National Cancer Institute

Donations to the National Cancer Institute

1. Can donations be made to the National Cancer Institute?

   The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a federal government research agency funded by congressional appropriations. Although NCI does not solicit funds or participate in fund-raising activities, the Institute has been authorized by Congress to accept donations and bequests to support its mission. 

2. How are donations made?

   All donations are handled through the NCI Gift Fund. Donation checks or money orders are made payable to the “National Cancer Institute” and sent to:

   The Director
   The National Cancer Institute
   Building 31, Room 11A-16
   9000 Rockville Pike
   Bethesda, MD 20892
   

   A donation letter should be sent along with the check or money order indicating that the donation is to be used for research at NCI. NCI will send an acknowledgement letter if the name and address of the donor is provided. Dollar amounts are not included in the letter of acknowledgement. The donation letter should include the following information:

   Name (contact person)
   Company Name (if applicable)
   Street Address
   City, State, and ZIP Code
   Telephone Number (optional) 
   
   

3. Can donations be made in memory or in honor of a person?

   Yes. Donations can be made in memory or in honor of a person. The donation letter should include the name of the person who is being remembered or honored, plus the name(s) and address(es) of the individual(s) (honoree, spouse, or family member) to be notified of the donation. Dollar amounts are not included in the letter of acknowledgement. 

4. Can donations be made for a specific type of research?

   All donations are applied toward projects in support of cancer research as determined by the NCI Director. However, donors may request that their donation be used to support a specific type(s) of cancer research. Such requests should be included in the donation letter.  

5. How are donations used?

   Donations are deposited in the NCI Gift Fund and used for special projects in support of cancer research. Projects supported through the Gift Fund vary from year to year depending on the needs of the Institute. Special fellowships to train young scientists in cancer research, equipment purchases for clinical laboratories, support for workshops and conferences on subjects of special importance to cancer research, and the printing of pamphlets about cancer for the general public are some examples of projects supported through the Gift Fund. Donations are also used for the NIH Clinical Center’s “Patient Emergency Fund,” which is used to assist patients in financial need. (Donations can also be made directly to the NIH Clinical Center for this purpose.) 

6. Is more information available about donations to NCI?

   Information about how to donate and the donation process is available on the NCI Office of Budget and Finance Web site. The Office of Budget and Finance may also be contacted by telephone at 301–496–5803, by e-mail, or at the following address:

   Office of Budget and Finance
   The National Cancer Institute
   Building 31, Room 11A-16
   9000 Rockville Pike
   Bethesda, MD 20892
   

Related NCI materials and Web pages:

• Cancer Research Funding Fact Sheet
• The National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet
• The NCI Office of Budget and Finance Home Page

How can we help?

We offer comprehensive research-based information for patients and their families, health professionals, cancer researchers, advocates, and the public.

• Call NCI’s Cancer Information Service at 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237)
• Visit us at http://www.cancer.gov or http://www.cancer.gov/espanol
• Chat using LiveHelp, NCI’s instant messaging service, at http://www.cancer.gov/livehelp
• E-mail us at cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov
• Order publications at http://www.cancer.gov/publications or by calling 1–800–4–CANCER
• Get help with quitting smoking at 1–877–44U–QUIT (1–877–448–7848)