In 2015, ACS CAN launched the One Degree campaign and called on Congress to increase cancer research funding by $1 billion.
Now, after three years of hard work by ACS CAN volunteers, that ambitious goal has been reached.
Congress just passed the federal budget for the 2018 fiscal year and it includes significant funding increases for cancer and medical research.
The new budget includes huge increases for the research budgets of the National Institutes for Health (NIH), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Additionally, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received an increase to help reach more low-income, underinsured women access lifesaving cancer screenings.
ACS CAN President Chris Hansen said, “We commend lawmakers for their strong, bipartisan dedication to consistent and continual research funding reflected in this budget. Their efforts are sure to help spur groundbreaking research for years to come.”
Scientists and medical researchers will now have $1 billion more in cancer research funding than they did in 2015. This money can be used to help find new cures, develop improved cancer treatments and discover better ways to prevent cancer.
About the One Degree Campaign
ACS CAN launched the One Degree campaign in 2015 because everyone is one degree from cancer. Whether it is a family member, a friend or ourselves – everyone has been touched by this disease.
We made a bold ask to Congress to dramatically increase cancer research funding. In the three years since then, ACS CAN volunteers signed petitions, called and met with lawmakers, and shared their own cancer stories. The 2018 federal budget shows that Congress listened.
The significant increases in cancer research funding will save lives and will make an important difference in the fight against cancer.
After months of delay and hard negotiations, Congress has finally passed a funding bill! The bill includes a small increase for cancer research and prevention programs.