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  • Cancer A-Z

    Whether you or someone you love has cancer, knowing what to expect can help you cope. From basic information about cancer and its causes to in-depth information on specific cancer types – including risk factors, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment options – you’ll find it here.

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    You can help reduce your risk of cancer by making healthy choices like eating right, staying active and not smoking. It’s also important to follow recommended screening guidelines, which can help detect certain cancers early.

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    Whether you want to learn about treatment options, get advice on coping with side effects, or have questions about health insurance, we’re here to help. We can even find you a free ride to treatment or a free place to stay when treatment is far from home.

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    Girl on bike with feet stretched out on dirt lane facing away Research to Help Boost Cancer Prevention in Countryside Teens

    Our team of expert journalists brings you all angles of the cancer story – from breaking news and survivor stories to in-depth insights into cutting-edge research.

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    Girl on bike with feet stretched out on dirt lane facing away Research to Help Boost Cancer Prevention in Countryside Teens
  • Our Research

    What does it take to outsmart cancer? Research. We’ve invested more than $5 billion in cancer research since 1946, all to find more – and better – treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve cancer patients’ quality of life.

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  • About Us

    At the American Cancer Society, we’re on a mission to free the world from cancer. Until we do, we’ll be funding and conducting research, sharing expert information, supporting patients, and spreading the word about prevention. All so you can live longer — and better.

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Financials & Governance

The American Cancer Society invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year to fight cancer on a global scale and has earned the public trust by demonstrating a history of careful and proven financial stewardship for over a century. We raise nearly all of our money through private individual donations, which helps to ensure our independence. We encourage people to look at how effectively we deliver on our mission, in addition to how efficiently we operate. We are deeply committed to reporting to our “shareholders” – the millions of people who support us each year.

American Cancer Society is committed to efficiency and transparency and relies on direct mail (both postal and online) and special events including Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, DetermiNation, Coaches Vs. Cancer, and CEOs Against Cancer to maintain our strong volunteer and donor base as well as educate and inform the public regarding cancer prevention, early detection, and patient programs offered and available to them. The Society also uses these events to drive a call to action for cancer prevention and screenings as well as public policy advocacy. This education and information delivery is inherent in our mission statement – to save lives, celebrate lives, and to lead the fight for a world without cancer. We communicate and educate by postal mail, digitally, telephone, and in person at our events not only to generate income but to fulfill our mission. As a result, in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) guideline and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines, we allocate a portion of our direct mail and special event costs to program services. 

As a nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal taxation, we ensure donors’ money is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. For more information regarding these cost allocations, we invite you to view our audited financial statements where we disclose additional information in accordance with FASB. Additionally, please see Schedule G of our Form 990 for more information regarding Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. 

American Cancer Society Annual Report

Focusing on our mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer, the American Cancer Society Annual Report outlines our path forward, as we work to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. In the report, we showcase our accomplishments, and we detail revenue and spending for the calendar year.

The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance Seal

The American Cancer Society is proud to hold the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance National Charity Seal, which provides a clear, concise, and accessible means for donors and constituents to find out if a national charity meets comprehensive standards established by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Financial Statements

The Financial Statements of the American Cancer Society, Inc., Cancer Action Network, and ACS Puerto Rico provide the most meaningful financial information on the entire American Cancer Society organization, since they are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and combine all parts of the organization in one statement.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is composed of 5 officers and 16 directors. Directors are elected for a two-year term. The Board is responsible for setting policy, establishing long-term goals, monitoring general operations, and approving the organizational outcomes and allocation of resources. 

IRS Form 990s

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 is an annual federal informational return that most tax-exempt charitable corporations are required to file. The information in the Form 990s is provided in accordance with IRS regulations. 

Governance

The American Cancer Society, Inc. takes its mission to save lives seriously and therefore works to protect the resources entrusted to it by the public. The Society is governed by a single Board of Directors, which is made up of volunteers from the medical and lay communities. Our system of organizational governance ensures the input of appropriate experts on decision making and strategic oversight of comprehensive nationwide operations.

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