Donating to the cause: Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

At year's end, one's thoughts often turn to how one can give to those doing good in the world, with or without a tax deduction involved. I have listed some sites here that may be useful to you, or to those that ask you about where they should give money to support research on ACC. You can also give to the big cancer organizations, like the American Cancer Society, but they don't fund specific research on a rare cancer like ACC. (If someone from ACS wants to weigh in, please do - email me at teresa.hartman at gmail.com and set me straight). Oh, and I repeat what I said last year - I am listing these organizations and individuals only for information purposes - where I put my money is my own business.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation http://www.accrf.org/ - the director of this foundation is one of us, folks. Marnie Abbott Kaufmann was diagnosed with ACC in 2004. She not only went through surgical and radiation treatment, she and her husband formed this foundation to help fund research to someday stop this cancer in its tracks. In addition to accepting donations on their website, they also offer email registration for updates from the foundation.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Organization International http://www.accoi.org/Donate.htm - this site offers great information, an email discussion group of fellow ACC survivors and their caregivers, and has helped fund research on ACC. They have an address for mailing in donations, as well as using PayPal.


Attack ACC http://www.attackacc.org/ created by family and friends of Alicia Almanza, a 16 year survivor of ACC. All the money raised will go to the University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only center that has dedicated itself to research on ACC.

Rare Cancer Alliance http://www.rare-cancer.org/ this is not a non-profit group, but rather is a single ACC survivor that created vital support networks for many of the rarest cancers, including ACC. Donations are used to support website maintenance and research funds, and can be made through PayPal. The site also links to other funding sites for research: http://survivor-support.rare-cancer.org/research-funds.html

Oral Cancer Foundation http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/donations/ also a site for support discussion lists, this foundation has a General Fund that supports research, awareness, and early detection. They accept PayPal. They also link to the Bruce Paltrow Oral Cancer Fund, a fund co-directed by the OCF and the Paltrow family.

Start your own online foundation. Have you ever wanted to start your own foundation, but figured you needed to win the lottery to do it? According to the Independent Charities of America, you can do it with any amount of money. Before you start one , you should check with your favorite CPA, though, just to make sure you are following the tax rules in the state you live in.


Please let me know if you know of additional non-profit groups that support research on ACC, and I will collect the links here.