The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is an Australian not-for-profit organisation which awards grants to cancer research organisations, specifically for high-end equipment purchases and infrastructure development.

History and structure

Established in 1984 by businessman and philanthropist, Sir Peter Abeles

Peter Abeles

Sir Peter Emil Herbert Abeles, AC was an Australian transportation magnate. A refugee from Hungary, he became one of the most powerful businessmen in Australia, and was knighted in 1972.-Life:...

, he served as its founding chairman. Lady (Sonia) McMahon

Sonia McMahon

Sonia McMahon, known from 1977 as Lady McMahon , was the wife of Sir William McMahon, Prime Minister of Australia, and a philanthropist and Sydney socialite.-Biography:...

 was a founding board member until her passing in 2010.

A Board of Trustees, composed of some of Australia’s most prominent and influential business people, administers the organisation. The current chairman is Mr Tom Dery, Worldwide Chairman of M&C Saatchi

M&C Saatchi

M&C Saatchi is an international advertising agency network formed in January 1995 by the brothers Maurice Saatchi and Charles Saatchi after they were ousted from the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi which they had founded in 1970...

.

The Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) oversees all grant applications and designates which research institutes will receive funding. They can also make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Membership of the MRAC is authorised by the Department of Health and Ageing with each appointment being three years. The current chairman is Professor Ian Frazer

Ian Frazer

Professor Ian Frazer is the Director of the Diamantina Institute. He is a creator of the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer; the second cancer preventing vaccine, and the first vaccine designed to prevent a cancer. .- Education:He was born in Glasgow, Scotland...

, co-inventor of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil

Gardasil

Gardasil , also known as Gardisil or Silgard, is a vaccine for use in the prevention of certain types of human papillomavirus , specifically HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV types 16 and 18 cause an estimated 70% of cervical cancers, and are responsible for most HPV-induced anal, vulvar, vaginal,...

.

Funding

The Foundation awards grants between  million and A$10 million, based on scientific excellence. As at 2011, A$80 million has been awarded to medical research institutes and hospitals in every state and the Australian Capital Territory, for research into all cancers, including prevention, treatment and diagnosis. The ACRF receives no government funding and relies solely on private donations. Unusual among not-for-profit organisations, it is able to legitimately claim that all monies received are directed towards its key objective with every dollar of every donation going to cancer research.

Project funding approved

Year	Amount	State/ Territory	Institute/Hospital/Centre	Project
1987	$1,0000,000	NSW New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	Centre for Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...	Immune system and cancer defence
1989	$610,000	VIC	Cancer Research Centre, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne is the major hospital in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia.It is operated by the St Vincent's Health service, previously known as the Sisters of Charity Health Service, Melbourne...	Solid cancers and bone breakdown
1992	$1,080,000	VIC	Austin Research Institute, Melbourne Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd is a global non-profit medical research institute that undertakes laboratory and clinical research into cancer, conducting and sponsoring its own early-phase clinical trials to investigate its discoveries....	Immune system and cancer defence (breast, ovarian, pancreas, lung, and bowel cancers)
1995	$1,096,000	QLD Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	Centre for Molecular & Cellular Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland University of Queensland The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation... , Brisbane	Skin, kidney and childhood cancers
	$1,000,000	SA South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	Hanson Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital Royal Adelaide Hospital The Royal Adelaide Hospital is Adelaide's largest hospital, with 680 beds. Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide provides tertiary health care services for South Australia and provides secondary care clinical services to residents of Adelaide's city centre and inner suburbs.The hospital is situated...	Leukaemia and solid cancers
1997	$1,000,000	ACT Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...	Medical Genome Centre, Australian National University Australian National University The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students... , Canberra	Immune system, gene and cancer defence
1998	$50,000	TAS Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	University of Tasmania University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia... , Hobart	Immune system and cancer defence
1999/ 2000	$1,002,000	NSW	Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research The Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research is a large medical research institute located at Westmead in Sydney's western suburbs. The Institute is closely affiliated with The University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital and comprises approximately 450 medical research and support staff... , Sydney	Skin, breast and ovarian cancers and leukaemia
	$1,000,000	QLD	Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research The Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine was newly created in April 2008 for the University of Queensland, based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. The Institute focuses on translational research, which works to produce better outcomes for patient... , University of Queensland, Brisbane	Vaccine for cervical cancer Cervical cancer Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
2001	$1,300,000	VIC and QLD	Australian Genome Research Facility	Microarray Microarray A microarray is a multiplex lab-on-a-chip. It is a 2D array on a solid substrate that assays large amounts of biological material using high-throughput screening methods.Types of microarrays include:...
	$1,200,000	WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital is an 855-bed teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the CBD of Perth, Western Australia . Royal Perth Hospital also has specialised rehabilitation facilities at Shenton Park.-History:...	Eight state-of-the-art research laboratories
2002	$1,000,000	VIC	Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne	3D Imaging of proteins
	$500,000	NSW	Children's Cancer Institute Australia, University of New South Wales, Sydney	Formation of new blood vessels
2003	$1,500,000	SA	University of Adelaide	Early diagnosis
	$1,350,000	QLD	Queensland Institute of Medical Research Queensland Institute of Medical Research The Queensland Institute of Medical Research is one of Australia’s largest medical research institutes, and is recognised worldwide for the quality of its research. QIMR was established in 1945 by an Act of the Government of Queensland. The original purpose of the Institute was to further the... , Brisbane	Cellular imaging
2004	$1,200,000	QLD	Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane	Cellular imaging
	$1,130,000	ACT	John Curtin School of Medical Research John Curtin School of Medical Research The John Curtin School of Medical Research is a major biomedical research centre in Australia, and part of the Australian National University, Canberra. The school was founded in 1948, as a result of the vision of Australian Nobel Laureate Sir Howard Florey and Prime Minister John Curtin.The Nobel... , The Australian National University, Canberra	Biomolecular Resource Facility
	$1,100,000	NSW	Garvan Institute of Medical Research Garvan Institute of Medical Research The Garvan Institute of Medical Research was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Charity. Initially a research department of St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, it is now one of Australia's largest medical research institutions with approximately 500 scientists, students and support staff.Funds for its... , Sydney	Molecular genetics
	$1,000,000	VIC	Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne	Cell Imaging program
	$1,000,000	VIC	Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne	New children's cancer research centre laboratories
	$900,000	VIC	St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne	ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Facility
2005	$1,140,000	QLD	Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane	Integrated Brain Tumour Flow Cytometry Screening Facility
	$1,000,000	VIC	Royal Melbourne Hospital	Translational research laboratory interface (hematology and bone marrow research)
	$1,000,000	VIC	The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne	Bioinfomatics and tissue banking
	$1,000,000	NSW	Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney	New wing increasing collaboration among researchers
	$1,000,000	SA	Flinders University Flinders University Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research... /Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide	Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer Prevention and Care laboratory
2006	$5,000,000	VIC	Melbourne Comprehensive Cancer Centre	ACRF Centre for Therapeutic Target Discovery
	$1,200,000	NSW	Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown... , Sydney	Cell and Molecular Therapy Unit equipment and fit-out
	$1,100,000	TAS	Menzies Research Institute Menzies Research Institute The Menzies Research Institute Tasmania is a research institute of the University of Tasmania based in Hobart... , Hobart	ACRF Tasmanian Inherited Cancer Centre
2007	$5,000,000	NSW	Centenary Institute for Cancer Research and Sydney Cancer Centre	ACRF Centre for Basic and Translational Cancer Research
	$3,200,000	QLD	The Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine The Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine was newly created in April 2008 for the University of Queensland, based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. The Institute focuses on translational research, which works to produce better outcomes for patient... , Brisbane	ACRF Comprehensive Cancer Genomics Facility
	$3,100,000	NSW	Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, Sydney	ACRF Drug Discovery Centre for Childhood Cancer
	$2,700,000	QLD	Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane	The ACRF Centre for Cancer Epigenetics
2008	$2,500,000	VIC	Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne	For new technologies to identify genes controlling cancer cell behaviour
	$2,500,000	QLD	Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane	To decipher gene and protein interactions which affect the behaviour of cancer cells
	$2,500,000	NSW	The Garvan St Vincents Campus Cancer Centre, Sydney	To support the research components which will be part of a world-class comprehensive cancer centre
2009	$3,500,000	SA	Centre for Cancer Biology, South Australian Pathology and The University of Adelaide	To establish a new Cancer Genomics Facility
	$3,100,000	NSW	Children's Medical Research Institute Children's Medical Research Institute The Children's Medical Research Institute is an Australian based independent scientific research organisation created in the 1950s by Paediatricians Sir Lorimer Dods and Dr. John Fulton to "perform scientific research with a commitment to better treat, and where possible, prevent childhood... , Sydney and University of Newcastle University of Newcastle, Australia The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...	For the world’s first Chemical Proteomics Centre for Kinomics
2010	$2,500,000	NSW	The Garvan St Vincent’s Campus Cancer Centre (Kinghorn Cancer Centre), Sydney	To extend the 2008 grant to support the research components which will be part of a world-class comprehensive cancer centre
	$2,400,000	WA	The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth	For the ACRF Cancer Imaging Facility to promote innovation in cancer research, and ensure a high quality imaging hub to facilitate world-class cancer discoveries with direct relevance to clinical outcomes
	$2,000,000	VIC	The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne	To expand their two new cancer divisions – the Stem Cells and Cancer Division and Chemical Biology Division
	$1,600,000	VIC	Monash Institute of Medical Research Monash Institute of Medical Research The Monash Institute of Medical Research, or MIMR, is a research institute in Melbourne, Australia consisting of 400 scientists and students belonging to the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University... , Melbourne	For the ACRF Centre for Cancer Genomics to facilitate innovative and internationally competitive research that translates to significant outcomes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer
2011	$5,000,000	NSW	Westmead Institute for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney	For new ACRF Melanoma Research Laboratories which will house two internationally recognised melanoma research teams
	$2,000,000	VIC	Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne	To develop a new ACRF Centre for Translational Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging
	$2,000,000	VIC	St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne	To expand the existing ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre