Myeloma Research Fund
@ Silicon Valley Community Foundation

 

Mission

The Myeloma Research Fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation seeks to make real advances through adequate funding aimed at the best researchers with a long enough multi-year commitment to find a cure or a method of indefinite control of Multiple Myeloma.

Problem

This is a very hopeful time in research into multiple myeloma, as it is with cancer in general. However, it is far from clear that the widely anticipated research advances will be achieved as quickly or as efficiently as possible. Nor is it clear that the resulting treatments will be delivered to those who need them as soon as possible. One reason for this is the lack of efficient funding of research, and perhaps more importantly, field trials, of the most promising of the new research efforts. Current funding mechanisms based on private donations have suffered from large review boards which favor large numbers of smaller grants (~ $100K/year) with short-term focus (1 year scope). This is simply not the way things get done in any field of research or scientific development. Governmental funding, while potentially more substantial, suffers from its own inefficiencies. Multiple myeloma is not a high-profile cancer, so it does not enjoy a high level of support from governmental programs.

Goals

To provide new funding for multiple myeloma research with the following goals:

  • To find a cure or method of indefinite control of the disease in the shortest practical period.
  • To find techniques for increasing remission times and/or periods where the disease is effectively controlled.
  • To develop palliative techniques which increase the quality and length of life during the active phase of the disease.
  • To increase understanding of the cause and recent increases in the incidence of the disease, particularly among younger patients.

To provide such funding in the most effective manner.  In particular:

  • To provide funding of each project adequate to the task.  This will be significantly larger than the $50-$100K provided by other private organizations.  It will also include coordinated funding of multiple research groups and organizations.
  • To provide funding which has a time commitment equal to the goal.  This will be 3 - 5 year commitments rather than the single year grants commonly given by other funding agencies.
  • To provide funding with minimal initial paperwork overhead and minimal unnecessary ongoing reporting.  Progress is judged by publication in high quality refereed journals and conference publications combined with annual reporting to the medical review board of the fund.

To raise money at a scale consistent with the above goals:

Donor commitments of three to five years of annual contributions will be sought so that only minimal volunteer staff effort is necessary for the implementation. While any contributions will be accepted, it is expected that the bulk of the money will come from a small number of large contributors.

Non-Goals

The MRF will not spend resources on publicity or awareness functions. 

These educational and outreach programs can and are being adequately addressed by other organizations.

 

The MRF will not spend money on fund raising.

Structure

In the interest of low overhead and streamlined operation, the MRF is a compact organization.  It has three parts:

  1. A management board
  2. A medical review board
  3. Research grant recipients

Operation

The MRF holds meetings annually. Meetings include presentations for new research efforts as well as presentations of results of ongoing efforts. In addition to forming the basis of review efforts, these presentations provide effective means of interchange among experts in the field, and other researchers in the field not immediately being funded or seeking funding are invited to attend these sessions. The proceedings of these presentations are published for the greater scientific community.

The MRF is a donor advised fund at Peninsula Community Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Grants from the MRF are governed by the Peninsula Community Foundation Board of Directors (see www.pcf.org). For more information about the MRF, contact Lew Aronson.