Elsa U. Pardee Foundation

**Support for Innovative Cancer Research** Elsa U. Pardee Foundation grants are devoted to cancer research with about $110.5 million given to over 300 different institutions across the United States since 1944. Initially, ongoing research programs at well-known cancer institutes such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering took center stage. By the 1950s, however, the Foundation’s trustees recognized a critical oversight: new scientists with cutting-edge ideas were often denied private and government funding simply because they were unknown. The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation boldly broke tradition by considering their grant proposals and funding the most innovative approaches to conquering cancer – a practice which continues to set this Foundation apart. As the proposals grew more complex, the Foundation formed a Medical Committee of specialists to manage the process. Today, the Foundation evaluates more than 300 proposals annually. **Financial Support for Cancer Treatment** In 1951, [Elsa Uhinck Pardee](https://pardeefoundation.org/elsa-uhinck-pardee/) recognized another important need: many people suffering from cancer did not have the money to get adequate medical care without risking financial ruin. Research was important, she argued, but so was meeting the immediate financial needs of cancer patients. Today, about one-third of the Foundation’s grants are made to the Pardee Cancer Treatment Funds, which provide financial assistance to needy cancer patients in Midland and surrounding counties, and in other selected locations. Since 1951, about $36 million in grants has helped thousands of cancer patients seek treatment and support.