Best Grants for Cancer Nonprofits in Florida

About Us

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) was established by the Florida Legislature in 1996, however public health has its roots in Florida dating back to 1888 with the creation of the Florida State Board of Health.

In 2007, the first-ever State Surgeon General was established to spearhead the efforts of DOH, thereby designating a health officer to oversee all matters of public health. The Surgeon General’s role is to be the state’s leading advocate for wellness and disease prevention.

The State Surgeon General, who serves as the state health officer and is directly appointed by Florida’s Governor, and confirmed by the Florida Senate.

James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program

The biomedical research program works to improve the health of Floridians by researching better prevention, diagnoses, treatments, and cures for cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and pulmonary disease.

Program goals

• Improve the health of Floridians by researching better prevention, diagnoses, treatments, and cures for cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and pulmonary disease.
• Expand the foundation of biomedical knowledge relating to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of diseases related to tobacco use, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and pulmonary disease.
• Improve the quality of the state’s academic health centers by bringing the advances of biomedical research into the training of physicians and other health care providers.
• Increase the state’s per capita funding for research by undertaking new initiatives in public health and biomedical research that will attract additional funding from outside the state.
• Stimulate economic activity in the state in areas related to biomedical research, such as the research and production of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices.

Florida Cancer Innovation Fund

The Florida Legislature created the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund in 2024 within the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, with oversight by the Florida Cancer Connect Collaborative, to support innovative cancer research and treatment models, including emerging trends that may serve as catalysts for further research and treatments.

In Fiscal Year 2025-26, a total of $60 million is available for Florida cancer innovation research.

This year’s grant funding represents an expanded commitment to comprehensive cancer prevention and treatment innovation, including dedicated support for clinical trials, nutrition-based prevention research, and generic drug repurposing initiatives.

The purpose of this effort is to energize collaborations between oncologists, cutting edge researchers and cancer facilities and to provide a plausible route for expedited funding to bolster competitiveness for extramural cancer research funding. The aim is to provide opportunities to break down longstanding silos between researchers, cancer facilities, and medical providers to improve cancer research and treatment through rapid (12-month) innovative approaches to cancer research.

This opportunity supports groundbreaking research and innovative approaches aimed at combating cancer and improving patient outcomes across Florida. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the next wave of cancer innovation.

William G. “Bill” Bankhead, Jr. and David Coley Cancer Research Program

Expanding Florida’s Cancer Research

• Identifying ways to attract new research talent and attendant national grant-producing researchers to cancer research facilities
• Implementing a peer-reviewed, competitive process to identify and fund the best proposals to expand cancer research institutes
• Funding proposals that demonstrate the greatest opportunity to attract federal research grants and private financial support
• Encouraging the employment of bioinformatics to create a cancer informatics infrastructure that enhances information, resource exchange, and integration through researchers working in diverse disciplines, to facilitate the full spectrum cancer investigations
• Facilitating the technical coordination, business development, and support of intellectual property for advancement of cancer research
• Aiding in other multidisciplinary research-support activities to advance cancer research

Improving research and treatment through clinical trials

• Identifying ways to increase adult enrollment in cancer clinical trials
• Supporting public and private professional education programs designed to increase the awareness and knowledge about cancer clinical trials
• Providing tools to cancer patients and community-based oncologists to identify of cancer clinical trials available in Florida
• Creating opportunities for the state’s academic cancer centers to collaborate with community-based oncologists in cancer clinical trials networks
• Reduce the impact of cancer on disparate groups by identifying those cancers that disproportionately impact certain demographic groups and building collaborations designed to reduce cancer disparities