Governor secured record $14 million for pediatric cancer research and support in 2024-2026 state budget

LOUISVILLE, KY - On May 27, 2025, at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Gov. Andy Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Senior Advisor Rocky Adkins joined leaders from the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund (KPCRTF) Board to present more than $1.9 million in financial and psychosocial support grants for children living with cancer and their families.

The Governor also signed proclamations recognizing Brain Cancer Awareness Month, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Awareness Day and the fifth annual David Turner Jr. Ice Cream Day.

“All Kentucky kids deserve to grow up healthy and happy. And no parent whose child is facing cancer should have to worry that they might lose their home because of overwhelming medical expenses,” Gov. Beshear said. “Today, many leaders in D.C. are sitting back and threatening to leave millions of folks without health insurance. But we are standing up to make sure our children get the treatment they need to save their lives.”

“Kentucky has prioritized pediatric cancer research and support for families facing this disease, showing we are a national leader working to ensure our children’s voices are heard,” said David Jr.’s mom and KPCRTF President Elizabeth Turner. “Thank you to Gov. Beshear and Team Kentucky for continuing to honor David Turner Jr. Ice Cream Day, giving us hope that one day, children with DIPG will have the opportunity to grow up.”

In the United States, childhood cancer is the No. 1 cause of death by disease in children, and medical debt is the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy.

In 2024, Gov. Beshear worked with legislators to secure a record $14 million to fight childhood cancer over the biennium: $10 million for research funding through House Bill 6 and $4 million to support the families of Kentucky’s pediatric cancer patients through House Bill 1.

Today, the Governor and the KPCRTF Board awarded seven grants to hospitals and nonprofits, including:

• $976,333 to Norton Children’s Cancer Institute to launch the new Norton Children’s Cancer Institute Family Resource and Survivorship Center.
• $500,000 to the University of Kentucky (UK) Markey Cancer Foundation to create the Care Advancing Treatment Succession (CATS) Financial Assistance Fund for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
• $220,000 to Book for Hope for its Just Imagine a Cure Project, which includes financial and in-kind support to childhood cancer patients and caregivers with critical needs, like car repairs so they can get to treatment, or medical equipment that is not covered by insurance.
• $160,000 to Kids Cancer Alliance (KCA) to expand its Financial Assistance Program. The organization also hosts summer camps and retreats for pediatric cancer patients and their siblings, along with fun activities for kids who are receiving treatment in the hospital.
• $31,000 to Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana to expand its Pediatric Financial Assistance Program, which helps cover basic expenses for childhood cancer patients and their families, like groceries and transportation. Gilda’s Club provides social and emotional support for families living with cancer, offering more than 190 programs per month, all at no cost to participants. To learn more, visit gck.org. To become a member or refer a family, click here.
• $24,000 to Super Drew’s Crew, which provides financial support directly to families facing childhood cancer. Super Drew, 10-year-old childhood cancer survivor Drew Esposito, and his dad, Jeremy, joined the Governor to accept the award.
• $11,800 to Seth’s Squad, which provides psychosocial support programs for childhood cancer patients and their loved ones, including family nights out and support groups. The organization also delivers meals and toys to the hospital to provide hope and build community for families battling this illness. The Governor first met Seth, a five-time cancer survivor at just 10-years-old, at Childhood Cancer Advocacy Day at the State Capitol in February.

“Childhood cancer impacts families far beyond diagnosis and treatment,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO, Norton Healthcare. “By offering resources alongside great medical care, this center will help families heal during their journey, providing hope and support during an incredibly challenging time.”

“Pediatric cancer imposes a significant financial burden on families—a challenge felt acutely in Kentucky, where childhood cancer incidence rates are 7.2% higher than the national average,” the UK Markey Cancer Foundation shared in a statement. “The CATS Fund is designed to reduce financial stress for families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis — ensuring that no child’s care is compromised by economic hardship. By reducing out-of-pocket expenses and related costs, this fund will provide direct support to patients and empower families to focus on healing, not financial strain.”

“If you’ve ever met Savannah, there are two things you know about her. She loves cats and has a lot of really great hair,” said Danira Garner, mom of Savannah, who has been fighting a brain tumor, optic glioma, since she was 2 and a half years old. “Savannah is currently on her seventh treatment, and she doesn’t know what it is to have a normal life. Even when the treatments are over, the battle itself is not over due to life-long side effects and complications. On top of that, Savannah’s medical journey has caused a financial hardship to this day. I really hope that these programs that help pediatric oncology patients continue to be supported.”

Apply for Pediatric Cancer Research and Support Funding by Sept. 2
The Governor and KPCRTF encourage eligible hospitals, nonprofits, research and educational institutions and government agencies to apply for the next round of pediatric cancer research and support grant funding. Applications are due Sept. 2, 2025. To learn more and see both requests for applications, visit the KPCRTF’s website.

Team Kentucky Leads Fight Against Childhood Cancer
In 2015, the commonwealth became one of the first states in the nation to dedicate funding for childhood cancer research. That year, the KPCRTF was established by Senate Bill 82 and was funded with $2.5 million each year of the biennium as part of the 2018 budget. In 2022, the budget bill included $2.5 million in base funding per fiscal year, as well as an additional one-time allocation of $3.75 million per fiscal year.

Gov. Beshear has supported childhood cancer research since his first days in office. In February 2020, he and First Lady Britainy Beshear met David Turner Jr., who was battling DIPG, an aggressive form of brain cancer. That day, David Jr. said he wanted to use the Governor’s proclamation pen to declare National Ice Cream Day.

During the last year of his life, David Jr. visited the state Capitol many times to advocate for other children with cancer and for all Kentuckians who were at higher risk for COVID-19 complications. He even joined one of the Governor’s press briefings and shared a message on his social media pages.

On May 21, 2021, David Jr. passed away from DIPG at age 9. Just a few hours later, Gov. Beshear proclaimed May 21, 2021, as the first David Turner Jr. Ice Cream Day in the commonwealth, a tradition he will continue every year he is Governor.