New York Cancer Foundation

What New York Cancer Foundation does

The New York Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by Dr. Jeffrey Vacirca, CEO of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS), and headquartered at 20 Ramsey Road, Shirley, New York. It provides two core grant programs to qualifying adult cancer patients undergoing treatment in New York State: Financial Assistance Grants of up to $2,500 per month covering non-medical household expenses (rent, utilities, phone, cable/internet, car payments, insurance, storage), and Transportation Assistance of up to $1,000 delivered exclusively through Uber Health for oncology appointments within a 25-mile radius. Eligibility is restricted to U.S. citizens with household income at or below 400% of Federal Poverty Guidelines and combined liquid assets not exceeding $12,500, and grants are paid directly to creditors rather than disbursed as cash — a structural choice intended to reduce leakage and target verified bills.

The foundation is operationally and financially anchored by NYCBS, which serves as its founding organization and primary supporter; multiple NYCBS executives (CEO Vacirca, President Todd O'Connell, COO Nicole Flores, CRO Dawn Savarese) sit on the foundation's board alongside independent directors from media, pharmacy, and wealth management. Its go-to-market is event-driven fundraising: the flagship is the annual Raising Hope Gala (5th annual in October 2025 raised over $1M, 6th annual announced for October 16, 2026 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom), supplemented by the Raising Hope Golf Classic (8th annual set for August 17, 2026 at Nissequogue Golf Club), Run the Vineyards 5K/8K at Pindar Vineyards, Cancer Sucks Hope Helps, and Hockey for Hope. Patient applications are accepted online, by phone, email, fax, and mail, with grant processing handled by a small internal team (1-10 employees) led by Executive Director Tina Toulon.

The revenue model is purely philanthropic — donations from individuals, corporate sponsorships, event proceeds, and employer matching gifts facilitated through Double the Donation. No fees are charged to patients. The foundation has reported over 420 families served across the NY Metro area (with 200%+ year-over-year operational growth in 2022) and holds a Candid Seal Gold 2024 transparency designation. Geographic scope is limited to New York State; technology stack consists of a static website, OneCause for event ticketing, Uber Health for transportation, and Double the Donation for matching-gift processing — with no AI/ML components disclosed.

Name

New York Cancer Foundation

Legal name

New York Cancer Foundation

Website

https://nycancerfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The New York Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides financial assistance grants (up to $2,500/month for non-medical household bills) and transportation assistance (up to $1,000 via Uber Health) to qualifying adult cancer patients undergoing treatment in New York State, funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and annual fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Financial Assistance

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Patient financial assistance
• Cancer care grants
• Nonprofit healthcare support
• Medical transportation services
• Household bill assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Westhampton Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation relies on charitable donations from individuals and corporate sponsors to fund patient assistance programs. Events like galas and golf classics generate significant fundraising revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The New York Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides financial assistance grants of up to $2,500 per month for non-medical household expenses (rent, utilities, phone, cable, car payments, insurance, storage) and transportation assistance of up to $1,000 via Uber Health for oncology-related appointments within 25 miles, to qualifying cancer patients undergoing treatment in New York State.

Product overview

The New York Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering two core grant programs for qualifying cancer patients undergoing treatment in New York State: Financial Assistance Grants covering non-medical household expenses (up to $2,500/month for rent, utilities, phone, insurance, etc.) and Transportation Assistance via Uber Health (up to $1,000 for oncology-related appointments within 25 miles). The foundation also organizes fundraising events including the Annual Raising Hope Gala, Golf Classic, and Run the Vineyards 5K/8K.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Assistance Grants Financial assistance grants of up to $2,500 covering one month of non-medical household expenses including rent, utilities, phone bills, cable/internet, car payments, auto/home/life insurance, and storage unit fees for qualifying cancer patients undergoing treatment in New York State. Payments are made directly to creditors rather than disbursed as cash to recipients.
• Transportation Assistance Transportation assistance of up to $1,000 via Uber Health exclusively for oncology-related medical appointments within a 25-mile radius of the patient's starting location for qualifying cancer patients in New York State.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200%+ growth in 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYCBS is a founding organization of the New York Cancer Foundation. Many NYCBS executives serve on the Foundation's Board of Directors, including Dr. Jeff Vacirca (founder), Todd O'Connell (Treasurer), Nicole Flores (Vice Chair), and Dawn Savarese. NYCBS provides primary financial and operational support to the foundation.
• Ziegfeld BallroomminorOthersPremium NYC venue host for the annual Raising Hope Gala fundraising event.
• Nissequogue Golf ClubminorOthersGolf club venue in St. James, NY hosting the annual Raising Hope Golf Classic event.
• Pindar VineyardsminorOthersNorth Fork destination hosting the Run the Vineyards 5K and 8K race fundraiser benefiting the foundation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Largest U.S. cancer nonprofit offering transportation programs (Road to Recovery), lodging, and patient financial assistance. Broad incumbent with overlapping programs including transport and non-medical bill support.
• Cancer Support Community: Large national nonprofit providing psychosocial support, navigation, and limited financial assistance to cancer patients. Broader service portfolio but overlapping mission of easing patient burden.
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Major cancer nonprofit providing direct financial aid (including copay and non-medical assistance) to blood cancer patients. Comparable grant-based assistance model but restricted to specific cancer types and national in scope.

Direct peers

• Family Reach: National nonprofit addressing financial toxicity of cancer treatment through direct grants for non-medical expenses (rent, utilities, food). Directly comparable mission and operating model to NYCF.
• Lazarex Cancer Foundation: Nonprofit offering financial assistance including transportation for cancer patients to access clinical trials and treatment. Comparable in mission focus on financial/transport barriers for oncology patients.
• CancerCare: National501(c)(3) providing financial assistance grants (including transportation and non-medical expenses) to cancer patients. Most directly comparable to NYCF in mission, beneficiary population, and grant-based funding model.
• National Cancer Assistance Foundation: Nonprofit providing direct financial grants to cancer patients for non-medical living expenses. Directly comparable to NYCF's financial assistance program and beneficiary segment.
• The Samfund: Nonprofit providing direct financial grants to young adult cancer survivors for everyday expenses (rent, utilities, medical bills). Highly comparable model of nonprofit-funded direct-bill assistance to cancer patients.

Emerging players

• Triage Cancer: National nonprofit providing cancer patients with education on financial, legal, and insurance issues. Adjacent rather than directly comparable — addresses the same financial toxicity problem but via education rather than direct grants.

Regional players

• LUNGevity Foundation: National lung cancer nonprofit that funds research and provides some patient support resources. Operates in adjacent cancer patient support space with a more disease-specific focus than NYCF.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NYCFoundation/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-york-cancer-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 New York Cancer Foundation