The Kidney Cancer Association has a long tradition of funding innovation in medical research.  Starting in 1995, our funding awards have contributed to identifying new mechanisms for tumor suppression, funded critical studies in immunotherapy, and shed light on genomic factors that predispose to rare forms of kidney cancer. At the same time, critical early career funding was granted to top talented researchers and clinicians that today are the key opinion leaders in the field.

The KCA Award Program aims to increase the cadre of talented young clinicians and scientists engaged in novel kidney cancer investigations breaking scientific boundaries. The 2024 Program is comprised of:

The Trailblazer Award (TBA) provides funding to promising young to mid-career investigators to foster and promote innovative research in kidney cancer. Proposals should be projects that can generate promising preliminary data in one year that could lead to potential further funding through other granting mechanisms or direct advancements to care.

The Special Focus Award (SFA) supports research in a specific area of interest to the kidney cancer community.