The NVIDIA Blog

NVIDIA Foundation Awards $200,000 in Cancer Care Grants

Posted: 26 Aug 2015 12:55 PM PDT

Four nonprofits providing cancer care and support services in West Africa, India and the U.S. have won $50,000 grants from our employee-led corporate foundation, the NVIDIA Foundation.

The awards are part of Compute the Cure — our companywide effort to fight cancer and offer support to individuals and their families who are dealing with it. Through grants and employee fundraising, the initiative has directed more than $1.6 million to cancer-fighting causes since 2011.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The number of new cases is forecast to rise to 22 million a year with the next two decades, up from about 14 million in 2012. With numbers like these, the disease can affect everyone in some way. So we're finding ways to help.

Launched this spring, our Compute the Cure Cancer Care grant program aims to help provide support to those affected by cancer in the communities in which we operate, and others around the world.

More than 50 organizations submitted proposals. Three dozen employees reviewed the applications and selected a group of finalists. Then, our employees voted for their favorite recipient, the Employee Choice winner. The Foundation's board of directors (composed of non-execs) awarded the other three grants.

The grant winners are:

IMPACT (Improving Access to Care and Treatment), India — Employee Choice winner
Children diagnosed with cancer in India's Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states face a survival rate of only 10 percent compared with a global rate of 90 percent. Too few intensive care units leave children vulnerable to complications related to aggressive treatments, such as chemotherapy. The grant will fund an eight-bed ICU at a local oncology hospital and establish an onsite blood lab designed to deliver optimal care and treatment to improve survival rates.

Alafia, Togo
Alafia aims to increase breast cancer survival rates among female teachers and students in Togo, West Africa, by encouraging preventative behavior and early diagnosis. Benefiting thousands of teachers, students and community members, the grant will fund an informational website and training materials for teachers and students; to hold in-school prevention events; and to run a prevention campaign to educate the broader population.

Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support Services, U.S.
Access to counseling services, information, peer support and resources is critical for families after a child's cancer diagnosis. Navigating these services can be challenging for families facing socioeconomic, language and cultural barriers. The grant will allow Jacob's Heart to provide its bicultural, no-cost services to meet the needs of the most vulnerable families of children with cancer.

Stupid Cancer's Instapeer app. — Stupid Cancer’s Instapeer app.

Stupid Cancer, U.S.
Cancer is the no. 1 disease killer in young adults aged 15-39. Yet they often face limited resources and inadequate support, which can lead to feelings of isolation and depression. Stupid Cancer's Instapeer is the first mobile app that lets users anonymously connect with a community of patients, survivors and caregivers based on criteria — such as cancer type, race and gender — that are uniquely important to them. The grant will be used to move the application to production and expand its reach.

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