Who We Are

The Walther Cancer Foundation supports and promotes interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cancer research both bench and clinical, the latter encompassing clinical trials as well as behavioral studies as part of our commitment to Supportive Oncology. Our goal is to help build cancer programs that provide tangible benefits by expanding the world’s scientific knowledge, by saving lives and by offering hope to patients and their families.

One of the Walther Cancer Foundation’s greatest strengths is its independence. The Foundation’s autonomy, both organizationally and financially, gives its leadership and board of directors the freedom to stimulate important bridge-building at the interfaces of cancer research.

The Walther Cancer Institute was created in 1985 and merged into the Walther Cancer Foundation in 2007 to become a private grant-making foundation.

Notable Gifts and Grants:

Supportive Oncology

2024 & 2019: $2.8 million to the American Society of Clinical Oncology to support twelve multi-year career development awards focused on palliative and supportive care in oncology.

2017 & 2015: $14 million to the Walther Supportive Oncology Program at Indiana University School of Medicine to create five endowed chairs in Supportive Oncology.

Informatics and Data Science

2022: $1 million towards establishing the Walther and Regenstrief Endowed Chair in Cancer Informatics.

2019: $11 million to a Bioinformatics-Molecular Genomics/Genetics endowment and program support for collaboration between cancer centers at Indiana University and Purdue University.

2017: $2 million to Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and Regenstrief Institute to develop a broad research and translational science program in Cancer Informatics and Data Science.

Funding and Endowments

2023: $10 million match to a create the Children’s Cancer Research Fund towards collaborative research at Indiana University School of Medicine, Riley Children’s Health and Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2021: $5 million to Purdue Institute for Cancer Research to support the center director.

2019: $15 million to recruit the next cancer center director at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2017: $3.5 million to match $6.5 million from donor contributions to establish a $10 million fund to support Harper Cancer Research Institute at Notre Dame.

2017: $10 million to Purdue Institute for Cancer Research for faculty recruitment, equipment, and research.

2017: Awarded $249,000 to American Society of Clinical Oncology to endow the annual Walther Cancer Foundation Supportive Care in Oncology Award and Lecture.