Empire Health Foundation Selected as CARE Program Administrator

Published by Empire Health Foundation, June 15, 2017

The Cancer Research Endowment (CARE) Fund, a new public-private partnership that supports cancer research in Washington, has selected Empire Health Foundation (EHF) in Spokane to serve as its Program Administrator. EHF will be responsible for administering grants to fund cancer research that utilizes the best science with the greatest potential to improve health outcomes for Washingtonians.    

“We are excited to have Empire Health Foundation as a partner in this new approach to supporting cancer research in Washington state,” said Dr. Frederick Appelbaum, chair of the CARE Board and executive vice president and deputy director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “The CARE Fund will leverage our state’s existing cancer research organizations and talent to advance cancer care in Washington. With new investments, we are going to recruit top researchers from all over the world to bring their best-in-class talent to Washington and set the stage for new collaborations that can generate the next big discovery in cancer research.”

“Empire Health Foundation is deeply committed to the CARE Fund’s goals and is eager to launch and scale this important initiative for our state,” said Antony Chiang, president of Empire Health Foundation. “Washington has world-class, innovative cancer research happening across the state, and the CARE Fund will provide critical support to push those efforts even further.”

The CARE Fund was seeded with $5 million in public funding in the 2015-17 budget. The Legislature is authorized to provide up to $10 million per year in public funding for 10 years, and all public funding must be matched by private or other non-state resources. 

The Board recently adopted an initial strategic plan to focus on two priority areas:

• Distinguished Researchers. The CARE Fund will match up to $500,000 to fund recruitment packages that bring leading cancer researchers to cancer research institutions in Washington.
• Breakthrough Fund. The Breakthrough Fund will provide grants up to $750,000 in the first year to partnerships or collaborations solving a critical problem or trying to achieve a transformational breakthrough.

A request for proposals for the Distinguished Researchers program will be released this summer. Proposals for the Breakthrough Fund will be solicited and evaluated later this year. 

As part of its work as Program Administrator, EHF will work with expert scientific review panels to provide independent evaluation of grant applications. Only grants recommended by the review panels can be awarded by the CARE Board.

CARE is created and defined by statute (RCW 43.348), wherein the Legislature and Governor recognized that “Washington has an existing infrastructure of world-class cancer research and care centers for children and adults that can develop and apply new techniques for the prevention of cancer and care of cancer patients throughout the state.” Lawmakers further found that “sustained investment in cancer research, prevention, and care is critical to reducing long-term health costs, saving lives, and relieving pain and suffering.” CARE is intended to provide additional public resources dedicated exclusively to cancer research.

The CARE Board, appointed by the Governor, includes Elaine Albert (Seattle Children’s Hospital), Leslie Alexandre (Life Science Washington), Frederick Appelbaum (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center), Thomas Brown (Swedish Cancer Institute), David Byrd (University of Washington Medicine), Weihang Chai (Washington State University), Carol Dahl (The Lemelson Foundation), Steven Harr (Juno Therapeutics), James Hendricks (Seattle Children’s Research Institute), Eunice Hostetter (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network), and Jennifer Kampsula Wong (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network). 

The CARE Board first met in October 2016 to discuss priorities for cancer research funding and to begin mapping out a strategic funding plan; adopted its initial strategic plan in February 2017; issued the Program Administrator RFP in April 2017; and selected EHF after a competitive bidding process. The Department of Commerce finalized the contract with EHF for that role earlier this month.

Empire Health Foundation (www.empirehealthfoundation.org) is a private health conversion foundation formed in 2008 through the sale of Deaconess and Valley Medical, a nonprofit hospital system in Spokane.  Stewarding philanthropic assets totaling approximately $80 million, EHF invests in ideas and organizations that improve access, education, research and policy to result in a measurably healthier region.