Love Your Sister Foundation

What Love Your Sister Foundation does

Love Your Sister Foundation is an Australian nonprofit charity (ABN 92 770 192 934, DGR-registered) founded in 2012 by siblings Samuel Johnson OAM and Connie Johnson OAM to fund precision cancer medicine research. Since inception the charity has raised over AUD $23 million for cancer research, with 100% of individual donations passed directly to scientific research. Its research portfolio spans the Connie Johnson Breast Cancer Research Laboratory at the Garvan Institute, the Zero Childhood Cancer Program at Children's Cancer Institute, molecular screening with OMICO, liquid biopsy nanotechnology with Monash University / Australian Synchrotron ANSTO, the BEACON AI-for-childhood-oncology project with Hudson Institute, and several other academic and clinical partnerships.

The charity operates a community-led go-to-market model anchored by founder Samuel Johnson's celebrity profile. Revenue streams include one-off and regular online donations (via MyCause and GiveEasy), a merchandise marketplace (books and apparel, domestic Australia shipping only), the Sam's 1000 corporate partnership program targeting 1,000 businesses, community raffles through Play for Purpose, bequests/wills, and workplace giving. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the website, with event-driven engagement (annual Rainbow Run around Sydney Harbour, public speaking booked through Liberty Artist Management) and heavy use of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Operationally the charity runs on a 'skinny mob' structure with only two full-time employees, supplemented by volunteers, while supporting a research grant portfolio across roughly ten Australian medical research institutions. It is a single-country (Australia, Oceania) nonprofit with no overseas merchandise shipping, no subsidiaries, no PE/institutional backing, and is led day-to-day by Samuel Johnson as a full-time volunteer following his February 2018 departure from acting.

Name

Love Your Sister Foundation

Legal name

Love Your Sister Foundation

Website

https://loveyoursister.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Love Your Sister Foundation is an Australian nonprofit charity founded in 2012 by Samuel and Connie Johnson, raising over AUD $23M to fund precision cancer medicine research at Australian medical institutes via individual donations, corporate partnerships, and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Cancer Research Funding

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Cancer research funding
• Precision medicine research
• Charitable donations
• Corporate fundraising programs
• Community cancer awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrandyte

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and regular donations from individual supporters. 100% of donations passed directly to scientific research with no admin skimming.
2. Marketplace Sales: Sale of Love Your Sister merchandise including books and branded items to supporters and the public.
3. Corporate Partnerships - Sam's 1000: Campaign calling on 1000 businesses to help provide Precision Medicine for cancer patients, involving sponsorship and partnership commitments.
4. Community Raffle: Play for Purpose community raffle providing entertainment with chance to win prizes, run in partnership with PlayforPurpose.com.au.
5. Bequests and Wills: Gifts in wills and bequests from supporters leaving legacies to the charity.
6. Workplace Giving: Corporate workplace giving programs allowing employees to donate through payroll.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Love Your Sister Foundation raises funds for precision medicine cancer research through individual donations, corporate partnerships, merchandise sales, community raffles, and legacy giving. The charity passes 100% of individual donations directly to scientific research with no administrative skimming, supporting Australian medical research institutions working on precision cancer treatments.

Product overview

Love Your Sister Foundation is a charitable organization that operates a fundraising portfolio consisting of donation programs (one-time and regular giving), an e-commerce marketplace selling merchandise including books and apparel, corporate partnership initiatives (Sam's 1000), community raffles, and legacy giving options. The organization passes 100% of individual donations to precision cancer medicine research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sam's 1000: A business partnership initiative calling on 1000 businesses to help provide Precision Medicine for cancer patients.
• The Big Heart Project

Products and services

• Donations (One-Time and Regular Giving) Donation platform accepting one-time and recurring (regular giving) donations to fund precision cancer medicine research. The organization passes 100% of individual donations directly to research. Available to individual supporters across Australia.
• Love Your Sister Market Online marketplace selling Love Your Sister merchandise including the Love Your Sister book, apparel, and specialty items to support fundraising efforts. Shipping is available within Australia only.
• Sam's 1000 A signature corporate fundraising initiative calling on 1000 Australian businesses to provide Precision Medicine for cancer patients. Corporate sponsors commit to supporting the program through partnerships and sponsorship.
• Community Raffle (Play for Purpose) Community raffle program operated in partnership with Play for Purpose, offering supporters chances to win prizes while supporting cancer research. Handles national raffle compliance and prize pool administration.
• Gifts in Wills / Bequests Planned giving program allowing supporters to include Love Your Sister in their wills and estate planning, creating a lasting legacy for cancer research funding.
• Workplace Giving Corporate workplace giving program allowing employees to donate to Love Your Sister through regular payroll deductions, supporting precision cancer medicine research funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $23M raised for medical research since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

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

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to the Connie Johnson Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, established by Love Your Sister. Performs clinically focused laboratory research aiming to better understand heterogeneity in breast cancer and identify novel treatment approaches.
• OMICO (Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the MoST (CaSP) Rural and Regional Expansion program, using molecular screening techniques to build genomic profiles of cancers from patients with limited treatment options.
• Children's Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Zero Childhood Cancer Program and research utilizing latest technologies to understand the dynamic between genotype and phenotype, developing minimally invasive tests to monitor disease progression in children and young adults.
• Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for patient-centred diagnostics guiding selection of therapies for metastatic breast cancer, demonstrating the value of analysing patient samples to identify effective therapies.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for 'The Hidden Strength In Exercise' project exploring the connection between exercise and breast cancer cell growth.
• The Royal Women's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for research improving therapies for women affected by mucinous ovarian cancer, a rare subtype resistant to traditional chemotherapy.
• Macquarie UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for integrating Macquarie University Cancer Bank into clinical care, using biobank data to inform patient care.
• Monash University / Monash Health / Australian Synchrotron ANSTOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for cutting-edge liquid biopsy nanotechnology for early cancer detection, using graphene-oxide-based 'nanochip' technology to detect circulating tumour DNA.
• Hudson Institute of Medical ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Building big-data empowered AI for childhood oncology (BEACON) project.
• Australasian Metastasis Research Society (OzMRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for creation of a national consumer advocacy program for metastatic cancer, connecting patient advocates with stakeholders interested in metastatic cancer research.
• AvanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• McNabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• WatermanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• TelstraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• Bendigo BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• Rex AirlinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• Wild SecretsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• Capital ChemistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• McLardy McShaneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Love Your Sister's mission.
• Play for PurposeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatform partner running the Love Your Sister community raffle, handling government paperwork for national raffles with prize pools.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Children's Cancer Institute: Australian medical-research institute dedicated to childhood cancer, currently a research partner of LYS on the Zero Childhood Cancer Program. Comparable as a cancer-research institution and donation-receiving entity.
• Cure Cancer Australia: Australian charity focused exclusively on funding early-career cancer researchers via competitive grants. Directly comparable grantmaking model in cancer research.
• Tour de Cure: Australian cancer charity that funds cancer research, treatment, and prevention via mass-participation cycling events. Highly comparable community-event-driven fundraising model targeting the same donor demographic.
• Cancer Council Australia: Australia's peak national cancer-control nonprofit, funding cancer research, prevention, and support services. Directly comparable as the dominant Australian cancer charity competing for the same donor and bequest pool.
• Garvan Institute of Medical Research Foundation: Research-foundation arm of the Garvan Institute — the institution housing LYS's Connie Johnson Breast Cancer Research Laboratory. Comparable as a grantmaking body raising funds for Australian medical research.
• Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation: Fundraising arm of Australia's leading dedicated cancer hospital; raises philanthropic funds for cancer research, treatment, and care. Comparable as a major Australian cancer-research funder competing for high-value donors.
• National Breast Cancer Foundation: Australia's leading charity specifically funding breast-cancer research. Closely comparable given Connie Johnson's breast cancer advocacy and LYS funding of breast cancer labs at Garvan and ONJCRI.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Research UK: World's largest cancer-research charity. Comparable as a major cancer-research grantmaker and awareness brand, though operating primarily in the UK.
• Susan G. Komen: The world's largest breast-cancer charity, funding research and community support. Comparable as a major breast-cancer-specific funder operating at much greater scale than LYS.
• American Cancer Society: The largest voluntary health organization in the US, funding cancer research, patient support, and advocacy. Comparable in mission and broad cancer-research funding scope, though at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/loveyoursisterTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/loveyoursister
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/love-your-sister
• Instagraminstagram.com/loveyoursister
• TikToktiktok.com/@loveyoursisterofficial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Love Your Sister Foundation