Summary
Organization name
Carson Leslie Foundation
Causes
Health Care
Operating Budget
$100,000 - $249,999
Counties Served
Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant
Address
3000 Pegasus Park Dr. WaterCooler #722Dallas, TX 75247
Our mission is urgent. Cancer remains the deadliest disease affecting America's children, with rates climbing 27% since 1975. Today, 1 in 285 children will face a cancer diagnosis before age 20, and brain cancers—which account for 26% of childhood cancers—are responsible for 30% of all childhood cancer deaths. Most devastating of all? There has never been a therapy developed specifically for childhood brain cancer.
Carson Leslie Foundation is determined to address this heartbreaking reality by funding critical research that is necessary to develop less toxic, more targeted treatment options for young patients. We also encourage and support the mental health of children and teens who are navigating the unthinkable, and we advocate for the resources these children desperately need.
In other words, with the support of our community, we're giving these children the fighting chance they deserve.
Childhood cancer survivors at the 2024 Golden Toast.
Giving Activity
Mission
Carson Leslie Foundation's mission is to help more kids fight cancer by funding critical, life-saving research, encouraging and supporting patients' mental health, and advocating to make childhood cancer a legislative priority.
Needs
BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH:
Children with brain cancer are fighting with outdated treatments. Current medulloblastoma therapies haven't improved in over 30 years, forcing young patients to endure devastating side effects that destroy their developing bodies and brains, leaving them with lifelong complications. We urgently need funding for low-toxicity clinical research that can finally deliver better treatments and, ultimately, cures. It has been said that “science is the answer,” but that only works if we invest now.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT:
Young cancer patients often feel cut off from their peers and experience loneliness and isolation when they undergo treatment. We have found that delivering unexpected moments of joy—silly socks, art supplies, plushie sharks, or simple "no" buttons—can spark the first smile a parent has seen in days or even weeks. When these children and teens feel connected to a community that cares, they find the strength to push through the hardest days of treatment.
COORDINATED ADVOCACY:
Childhood cancer research receives less than 4% of federal cancer research funding, and without sustained advocacy, life-saving discoveries remain siloed in individual laboratories. We need coordinated efforts to unite researchers, secure legislative support, and ensure that breakthrough discoveries reach the children who desperately need them.
Equity Statement
Because childhood cancer affects families across all ethnic groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic regions, the Carson Leslie Foundation is committed to supporting children and families from every community, regardless of their background or location
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Organization Data
Dallas, TX 75247