Supporting Stomach Cancer Research
100% Volunteer Based Nonprofit Organization
Our Work
As the 5th most common cancer worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, there are just over 1 million new stomach cancer cases every year. However, there are an estimated 783,000 deaths per year from the disease. That is 78% of all cases! So why is the National Cancer Institute’s cancer research budget on average only directing 0.24% of its budget to the disease in its most recent reporting year? Research funding for this disease is left nearly entirely up to organizations and public charities like Project Periwinkle. We are striving to fill the research gap!
Since 2015, we have been on a mission to fund stomach cancer research programs that are paving the way for a better future and a brighter world. As of 2023, we have supported 7 programs at 4 cancer centers throughout the United States.
NCI Budget % Ranked By Global Commonality
We started to help people, and we make it our work to ensure that we maximize our impact everyday. 100% of the funds raised, go toward research and awareness, and we do everything we can to keep our overhead at a minimum. This starts with everyone, from our executive leadership to our staff, giving their time and not accepting compensation for their work, and we could not do what we do without our volunteers. That is what sets us apart from other charities and foundations, and we are proud of that. But more importantly, we are proud of what that enables us to do: make the biggest difference possible in the lives of others and work to eliminate a disease that affects so many lives every year.
Our Mission
To fund stomach cancer research for a cure and bringing awareness to the disease.
Our Vision
To create and contribute to a world where cancer is cured, not just treated.
Our Values
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We know and understand that we are the greatest stewards of the financial resources we are given. We are committed to ensuring we allocate funds where they have the biggest impact. This starts with being 100% volunteer based, it continues with how we operate and support our day to day operations, and it ends with how and where we direct research dollars and the follow through after giving to ensure there are results and our expectations are met.
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We are committed to remaining completely transparent. We share how donor dollars are used, where they go, and the impact they have on the world. All financial reporting can be found on our Financial Reporting page.
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We strive to be a leader, an innovator, and a change maker. This started on Day 1 with how we set up the operating model of our organization, and it has continued throughout our history as we have partnered with cancer centers and researchers who share our dreams. We take pride in being first, seed funding programs that are proving to be a success through the results they show, and never forgetting the real people and patients impacted by everything we do.
About Us
The first promise we made is one that we still hold today: that every dollar we raise will go toward fulfilling our mission of advancing stomach cancer research funding. Project Periwinkle was founded in 2015 by Ben Broghammer, after his cousin, Michon Runyon, lost her battle to stomach cancer in the summer of 2014 at the age of 30. At the time, Ben was entering his junior year of undergrad at Saint Louis University, and in the days following her death, he felt the need to bring attention an underrepresented and underfunded disease and to help create a world where no family would go through what his did. Project Periwinkle was founded on a dream to make the world a better and brighter place, and since its launch in May of 2015, the organization has grown or started a half dozen programs at four cancer centers and research hospitals throughout the United States.