver Coalition: Caregiver-focused cancer support organization providing emotional and practical support. Comparable in providing free cancer-related support services but with a caregiver-specific focus rather than direct patient counseling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/fightingchance
• Facebookfacebook.com/fightingchance.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fighting-chance
• Instagraminstagram.com/fightingchancecancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Fighting Chance