Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Funds myeloma-focused cancer initiatives with venture-style support for early projects.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is a U.S. foundation founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti and Karen Giusti. It focuses on multiple myeloma and says it has raised more than $600 million for research since inception, with roughly 90% of its budget directed to research and programming.

The foundation funds grants, fellowships, and translational consortium awards for academic and clinical investigators worldwide. Its main routes in the record are the Scholars Program, up to $400,000 over four years; the Research Fellowship Program, up to $75,000 for one year; the Myeloma Accelerator Challenge, up to $7 million across multicenter projects; and the Myeloma Investment Fund, an equity arm for early-stage myeloma companies. The Scholars Program is open worldwide but is aimed at investigators at or below assistant professor level at a U.S. institution, while the fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers, clinical fellows, and junior faculty under a qualified mentor.

MMRF is strongest when the science is tightly centered on myeloma biology, treatment, diagnosis, disparities, or data-driven translational work. Its model combines conventional research funding with milestone-driven collaborations, and the investment arm extends that translational focus into company building.