Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
The Lustgarten Foundation is a nonprofit that funds and promotes pancreatic cancer research. It works to improve diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and support for patients and families, and it aims to raise public awareness about the disease. It is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world and is based in Woodbury, New York.
Its mission is to cure pancreatic cancer by funding scientific and clinical research, providing information and clinical support, and increasing hope for patients, caregivers, and those at high risk. The foundation also helps researchers talk with doctors and scientists and shares information with the public about pancreatic cancer.
The Foundation raises money mainly through regional runs, walks, and other events. By 2012 it had raised more than $16.1 million for research. In 2010 it helped create the Pancreatic Cancer Research Consortium, a group of six leading U.S. institutions: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (affiliated with Harvard Medical School); Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The foundation is named after Marc Lustgarten, a Cablevision executive who died of pancreatic cancer at age 52. When it started, pancreatic cancer received very little funding—less than 0.5% of the National Cancer Institute budget and fewer than 15 researchers nationwide. In 2000, the Foundation awarded ten grants of $100,000 each, totaling $1 million, to jumpstart research and attract scientists.
Cablevision covers all administrative costs, so 100% of donations go directly to pancreatic cancer research. The Lustgarten Foundation is rated 4 stars by Charity Navigator for its transparency and efficient use of funds.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:56 (CET).