Pelotonia from community to discovery: How grassroots philanthropy amplifies Ohio State's cancer research capacity

As a cancer survivor and CEO of Pelotonia, I've witnessedfirsthand how grassroots community engagement creates sustained researchfunding to amplify institutional capacity in ways that transform both researchand outcomes. Over 18 years, Pelotonia's peer-to-peer community fundraisingmodel has raised more than $340 million directed to cancer research at The OhioState Comprehensive Cancer Center. This funding has supported the recruitmentof world-class scientists and their labs, underwritten an annual researchfellowship program, launched institutional programs including the DrugDevelopment Institute and the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, and manymore key research initiatives. This case study explores the history and impactof Pelotonia and how grassroots engagement creates a social movement in supportof cancer research. It also makes the case that this model, scaled andreplicated, holds the potential to transform how the world funds andaccelerates the science that will save lives.