NEW YORK – May 13, 2015 – The Children’s Tumor Foundation is pleased to announce that, thanks to the generous gifts of three donors, every dollar donated during the month of May to support our efforts to end neurofibromatosis will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Neurofibromatosis, or NF, is a genetic disorder that can cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout body. NF manifests in three distinct disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. It affects one in 3,000 people of all populations; there is no effective treatment or cure.
“These Matching Gift Programs established by longtime supporters of the Foundation, Jim Bob and Laurée Moffett, for NF1, Carol Harrison, for NF2, and Richard and Erica Horvitz, for schwannomatosis, are energizing the entire NF community as we come together to fight NF on all three fronts,” said Annette Bakker, PhD, Children’s Tumor Foundation President and Chief Scientific Officer.
In October 2014, the Children’s Tumor Foundation announced the $2.5 million matching gift fund from Jim Bob and Laurée Moffett to raise donations toward NF1 research. Through this donation, the Foundation established Synodos for NF1, a multidisciplinary consortium of leading scientists from various backgrounds and institutions. With the help of many individual contributors, the Foundation has raised over $1.3 million since this matching campaign began in October of last year. NF1 affects one in 3,000 people.
Synodos for NF2 was launched in March 2014, assembling a team of multidisciplinary scientists from twelve world-class labs to join together and develop effective new treatments to end NF2. Synodos for NF2 was the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s first groundbreaking example of our collaborative new research model. Carol Harrison and her family, through the B.F. Harrison Family Foundation, have agreed to set up a matching campaign for Synodos for NF2 up to $250,000.NF2 affects one in 25,000 people.
Richard Horvitz, Children’s Tumor Foundation Board member, and his wife Erica, have agreed to match donations up to $200,000 that support schwannomatosis research. Thanks to this funding, on May 1, CTF announced a Request for Proposals for a new Schwannomatosis Consortium. Over the past several years, CTF has convened a series of Schwannomatosis Workshops to identify priorities for better understanding this form of NF, and has funded schwannomatosis research totalling more than $1.3 million since 2007. Schwannomatosis affects one in 40,000 people.
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is committed to finding effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis. In addition to benefitting those who live with neurofibromatosis, this research is shedding new light on several forms of cancer, brain tumors, bone abnormalities, and learning disabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader community.
To make a donation, please visit www.ctf.org/match.
About Children’s Tumor Foundation
The Children’s Tumor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding effective treatments for the millions of people worldwide living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a term for three distinct disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. NF can cause tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body and may lead to blindness, bone abnormalities, cancer, deafness, disfigurement, learning disabilities, and excruciating and disabling pain. NF affects one in every 3,000 people, more than cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Huntington’s disease combined. The Children’s Tumor Foundation funds critical research into neurofibromatosis. In addition to benefiting those who live with NF, this research is shedding new light on several forms of cancer, brain tumors, bone abnormalities, and learning disabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader community. For more information, please visit www.ctf.org.
