The Million Dollar Lunch reaches new heights, raising a record $2.9 million for children’s cancer.
$35 million committed to the Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium (VPCC) in the State Government Budget – to be matched by an additional $10 million from the Foundation -forming a $45 million investment package to be rolled out over five years.
Following over seven years of support and an investment of over $7 million from the Foundation, the Hudson Institute of Medical Research creates the Childhood Cancer Model Atlas, a unique open-source resource available to cancer researchers globally.
Our cornerstone event raises a record-breaking amount.
The Foundation along with the Children’s Cancer Family Support Alliance, a group of charities across Victoria and Tasmania, launches the first online directory of support services available to Australian families impacted by childhood cancer.
The Foundation partners with The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Monash Children’s Hospital (MCH), Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Monash University, University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) to create world-class medical research and innovation in Victoria.
The Foundation’s newest project supports the professional development of oncology nurses and allied staff at Monash Children’s Hospital.
The challenges of the pandemic once again forced the cancellation of our primary fundraising event. Notwithstanding this our supporters came out digitally for our second MDL digital giving day raising over $770,000.
Despite the chaos and uncertainty that the pandemic created for all Australian’s the Foundation continued to honour all its $11.4 million of funding commitments to researchers and health workers. Our ability to provide support and certainty in this time helped mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on the country’s childhood cancer workforce.
Faced with rolling lockdowns The Million Dollar Lunch committee pivots to the first MDL Giving Day within a matter of weeks raising over $600,000.
The Foundation announced the establishment of the Children’s Cancer Foundation Chair at Melbourne University. A global search is underway for an eminent clinician/researcher to occupy that position.
A record-breaking result in the event’s 14-year history.
Launched at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research the CCF Research Laboratory provided much needed resources to assist in the scaling up of a specialist workforce, focusing on a range of research and clinical initiatives. This investment helped with the creation of the Childhood Cancer Model Atlas, which received international recognition in 2023 as a revolutionary research enabling tool.
The Foundation commits $8,458,796 across 25 projects from 2017 through to 2023.
Together with My Room, funding included ground-breaking research projects and establishment of the biobanking unit.
Held under the big top at the Palladium at Crown, more than $2.1 million is raised.
The Foundation invests in an Australian first immunotherapy clinical trial that successfully uses a child’s own genetically engineered immune cells to attack cancer cells.
Merridy Justice celebrates 10 years as Family Resource Coordinator at the Children’s Cancer Centre, The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). The Foundation has funded this role at RCH and Monash Children’s Hospital since 2007.
The Foundation and My Room fund the psych-oncology program at The Royal Children’s Hospital and later at Monash Children’s Hospital. The Foundation demonstrated the importance of psych-oncology, which is now funded by the hospital.
Rebranded externally as the Children’s Cancer Foundation thanks to Three’s A Crowd.
Gillon McLachlan, AFL Chief Executive appointed Patron of the Children’s Cancer Foundation.
Our cornerstone event commemorates its 10th birthday, raising $11.3 million since 2005.
KOALA Foundation and Children’s Cancer Centre Foundation merge in June 2012 to form the Children’s Cancer Foundation.
The Foundation prioritises clinical trial resourcing, funding three staff at The Royal Children’s Hospital.
These upgrades included construction and fit out of the unit, purchase of essential equipment for the Cord Blood Bank (which supplies stem cells needed for BMT procedures) and salaries for 7 core clinical staff from 2006-2013.
The new Children’s Cancer Centre at The Royal Children’s Hospital is opened by Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks MP and Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott MP. The vision and determination of all volunteers involved in the capital campaign, during 2002-2004, resulted in the hospital facilities being transformed into the benchmark for paediatric cancer care and clinical research in Australia.
“I have set out to achieve what some believe is impossible. I am on a mission to unite the movers and shakers of our entertainment industry with the captains of big business and the country’s leading entrepreneurs. The idea? The greatest fundraising lunch in the country.” Tony McGinn OAM.
Tony McGinn OAM, Chairman of KOALA Group, establishes KOALA Foundation.
Peter Sidwell, raise $23 million to reconstruct the cancer ward at The Royal Children’s Hospital and build linked research facilities which later opened in September 2004.
Parents of children undergoing treatment at The Royal Children’s Hospital establish the Children’s Cancer Centre Foundation with founding members Doug and Ann Rathbone, Kevin Martin, Professor Peter Smith (then Director of the Children’s Cancer Centre at RCH), Professor Henry Ekert (then Director of the Children’s Cancer Centre at RCH), Sylvia Miller and Peter Sidwell. With Mary McGowan OAM and James Roche joining shortly after.
Parents of children undergoing treatment at Monash Children’s Hospital established a support group to help each other through treatment, the KOALA (Kids Oncology and Leukaemia Action) Group.