ABOUT MRA 
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) is the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research. Since its founding in 2007, MRA has committed $143 million in funding to end suffering and death due to melanoma by collaborating with all stakeholders to accelerate powerful research, advance cures for all patients, and prevent more melanomas. 

Founded in 2007 under the auspices of the Milken Institute, MRA has ushered in a dynamic new era of scientific progress. MRA has become the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, funding over $143 million in cutting-edge studies and leveraging millions more from other sources. Thanks to the generous support of our founders, 100 percent of donations to MRA directly support our research program.

MRA’s IMPACT
Since MRA’s founding, an unprecedented 13 new therapies have been approved by the FDA to treat melanoma, bringing the total number to 15. These advances in treatment have resulted in melanoma seeing the greatest decline in deaths among all cancers in recent years. Advances in melanoma research are having a ripple effect across the field of oncology. Melanoma has been called the case study for state-of-the-art cancer drug development, precision medicine, and immunotherapy. In fact, therapies that were pioneered in melanoma are now being used and/or tested in more than 30 different tumor types.

MRA has directly funded 502 principal investigators at 158 different institutions in 19 countries.

MRA’s RESEARCH STRATEGY
MRA awards accelerate transformative advances in melanoma research through strategic investment in prevention, diagnostic, and treatment approaches.

All funding proposals are rigorously peer-reviewed by MRA’s world-class Grant Review Committee. Successful research proposals are defined by outstanding scientific merit, whether they employ established research avenues or high-risk, high-reward paths. MRA is especially committed to funding young investigators to help promote new ideas and foster an interest in the field of melanoma.

ABOUT MELANOMA
Melanoma is a growing global health problem, with more than 106,110 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States. Its ability to spread widely and quickly throughout the body makes melanoma the deadliest of all skin cancers. It can strike anyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or age. Alarmingly, melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancer diagnosed in young adults, and the most common cancer diagnosed in people aged 25-29. Despite recent scientific progress, patients with metastatic melanoma still face a grim outlook. In the United States alone, over 7,180 people die from melanoma each year. 

MRA will not stop until we achieve our mission of ending death due to melanoma.