Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara Awards $95,000 to Local Pediatric Cancer Programs
核心洞察
The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara (搜索) awarded a $90,000 grant to Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) to fund a Pediatric Research Coordinator supporting Children's Oncology Group clinical trials.
Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) is the only Central Coast site where families can access COG pediatric cancer (搜索) clinical trials, with four studies open and four patients on active protocol therapy in early 2026.
A $5,000 grant to Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (搜索) supported financial, emotional, and educational programs serving more than 135 families in the first half of 2026.
The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara (搜索) is highlighting two grants awarded earlier this year to local organizations supporting children with cancer and their families, timed to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The awards—$90,000 to Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) and $5,000 to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (搜索)—aim to expand access to pediatric oncology clinical trials and family support services on California's Central Coast.
Funding a Pediatric Research Coordinator
The Cancer Foundation awarded a $90,000 grant to Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) to fund a Pediatric Research Coordinator position. This role supports the Children's Oncology Group (COG) clinical trials for children receiving care through Cottage's pediatric hematology-oncology clinic.
The COG is the world's largest organization researching only pediatric cancer (搜索) therapies, and Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) is the only place on the Central Coast where families can access its clinical trials. During the first six months of 2026, Cottage Children's Medical Center had four pediatric oncology studies open to enrollment, four patients on active protocol therapy, and seventy-three patients in long-term follow-up.
Since 2007, the Cancer Foundation has funded the Pediatric Research Coordinator position. In May, Cancer Foundation staff and trustees visited the recently opened Cottage Grotenhuis Pediatric Clinics, part of Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索)'s outpatient services, to learn more about Cottage's pediatric services and how the coordinator manages their cancer clinical trials.
Supporting Families Through Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation
The Cancer Foundation also awarded a $5,000 grant to the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (搜索) (TBCF), which has served families affected by pediatric cancer (搜索) in the Tri-Counties for 23 years. The grant helps fund the organization's financial, emotional, and educational support programs.
During the first six months of 2026, TBCF served more than 135 families. Its programs provided financial support to 67 families for household bills and expenses associated with caring for a child with cancer, emotional support to 117 families through professional and peer support, and educational advocacy to 5 families for their child's academic needs and transition back to school following treatment.
The Clinical Context
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about fifteen thousand people under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. The American Association for Cancer Research reports that the overall 5-year survival rate for pediatric cancers increased from 63 percent in the mid-1970s to 87 percent in 2015–2021, an improvement largely attributed to decades of advances in treatment made possible through clinical research and participation in clinical trials.
In addition to the challenges of treatment, childhood cancer can disrupt a child's education and everyday life and create financial and emotional challenges for the entire family.
"Decades of research have led to significant improvements in pediatric cancer (搜索) survival, but continued progress depends on access to clinical trials and the resources families need throughout treatment," said Lori Willis, Executive Director of the Cancer Foundation. "We are proud to support Cottage Children's Medical Center (搜索) and Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (搜索) so that children and families in our community can access these resources close to home."