Program-directed funding

Learn more about Program-directed funding mechanisms.

Preventing Breast Cancer: Community, Population, and Environmental Approaches

Supporting coordinated, directed research that addresses strategic needs in breast cancer research

The California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) Program Initiatives integrate expertise and experience from a range of stakeholders to identify compelling research questions and fund research projects that help find solutions to reduce suffering from breast cancer and move science closer to eliminating the disease. The initiative engages scientists, advocates, people impacted by breast cancer, and the broad community in a dialogue to frame research priorities and fund meaningful research.

In 2004, CBCRP launched its Special Research Initiatives, devoting 30% of research funds to research to environmental causes of breast cancer and the unequal burden of the disease. In 2010, CBCRP launched its second round of Program Initiatives, adding population-level prevention interventions as a target area, devoting 50% of its funds to these priority areas.

In 2015, CBCRP’s Council decided to build on the existing Program Initiatives by devoting 50% of CBCRP research funds between 2017 and 2021 to a third round of Program Initiatives. This new effort is titled Preventing Breast Cancer (PBC): Community, Population, and Environmental Approaches. Approximately $20 million is being dedicated to directed, coordinated, and collaborative research to pursue the most compelling and promising approaches to:

Identify and eliminate environmental contributors to breast cancer.
Identify and eliminate fundamental causes of health disparities with a focus on breast cancer in California.
Develop and test population-level prevention interventions that incorporate approaches to address the needs of the underserved and/or populations experiencing disparities in the burden of breast cancer.

In June 2020, CBCRP’s Council approved the first four concept proposals to stimulate compelling and innovative research in all three focus areas of PBC. A series of funding opportunities is being released reflecting these concepts, and CBCRP will be considering additional concept proposals in the future.