What SWIFTY FOUNDATION does

The Swifty Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit (EIN 46-1853577) founded in 2014 in the Chicago metropolitan area by Al and Patti Gustafson after the death of their 15-year-old son Michael from medulloblastoma. The foundation's mission is to raise funds and awareness for pediatric brain cancer research through three program areas: post-mortem tissue donation via the Gift from a Child (GFAC) program, research collaboration with leading pediatric oncology consortia, and recurrent medulloblastoma research. Since 2018, Swifty has invested nearly $6.8 million in GFAC and the Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), building the only national post-mortem pediatric brain tumor donation infrastructure, anchored by seven Centers of Excellence that act as regional autopsy and tissue-processing sites.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable donations from individuals, community fundraising events, peer-to-peer campaigns, and direct contributions; as of Q4 2024, all donations are processed through the Michael's Master Plan Fund at the CHOP Foundation, with 100% of contributions directed to research and administrative costs absorbed by the Gustafson family. The foundation's core "products" are GFAC (now a program of CBTN at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), the Michael's Master Plan Fund at CHOP Foundation, and the annual Recurrent Medulloblastoma Research Grant program, which has funded researchers at institutions including Texas Children's Hospital, St. Jude, UCSF, Dana-Farber, SickKids (Canada), and Johns Hopkins. Co-funding partnerships with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation are a recurring funding mechanism for several grants. The organization is family-governed (Board Chair Allen Gustafson, Executive Director Patti Gustafson, plus twin sister Bridget and brother Ian on the board), with external members from bioethics and pediatric oncology, and operates with 1-10 staff focused on programmatic execution rather than technology product development.

Name

SWIFTY FOUNDATION

Legal name

The Swifty Foundation

Website

https://swiftyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swifty Foundation is a family-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds pediatric brain cancer research, operates the only national post-mortem pediatric brain tumor donation program (Gift from a Child) through seven Centers of Excellence and the Children's Brain Tumor Network, and channels donations via the CHOP Foundation's Michael's Master Plan Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Pediatric Cancer Research Funding

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Pediatric cancer research
• Tissue donation programs
• Medulloblastoma research funding
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Brain tumor research

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Swifty Foundation generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals and organizations. The foundation conducts community fundraising events, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and accepts direct donations. 100 percent of donations to Michael's Master Plan Fund go directly to funding pediatric brain cancer research, with the Gustafson family covering administrative costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Swifty Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises charitable donations to fund pediatric brain cancer research, particularly recurrent medulloblastoma. It operates the Gift from a Child (GFAC) national post-mortem brain tumor tissue donation program through seven Centers of Excellence, channels donations through the Michael's Master Plan Fund at the CHOP Foundation, and awards annual research grants to clinicians and investigators studying pediatric brain tumors.

Product overview

The Swifty Foundation operates as a non-profit organization funding pediatric brain cancer research. Its core offerings include Gift from a Child (GFAC), a national post-mortem tissue donation program that coordinates collection through seven Centers of Excellence and stores specimens at the Children's Brain Tumor Network; Michael's Master Plan Fund, which channels donations directly to research at CHOP Foundation; and the Recurrent Medulloblastoma Research Program, which provides annual grants specifically targeting medulloblastoma research. These programs work together to remove barriers to research by providing tissue specimens and funding to researchers working to find better treatments and preventions for pediatric brain cancer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gift from a Child (GFAC) A national post-mortem brain tumor donation program that coordinates tissue collection through seven Centers of Excellence across the country and stores donations at the Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) for access by researchers worldwide. Designed for families who have lost a child to brain cancer and for the researchers who need tissue samples.
• Michael's Master Plan Fund A designated research fund at the CHOP Foundation that receives charitable donations to fund pediatric brain cancer research, with 100% of donations going directly to research with no administrative costs charged to the fund.
• Recurrent Medulloblastoma Research Program Annual research grant awards focused on improving outcomes for children with recurrent medulloblastoma, which has a 5% survival rate upon recurrence. Grants have been awarded to institutions including Texas Children's Hospital, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children (Canada), UCSF, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and others.

Quantifiable outcome

• Built infrastructure for national post-mortem tissue donation through 7 Centers of Excellence
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Gift from a Child (GFAC) became a program of CBTN in 2024. CBTN is the world's largest pediatric brain tumor biorepository and database, housed at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. CBTN provides free and open access to post-mortem tissue and data to the worldwide research community. GFAC funding is administered through CBTN's coordinating center.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partner for multiple medulloblastoma research grants. Several Swifty Foundation research grants have been co-funded with ALSF, including grants to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, UCSF, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael's Master Plan Fund is administered through the CHOP Foundation. The CHOP Foundation cannot use any Swifty/GFAC donor information. 100% of donations are used to fund Swifty's work with Al and Patti Gustafson's oversight.
• Seven Centers of Excellence (Gift from a Child Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional autopsy sites for the coordination, processing and storage of autopsied materials as well as generating preclinical models of the disease. These centers form the infrastructure for the national post-mortem tissue donation program.
• Texas Children's Hospital / Dr. Michael TaylorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2023 Grant of $300,000 for Building a Roadmap to Find Early Group 3 Medulloblastoma. Dr. Taylor received Michael Gustafson's post-mortem tissue and is working on medulloblastoma prevention research.
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 grant of $100,000 for Small molecule degraders for targeting transcription factor drivers of medulloblastoma and acute leukemias, co-funded with ALSF.
• Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner for Project Open DIPG, working with CBTTC on tissue sample collection, genomic sequencing and data analysis on the CAVATICA platform combined with clinical trial efforts.
• The Hospital for Sick Children (Canada)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner2019 grant of $495,000/3 years for Post-therapy metastasis research. 2015 grants totaling $170,000 for metastatic medulloblastoma research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: One of the largest nonprofits focused specifically on pediatric brain tumors, funding research and family support. Directly comparable to Swifty's brain-tumor-specific focus and grant-funded research program.
• St. Baldrick's Foundation: The largest volunteer-powered charity funding pediatric cancer research grants. Operates the same childhood-cancer research grantmaking model as Swifty at materially larger scale.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Major pediatric cancer research grantmaker and Swifty's most active co-funding partner. ALSF shares the same donor-funded childhood cancer research grant model and collaborates with Swifty on medulloblastoma grants at St. Jude, UCSF, and Dana-Farber.
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: National nonprofit that funds pediatric cancer research through collaborative research initiatives. Comparable mission and grantmaking model to Swifty.
• Children's Tumor Foundation: Funds research into neurofibromatosis and related pediatric nervous system tumors. Closely comparable in pediatric brain/nervous-system tumor research focus and donor-funded grant model.
• CureSearch for Children's Cancer: National nonprofit funding pediatric cancer research and supporting patients/families. Closely comparable in mission, donor-funded research grant model, and pediatric cancer focus.
• Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research: Volunteer-driven nonprofit that funds childhood cancer research through grants to researchers. Operates the same peer-to-peer fundraising and research grantmaking model as Swifty.

Broad incumbents

• The V Foundation for Cancer Research: Large cancer research grantmaker founded in memory of Jim Valvano that funds adult and pediatric cancer research. Comparable research grantmaking model but at much broader scale and with broader cancer scope.

Others

• Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2): Coalition of more than 200 childhood cancer organizations; Swifty's GFAC Program Director Ginny McLean serves as Board Chair. Ecosystem-level peer relevant to Swifty's collaborative research mission.
• Cure Kids Initiative: Collaborative childhood cancer research initiative in which Swifty Executive Director Patti Gustafson is a founding member. Adjacent collaborative effort operating in the same disease space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/swiftykick
• Facebookfacebook.com/SwiftyFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swifty-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SWIFTY FOUNDATION