STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity

What STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity does

SCHEQ (STEMM & Cancer Health Equity) Foundation is a New York City-based, Black-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2020 by Dr. Eugene Manley Jr., a first-generation scholar from inner-city Detroit. The organization operates a dual-mission model: increasing representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical (STEMM) fields, and improving outcomes for underserved patients across the cancer care continuum. SCHEQ serves four primary audiences — patients, caregivers, and survivors from underserved communities; researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals; students and trainees from underrepresented backgrounds; and pharmaceutical/biotech industry partners — through mentorship, education, consulting, and convening programs.

The organization's core products span six service categories: mentorship programs (high school through postdoctoral), health equity strategy and assessment, STEMM program consulting, clinical trial diversity strategy, scientific services (writing, editing, career coaching), and speaking engagements. Its educational technology surface includes a library of cancer infographics, a medical terminology dictionary, dual-access Comprehensive Cancer Portals segmented for patients/caregivers/survivors and for clinicians/researchers, and a Health Equity Ratings system that evaluates other nonprofits by cancer type and population served. Its flagship convening platform is the annual Lung Cancer Interventions Summit, which scaled from 42 attendees at its first edition to 117 attendees representing 21 states and 53 organizations at the second, with participation in the National Lung Cancer Roundtable (NLCRT) extending reach into a 220+ organization coalition. The organization publishes peer-reviewed research, including work on racial and ethnic diversity gaps in lung cancer cell lines.

SCHEQ's revenue model is hybrid and nonprofit-typical: charitable donations and grants (the organization publicly called for $1 million in 2025), corporate sponsorships concentrated through pharma summit funders, fiscal sponsorship via Goodnation (EIN 81-4768488) that enables tax-deductible contributions, and fee-based industry consulting for STEMM program development, clinical trial diversity strategy, and scientific writing. Patient-, student-, and caregiver-facing resources are provided free of charge, while industry partners access consulting and summit sponsorships on a paid basis. Distribution is multi-channel, combining social media, earned media, webinars, podcasts, and in-person events.

Name

STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity

Legal name

SCHEQ Foundation

Website

https://scheq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SCHEQ (STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity) is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers STEMM workforce mentorship, cancer patient education resources, and health equity consulting to underserved patients, students, researchers, and pharmaceutical industry partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Equity Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Health Systems Strengthening & Primary Care Development (HLAJAKAJ)

Keywords

• Health equity consulting
• STEMM workforce diversity
• Clinical trial diversity
• Cancer patient education
• Nonprofit mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: SCHEQ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable donations, grants, and sponsorships. The organization issued a call for $1 million in funding to expand operations, hire staff, enhance patient resources, and improve outreach capabilities.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Pharmaceutical and biotech companies sponsor the annual Lung Cancer Interventions Summit. Sponsors include Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Genentech, BMS, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, and Daiichi Sankyo.
3. Fiscal Sponsorship: SCHEQ is fiscally sponsored by Goodnation (EIN 81-4768488), a registered 501(c)(3), enabling donors to make tax-deductible contributions.
4. Industry Consulting Services: Provides STEMM program development, health equity assessment, mentorship program development, clinical trial diversity strategy, scientific writing, and speaking engagements to industry partners for fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCHEQ (STEMM & Cancer Health Equity) Foundation is a New York-based, Black-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers mentorship programs for underrepresented STEMM scholars and consulting services to industry partners on health equity, clinical trial diversity, and STEMM program development. It also produces free cancer education resources (infographics, cancer portals, medical dictionary, health equity ratings) for patients and professionals and convenes the annual Lung Cancer Interventions Summit.

Product overview

SCHEQ (STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity) Foundation is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs and services focused on STEMM workforce diversity and cancer health equity. The organization provides mentorship programs for scholars from high school through postdoctoral training, health equity consulting services for organizations, clinical trial diversity strategy support, scientific services (writing, editing, career coaching), and speaking engagements. Educational resources include cancer infographics, a medical dictionary, and comprehensive cancer portals with dual access points for patients and professionals. SCHEQ also hosts the annual Lung Cancer Interventions Summit and develops a Health Equity Ratings System for nonprofit organizations. All services aim to increase representation and improve outcomes for underrepresented, underserved, and marginalized populations in STEMM fields and cancer care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Lung Cancer Summit grew from 42 to 117 attendees in one year, representing 21 states and 53 organizations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jazz PharmaceuticalsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2025Exhibitor at the 3rd Annual Lung Cancer Interventions Summit
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2024Host venue for 2nd Lung Cancer Health Equity Summit at PCOM Georgia campus in Suwanee, GA
• LUNGevity FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in lung cancer advocacy; Dr. Manley previously served as Director of STEM Workforce Initiatives at LUNGevity before founding SCHEQ
• GO2 FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLung cancer advocacy organization; Gloria Arroyo de Leon volunteers with GO2 Foundation supporting federal funding advocacy
• National Lung Cancer Roundtable (NLCRT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCHEQ participates in NLCRT's Stigma & Nihilism Task Group and Health Equity Task Group; NLCRT is a coalition of 220+ organizations working toward lung cancer survivorship
• American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization at 2nd Lung Cancer Health Equity Summit addressing cancer disparities in American Indian communities
• Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner at summit providing patient advocacy and navigation resources
• Stony Brook University Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through Dr. Jennie Williams, Treasurer of SCHEQ's Board, who serves as Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through Dr. Chukwuemeka Ikpeazu, Co-Secretary of SCHEQ's Board, who serves as Associate Professor

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Black Health Matters: Emerging player addressing health disparities and wellness in Black communities through education, events, and content. Comparable in mission focus on underserved populations but broader in scope beyond cancer.
• Center for Black Health & Equity: Emerging player addressing health inequities in Black communities through policy advocacy and community programming. Comparable in mission focus on health disparities affecting underserved populations.
• National Minority Quality Forum: Emerging player focused on reducing racial and ethnic health disparities through research, advocacy, and community partnerships. Comparable in health equity mission and clinical trial diversity engagement with industry stakeholders.
• Tigerlily Foundation: Emerging player focused on breast cancer health equity for Black women, with comparable emphasis on clinical trial diversity, patient education, and community-driven programming. Targets an overlapping underserved demographic with similar advocacy and mentorship models.

Broad incumbents

• American Lung Association: Broader incumbent in lung health with a national infrastructure spanning research, advocacy, and patient education. Comparable in lung cancer focus and educational mission, though substantially larger and serving a broader respiratory health mandate.
• American Cancer Society: Broad incumbent across all cancer types with national research funding, patient support, and health equity initiatives. Comparable in mission scope across cancer disparities but operates at a dramatically larger scale and budget than SCHEQ.

Direct peers

• Patient Advocate Foundation: Direct peer in patient navigation, financial assistance, and case management services for cancer patients. SCHEQ partners with PAF at summits and shares a target population of underserved patients needing access and advocacy support.
• LUNGevity Foundation: Direct peer in lung cancer patient advocacy, research funding, and health equity programming. SCHEQ's founder previously led STEM Workforce Initiatives at LUNGevity, and SCHEQ continues to partner with the organization on summit programming.
• GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer: Direct peer focused on lung cancer screening, biomarker testing awareness, and patient advocacy. SCHEQ board member Gloria Arroyo de Leon volunteers with GO2, and the organizations collaborate on lung cancer disparity initiatives.

Others

• National Lung Cancer Roundtable (NLCRT): Coalition of 220+ organizations convened by the American Cancer Society to advance lung cancer survivorship. SCHEQ is an active participant through its Health Equity and Stigma & Nihilism Task Groups, making NLCRT an enabling ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/STEMMCHEQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stemmcheq
• Instagraminstagram.com/stemmcheq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 STEMM Cancer Healthcare Equity