The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a

not-for-profit organization A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

, with the aim of raising funds to help find cures for children with cancer. The name of the foundation is not associated with a recognized Saint of the Catholic Church, but is founded on word play and appropriation of the title of sainthood. Volunteers sponsored by family, friends, and employers shave their heads or "chop" their ponytails in solidarity with children who typically lose their hair during cancer treatment in order to raise funds.

History

Tim Kenny, John Bender, and Enda McDonnell founded the St. Baldrick's Foundation on July 4, 1999, as a challenge to see how they would give back for their "good fortune in business". The inaugural event was hosted on March 17, 2000, at Jim Prady's Pub in Manhattan, where $104,000 was raised by 19 shavees. The foundation officially registered as a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

charitable non-profit in 2004, and during their first year as an official foundation, they managed to raise over $5.3 million for the

Children's Oncology Group The Children's Oncology Group (COG), a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. The COG conducts a spectrum of clinical research ...

. On January 9 and 10, St. Baldrick's hosted their inaugural Research Priorities Summit in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Foundation board members and executives were in attendance, alongside 16

pediatric oncology Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases in high-income countries are being able to treat with modern treatments and good medical care. Yet, only 10% of children with cancer live in high-income countries where pro ...

researchers. According to their official website, 2012 marked $100 million given in childhood cancer research grants since their first year as an independent foundation in 2005.

Events

All events are hosted by volunteers in the community, with the foundation providing planning tools and support. Volunteers can find events near them and help set up the event space, shave heads, have their heads shaved, or any combination of the three. Events have taken place in all 50 US states and 31 countries. Since 2000, St. Baldricks event organizers and volunteers have hosted nearly 4,200 head-shaving events and shaved over 190,500 heads, raising over $118 million for life-saving childhood cancer research. After a volunteer reaches a certain number of repeat years, the foundation awards them through " knighting ceremonies". According to Plenty Consulting, 2,600 volunteers had thus far earned the Knight of the Bald Table award in 2015, which is given for seven years of service to the organization.

Charity Navigator Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates more than 230,000 charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adh ...

gave the foundation a 94 out of a possible 100 score rating (2024) and 4 Stars in Financial Score out of a possible 4 Star rating. According to

Better Business Bureau The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an American private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 92 independently incorporated local BBB organizati ...

, the non-profit meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. 46 mommas shave

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Baldrick's Foundation Charities based in California Children's charities based in the United States Cancer charities in the United States Medical and health organizations based in California 501(c)(3) organizations

History

Events

See also

References