American Cancer Society Awards 92 New Research Grants
ACS is investing $43.2 million in new grants to fuel innovative cancer research.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is pleased to announce a new investment of $43.2 million in new cancer research grants that went into effect on September 1, 2025, or will begin in the coming weeks and months. Altogether, ACS is funding 92 new grants at 69 institutions across the country. Given the changing portfolio of federal research funding, ACS is extremely grateful for the ongoing financial support of our donors and partners that make it possible for us to ensure that important cancer research continues uninterrupted.
“This investment reflects the American Cancer Society’s unwavering dedication to advancing research that matters most for patients and communities,” said Dr. William Dahut, Chief Scientific Officer. “By funding innovative ideas and the dedicated investigators behind them, we are advancing promising discoveries, strengthening the research community, and ensuring continued progress for the future.”
As part of this cycle, ACS awarded four grants designed to accelerate the recruitment of Black patients into prostate cancer clinical trials, through the previously announced “Expanding Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials in the Community” RFA, with the goal of addressing the more than double mortality rate of this cancer in Black men compared to other demographics. This RFA is part of our larger cross-enterprise ACS IMPACT (Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer Together) initiative that began in March 2023. These grants were made possible through a collaboration with Trial Library, Inc, and the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium. Details of these new grants are provided below.
Additional grants in this slate were funded through eight separate grant mechanisms, including new postdoctoral fellowships, Research Scholar Grants, and our renowned ACS Professorships. This reflects the tireless efforts of 637 volunteer reviewers working across 21 dedicated peer review committees. Additional details about these exciting grants will be shared in a series of follow-up news posts here on cancer.org.
The American Cancer Society is the largest non-government, non-profit funder of cancer research in the United States, with a portfolio of over 825 active research grants covering the cancer control spectrum. These newest grantees are joining a legacy that stretches back to 1946 and includes 53 researchers who have gone on to win the Nobel Prize for their work. To learn more about the research grants currently being funded by the American Cancer Society, please visit cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research.html.
If you are interested in learning more about our grant funding opportunities, please join us for one of our upcoming Grant Opportunity Webinars taking place in September 2025. Details about all of our funding opportunities are also available at any time on cancer.org. Our next grant application deadline is Thursday, December 1, 2025.
New ACS IMPACT - Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Expansion Grants
Brian Halbert, MD
Ochsner Clinic Foundation
IMPACT – Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Expansion Grant
Project Title: “Development of a Remote Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinic for Louisiana's Underserved River Parishes”
The River Parish Program (RPP), organized by Ochsner Health, is designed to help more Black men in Louisiana’s River Parishes get screened and treated for prostate cancer. With this award, the RPP will open two dedicated clinics within Ochsner’s local facilities to make it easier for men to get screened and receive care close to home, with a goal of screening at least 650 men, half of whom will be Black, and helping more Black men join clinical trials for new treatments. RPP will partner with local organizations to raise awareness and address barriers, like providing free rides to appointments and virtual doctor visits for those who need them. By improving access to care and clinical trials, this program aims to save lives and make prostate cancer care fairer for everyone.
Changchuan Jiang, MD, MPH
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
IMPACT – Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Expansion Grant
Project Title: “Increasing Access to Clinical Trials for Prostate Cancer at UT Southwestern Regional Centers and Parkland Hospital”
The UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) currently offers 17 prostate cancer clinical trials but have learned directly from the community that barriers like lack of awareness, transportation difficulties, language differences, and concerns about costs prevent many men from participating. This award will support the development and implementation of a comprehensive program to make clinical trials more accessible at their Redbird clinic in southern Dallas and at Parkland Health, two locations where many Black and Hispanic men receive their care. The goal of this project is to double the number of Black and Hispanic men participating in prostate cancer trials at these sites while establishing a sustainable model for care that can be implemented by other cancer centers in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond.
Adam Murphy, MD
Northwestern University – Chicago Campus
IMPACT – Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Expansion Grant
Project Title: “Expanding Community Clinical Trials Network with Trusted Tools in Prostate Cancer”
Through this award, Dr. Murphy and his collaborators will work to address significant barriers preventing Black men receiving primary and urologic care in the community from participating in clinical trials for prostate cancer. This project will specifically focus on engaging community urologists and primary care providers, as well as Black men over the age of 40, a group disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. Highlights of this project include a culturally-tailored awareness campaign to educate Black men about the benefits of prostate cancer clinical trials and tailored messaging for community providers at Cook County and Near North Health to encourage the use of the Trial Library site and navigation services.
M. Patrick Stagg, MD
Our Lady of the Lake Hospital
IMPACT – Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Expansion Grant
Project Title: “Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer Together Baton Rouge”
Through this award, Dr. Stagg and the team at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL) Hospital in Baton Rouge aims to enhance access to clinical trials for its patient base, boost enrollment among Black men through direct outreach and education, and strengthen referral pathways by collaborating with regional healthcare providers. By prioritizing health literacy and clinical trial engagement, OLOL aims to reduce prostate cancer disparities and improve outcomes for the North Baton Rouge community.
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