We walk for the people who can't.
For those too weakened by
treatment to join.
For those who are suffering.
For those we have lost.
Our Mission
Save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
About Susan G. Komen
In 1980, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became the Susan G. Komen® organization and the beginning of a global movement. What began with $200 and a shoebox full of potential donor names has grown into the world’s largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer. To date, we’ve invested nearly $3.6 billion in groundbreaking research, community programs, advocacy, education and patient support services in more than 60 countries.
How we're helping
Susan G. Komen is the ONLY organization that addresses breast cancer on multiple fronts including research, community health, outreach and public policy initiatives in order to make the biggest impact against this disease.
Drive
Research
INVESTED NEARLY
$1.1b
IN BREAST CANCER RESEARCH SINCE 1982
Research is one of our best weapons against breast cancer. It’s fueled our knowledge and helped us understand that breast cancer is not just a single disease but many diseases, unique to each individual. Your fundraising dollars have helped us invest in:
- More than 2,800 research grants in 47 states, the District of Columbia and 24 countries
- Nearly 600 clinical trials
- More than 160 research advocates
- Launching ShareForCures®, a breast cancer research registry that will help us discover the cures for breast cancer, faster
Komen is the world’s leading breast cancer organization, investing more in research than any other nonprofit and second only to the U.S. government.
Learn more about Komen funded research at https://www.komen.org/about-komen/our-impact/breast-cancer/research/
Provide
Care
MORE THAN
143K
RECEIVED SUPPORT THROUGH THE PATIENT CARE CENTER
Your fundraising dollars help Komen provide direct support to people with concerns about breast cancer through the Komen Patient Care Center, including:
- 1x1 support from a patient navigator who can provide information about breast health and breast cancer, access to services and resources, emotional support, education about clinical trials and more.
- The Komen Financial Assistance Program, which helps those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.
And more! Learn more about the Komen Patient Care Center at www.komen.org/PatientCareCenter.
If you or a loved one needs help or more information, contact the Komen Breast Care Helpline at 1-877 GO-KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or helpline@komen.org. Se habla español.
Unify
Community
UNITED WITH
30M
ACROSS OUR BREAST CANCER COMMNITY
Breast cancer by-the-numbers:
- Approximately 320,000 people in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
- Nearly 43,000 people in the U.S. are expected to die from breast cancer this year.
- The breast cancer mortality rate is about 40% higher in Black women than white women in the U.S.
To empower our breast cancer community, Komen leverages evidence based and accurate education programs. Last year, we reached more than 2.9 million people including bringing together the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) community through our MBC Impact Series.
Learn more about Komen’s health equity work at komen.org/about-komen/our-impact/breast-cancer/health-equities-initiative/
Take
Action
MOBILIZED
127K
TO ADVOCATE FOR PATIENTS' RIGHTS
Your fundraising supports critical work to take action through the Komen Center for Public Policy, driving policy change to end deaths from breast cancer.
- Komen serves as the leading voice for the breast cancer community by advocating for policies that accelerate research; ensure timely access to high-quality care; and alleviate systemic and financial burdens for all populations.
- At the federal and state levels, Komen’s Center for Public Policy works to secure more than $1 billion in government funding for breast cancer research and critical breast cancer safety net programs annually.
Only through informed government action can we make the broad, systemic and lasting change we need to help us achieve our vision of a world without breast cancer. By mobilizing our communities to take action, we can ensure the voice and needs of breast cancer patients and their loved ones are heard by policymakers and government regulators.
Learn more about Komen’s Center for Public Policy at https://www.komen.org/how-to-help/advocacy/center-for-public-policy/
Our stories fuel our passion. Together, we will fight back against breast cancer.
Every participant at the Komen MORE THAN PINK Walk has a story to tell about why they are part of our event. On event day, our group is made up of people impacted by breast cancer, including survivors and those currently in treatment. We walk next to those living with metastatic breast cancer and share laughter and tears with caregivers and co-survivors. Most importantly, we rally around those who have lost loved ones and listen as they share the stories of those we have lost, but who are never forgotten.
We are honored to share some of those stories here and we invite you to share the story of why you walk and fundraise with us to help find the cures to one day create a world without breast cancer.
Meet Jessica, Breast Cancer Survivor and Top Fundraiser
“I’ve participated in Komen events since I was a teenager, but my perspective shifted after I received my own breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. I remember how awe-inspiring it was when I was younger to see all these amazing men and women supporting the survivors and those still battling breast cancer. It was a surreal feeling when I attended my first MORE THAN PINK Walk as a survivor, and I received my pink shirt, instead of a gray participant shirt…a true full-circle moment! I am so proud of how far I’ve come and the difference I continue to make in my community. Now I’m pink forever!”
I walk for my two girls. They are my world!
Seeing the Walk through the eyes of someone who has been through breast cancer is completely different. It’s not about weakness. There are people around you who have a similar story, and it is so incredibly empowering. It means so much to me to be with other people who are surviving and thriving.
Meet Laurel, Breast Cancer Survivor and Top Fundraiser
“I started walking for Komen the year my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thirty years later I’m still walking and fundraising. Through the years I've had several family members and countless friends diagnosed. It hurts to count how many have been impacted, and it hurts worse to count how many I've lost to breast cancer. Now I also walk for myself and my breast cancer journey. Thanks to Komen’s support for research and treatment my journey wasn’t as difficult as those before me. I’ll keep walking till we live in a world without breast cancer.”
I walk for a world without breast cancer.
I went to my first MORE THAN PINK Walk while in treatment for breast cancer. I felt an instant feeling of community come over me. I’ve heard from women who have lost their jobs or couldn’t pay their rent, and it means a lot to know that money we’ve raised is helping someone go through treatment.
Meet Nisha, Breast Cancer Survivor and Walk Participant
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was a mother to three young children, and I was terrified. I needed connection to people who truly understood what I was going through and who could give me the hope I so desperately had been searching for. I found Susan G. Komen through social media, and I instantly felt comfort and hope.
After finishing treatment, I joined the MORE THAN PINK Walk in Los Angeles. Being surrounded by other survivors hugging them, hearing their stories of strength and survival was profoundly healing for me. It’s an event my family and I look forward to year after year.
Breast cancer took away my sense of control. But fundraising for Komen gave me a way to reclaim it. It allows me to take action and to support others walking this same path. It’s my way of turning pain into purpose and that means everything.
I walk for everyone impacted by breast cancer.
I participated in the MORE THAN PINK Walk the week I completed treatment for breast cancer, which was a serendipitous way to celebrate myself and the end of my cancer journey. But it’s now grown into so much more for me. It’s an opportunity for me to give back to an organization that does so much for people facing breast cancer and connect with other young women and moms, like me, who may need support.