Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Putting powerful analysis tools in the hands of every pediatric cancer researcher 

The Opportunity 

Every breakthrough in childhood cancer treatment begins with a researcher asking a question of their data. Did you know our Childhood Cancer Data Lab has one of the world's richest collections of pediatric cancer data and we make it available to everyone for free? Over 1,000 researchers worldwide have already used their Single-cell Pediatric Cancer Atlas to study how childhood tumors grow, resist treatment, and might be stopped. 

But having the data isn't the same as being able to use it. Analyzing this kind of data requires specialized programming skills that many talented cancer biologists never had the chance to learn. As a result, valuable data sits underused, and discoveries that could help children wait longer than they should. 

The Challenge We're Solving 

To bridge this gap, our team teaches hands-on workshops in data analysis. Demand for our workshops far outpaces what our small team can teach. We can reach dozens of researchers a year; the need is multiple times that. Every scientist left on the waitlist represents questions about childhood cancer that may go unasked. 

Our Solution: An AI Research Assistant 

With your support, we will build an AI-powered assistant that lets any researcher analyze Single-cell Pediatric Cancer Atlas data simply by describing what they want to know in plain language – no programming required. A scientist could type, "Show me the genes that are active in tumor cells in samples from recurrences," and within moments receive the analysis, the visualizations, and a clear explanation of the results. No downloading large files or building complex workflows by hand is required. This means a researcher anywhere in the world can: 

Explore data instantly instead of waiting months to learn specialized programming 

Generate publication-ready results to strengthen grant applications and launch new studies 

Form and test hypotheses quickly, turning curiosity into discovery 

The Impact of Your Gift 

This project transforms a training bottleneck into a scalable engine for discovery. Where we currently train a few dozen researchers a year, this assistant could empower hundreds every week. The AI assistant is a direct multiplier on every other dollar invested in these data: the faster scientists can ask and answer questions, the faster we move toward cures. 

Your Support

$525,000 will fully fund the development and support of the AI research assistant for three years.

Help Fund This Project

Young Investigator Grants - Invest in the Future of Cures for Children

The Opportunity 

New treatments don’t appear out of thin air. They start as an idea. All ideas have to start somewhere, usually with a researcher bringing bold new ideas into the field. We are one of the only pediatric cancer organizations that the National Cancer Institute considers as awarding qualifying grants, which opens the door for additional competitive funding down the line.

Data from these projects allows researchers to continue investigating ideas that can lead to safer, more effective treatments. We are at risk of losing researchers to other fields when there are still kids in need of safer, more effective cures.  

The Challenge We're Solving 

Right now, it is harder than ever for early-career scientists to secure federal funding. In 2025, the amount of NIH grants funded for these researchers fell by almost 300. Yet applications for these grants rose by 11%.  

Through our Young Investigator Grants, we can ensure the brightest researchers begin pursuing ideas that can advance critical discoveries for kids with cancer.   

Our Solution: Increased Young Investigator Award Commitments

Building on more than 300 Young Investigator Grants funded over the past two decades, we are uniquely suited to ensure the cures of tomorrow don’t slip through the cracks. Past award winners have gone on to discover breakthrough treatments that are actively curing kids right now. 

The Impact of Your Gift 

Your investment provides early-career researchers three years of protected time to work on their project with an established research mentor. It also opens the door for further investigation of their most promising findings; applicants who are selected for a Young Investigator Grant are 2X more likely to receive future NIH funding than the applicants who weren't selected.

Supporting these young researchers opens the pathway to future discoveries and makes more cures possible for kids.

Your Impact

$180,000 will fully fund 3 years of a named Young Investigator Award (payable over 3 years)

Named Funding: You may choose to name your funded Young Investigator Award for your family or a mutually agreed upon name. Your named award will be recognized in scientific research papers published by the award recipient. On an annual basis, you will receive a report on the research progress.