Breast cancer fundraising supports research, patient services, education and advocacy. The statistics below show how major organizations described their fundraising reach and spending in specific reporting periods, from Komen’s fiscal year 2024 materials to BCRF’s 2025–2026 funding plans and Breastcancer.org’s 2024–2025 impact report.
Contents
- At-a-glance fundraising statistics
- Research investment and grantmaking
- Patient services and direct support
- Walks and community fundraising
- Advocacy, education and reach
- Corporate and retail fundraising
- Breastcancer.org impact and spending
At-a-glance fundraising statistics
These figures provide a quick view of the scale described by the named organizations. They cover different years and are not directly comparable as a single combined total.
| Measure | Reported figure | Reporting period or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Komen research investment | $10 million | Fiscal year 2024 |
| BCRF research investment | $70.3 million | 2024–2025 |
| BCRF grants | $74.75 million | 2025–2026 |
| Komen Patient Care Center services | More than 52,000 | Fiscal year 2024 |
| Breastcancer.org discussion-forum members | 250,000+ | 2024–2025 impact report |
| Komen 3-Day fundraising | More than $863 million | 17 years, 177 events |
The figures represent different kinds of activity. A research investment is not the same measure as money raised, while a service count measures assistance delivered rather than fundraising revenue. The dates and descriptions therefore matter when interpreting each statistic.
Research investment and grantmaking
Research is one of the clearest destinations for breast cancer fundraising. The Susan G. Komen FY2024 impact PDF said Komen invested $10 million in breast cancer research in fiscal year 2024. The same material described BCRF’s 2024–2025 research investment as $70.3 million supporting more than 260 scientists across 16 countries.
The BCRF figures also describe a later funding plan. BCRF’s top 10 article said the organization was funding $74.75 million in grants to 260 scientists across 17 countries in 2025–2026. It also said $24.8 million—around one-third of annual funding—was devoted to 96 projects dedicated to stage 4 breast cancer research during that period.
Earlier BCRF figures show how the scale of grantmaking has been reported over time. BCRF’s 2016 annual report said it awarded $57 million in grants, reaching more than 250 scientists and clinicians at leading medical and academic institutions across 14 countries. A separate BCRF commitment release reported $48.5 million committed to cancer research worldwide, including more than $14.5 million focused on metastatic breast cancer.
Donor-facing examples from BCRF’s top 10 article put individual contributions into research terms. BCRF says $50 funds one hour of critical research in a supported lab, $500 covers DNA sequencing for one patient, and $2,500 enrolls one patient in a clinical trial. These are stated funding examples, not estimates of the total cost of breast cancer research or treatment.
Patient services and direct support
Fundraising also pays for practical support around screening, diagnosis, treatment and daily life. Komen’s FY2024 impact PDF said its Patient Care Center provided more than 52,000 services in fiscal year 2024. Komen also reported granting financial assistance to more than 19,000 patients and providing more than 27,000 navigation services during that fiscal year.
More than 1,100 people received Komen Patient Navigation Training in fiscal year 2024, according to the same source. Training and navigation are separate measures: one counts people receiving training, while the other counts navigation services delivered.
Komen’s FY2019–2020 annual report gave a different, older snapshot of community-based services in 2019. It reported nearly 84,000 community-based services, including nearly 43,000 breast cancer screening services and more than 18,000 diagnostic services. The report also listed more than 250 treatment services, nearly 200 genetic testing services, more than 1,400 quality-of-life interventions and more than 13,000 transportation services.
Those 2019 figures should be read as a historical Komen reporting period, not as a current service total. They illustrate the range of needs fundraising can address: finding a possible cancer, obtaining a diagnosis, accessing treatment, understanding inherited risk, maintaining quality of life and traveling to care.
Walks and community fundraising
Organized walks turn individual donations and participation into large campaign totals. Komen’s FY2019–2020 annual report described the Komen 3-Day as a 60-mile walk over three days. Participants raised a minimum of $2,300 and walked an average of 20 miles per day for three consecutive days.
Across 17 years and 177 events, the Komen 3-Day raised more than $863 million, according to that report. The 2019–2020 Komen 3-Day raised $15.8 million, with 6,280 walkers completing the full 60-mile distance. Another 746 walkers completed the 20-mile distance, while 1,760 crew members supported the event. The report also counted 1,050 survivors walking the 20-mile distance.
The same annual report said almost 60 U.S. markets hosted Komen’s MORE THAN PINK Walk in 2019–2020. These participation figures show several layers of event activity: fundraising, full- and partial-distance walking, crew support and survivor participation. They should not be added together as if every person represented a separate donor or dollar.
Komen’s FY2024 impact PDF also said about 1 million people participate in or support Komen fundraising walks. Because the source presents this as an organization-wide participation figure and the annual report presents a specific event-period snapshot, the two measures describe different scopes.
Advocacy, education and reach
Some fundraising outcomes are measured through advocacy and public education rather than direct service delivery. Komen’s FY2024 impact PDF said the organization recruited more than 18,000 new advocates in fiscal year 2024. It also said more than 300 million people had received breast health and breast cancer education from Komen, while 30 million people engage with the Komen brand annually.
The Komen FY2019–2020 annual report recorded more specific advocacy activity in 2019. More than 250 advocates gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 2019 Advocacy Summit. Komen said it introduced the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act in the U.S. House and Senate, led the introduction and passage of nine pieces of legislation in seven states, and held 15 state advocacy training events.
Grassroots activity in that report included 11.6k messages sent by advocates in 2019. Komen also said it hosted 52 events for people living with metastatic breast cancer through the MBC Impact Series and held two In My Own Voice events. Those two events convened 42 African American women living with metastatic breast cancer.
The Komen FY2024 impact PDF reported that more than 310,000 people in the U.S. were expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in the year described and that about 42,000 people in the U.S. were expected to die from the disease. It also stated that about every two minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer somewhere in the U.S. These are the source’s estimates or statements for its reporting context, not counts generated by this article.
The same Komen material said Black women in the U.S. are about 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. Worldwide, it said an estimated 660,000 people died from breast cancer in 2022. Geography and measurement year are essential here: the first comparison concerns U.S. mortality by race, while the latter is a worldwide estimate for 2022.
Corporate and retail fundraising
Corporate partnerships can produce large commitments over several years or smaller campaign totals tied to a particular promotion. Komen’s FY2019–2020 annual report said Walgreens had a five-year, $25 million combined commitment to Komen and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Because the commitment was shared between two organizations, it should not be treated as $25 million raised solely for Komen.
The report said Bank of America’s Pink Ribbon banking affinity products had raised more than $10.3 million to date for Komen. It also reported that Hint and its retailers raised $380,000 for Komen in one October campaign. Komen said Ford Motor Company had dedicated more than $137 million to support its mission.
Retail participation can also be measured by the number of customers involved. Breastcancer.org’s 2024–2025 impact report said more than 6 million Walgreens customers rounded up purchases for Breastcancer.org during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The same report said USLI’s annual October Together campaign engaged 1,200 employees and clients.
BCRF’s top 10 article said its corporate partners collectively raised over $45 million in the prior year described by that article. Since the report does not identify that period here with a calendar year, the figure should remain tied to the source’s wording rather than being assigned a new date.
Breastcancer.org impact and spending
Breastcancer.org’s 2024–2025 impact report said the organization had reached 250 million people over 25 years. Its community discussion forums had more than 250,000 registered members, and its free virtual support groups connected more than 6,785 participants in the year covered by the report.
The report also said more than 1,400 people took part in Breastcancer.org’s 2024 insights survey. Its Women in Media and Marketing Awards Luncheon welcomed 350 industry professionals and raised more than $480,000. These figures describe different forms of engagement and fundraising: survey participation, event attendance and money raised at an event.
The same report provided a fiscal year 2024 expense breakdown. It said 81% of expenses supported programs, 13% supported fundraising and 6% supported administration. These percentages describe the organization’s reported expense allocation for fiscal year 2024; they are not a universal standard for every breast cancer nonprofit.
Taken together, these statistics show why fundraising reports need context. Research grants may span countries and future funding years, service totals may count several kinds of assistance, and campaigns may report customers, participants, commitments or dollars. Reading the source label, geography and measurement period alongside each number makes the comparisons more useful for anyone evaluating breast cancer fundraising.