issues . please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message the topic of this article may not meet wikipedia s notability guidelines for companies and organizations . please help to establish notability by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond its mere trivial mention . if notability can not be established the article is likely to be merged redirected or deleted . find sources prostate cancer foundation news newspapers books scholar jstor free images december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message this article relies too much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . december 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message prostate cancer foundation type non profit founded 1993 in santa monica ca founder michael milken headquarters 1250 fourth street santa monica ca 90401 key people michael milken chairman dr. jonathan simons president and ceo dr. howard r. soule chief science officer website pcf.org the prostate cancer foundation pcf headquartered in santa monica ca funds research into the prevention and cure of prostate cancer . 1 1 in 7 u.s. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime . african american men are 70 % more likely to get prostate cancer and 2.4 times more likely for their prostate cancer to be fatal . 2 active duty military personnel are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as their civilian counterparts . 3 several important prostate cancer discoveries made in the past two decades have been as a result of pcf s actions whether in funding or in coordination . these results include the development of new medications gene therapy approaches and the development of vaccines that signal the body s immune system to kill cancer cells . in 2015 82 % of the money raised by pcf went directly into research programs . since 2007 more than 42.3 million has been awarded to the young investigator program a pcf program that gives recent mds and phds the opportunity to conduct pivotal research at a critical point in their careers as research scientists . 4 in 2015 the pcf global research enterprise supported teamwork and team science with a portfolio that included 305 active research awards totaling 118 million . there are 61 active challenge award teams and 110 active young investigators who represent the next generation of scientific discovery . pcf s efforts and advocacy have helped produce a 20 fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer research . this is how the prostate cancer product pipeline has turned from bone dry to a robust flow . pcf set itself apart at its founding in 1993 when prostate cancer research was considered a dead end . pcf attempted and has succeeded with a new model invest in the most innovative and promising programs that merit major investment . reduce the red tape and shorten the time from grant request to response so that the best most vibrant young minds get answers sooner and get to work faster . form a community with researchers investors and pharmaceutical companies so everyone can work toward the same goals . this new model has turned prostate cancer research into one of the most vibrant and impactful fields of medical research . pcf s global influence now extends to 19 countries . most recently pcf expressed support for the goals of vice president biden s cancer moonshot . 5 6 dr. jonathan simons a physician scientist medical oncologist and leader in prostate cancer research is currently president chief executive officer and david h. koch chair of the foundation . 7 contents 1 history 2 accomplishments 3 research and awards 3.1 pcf research enterprise strategy 3.2 grants and awards 3.2.1 young investigator awards 3.2.2 challenge awards 3.2.3 creativity awards 4 global expansion 5 programming 5.1 sports programs 5.1.1 home run challenge 5.1.2 athletes for a cure 5.1.3 golf programs 5.2 other programs 5.2.1 movember foundation 5.2.2 safeway awareness campaign 5.2.3 scientific retreat 5.2.4 the distinguished gentlemen s ride 6 references 7 external links 8 see also history edit the prostate cancer foundation formerly known as cap cure was founded in 1993 by michael milken following his personal battle with prostate cancer . after being diagnosed with prostate cancer milken traveled to many different specialists in the field . citing a major lack of funding for prostate cancer research and roadblocks that existed within the grant application process milken created pcf to spur both private and government support in the field of research . in 2011 pcf established the coalition to cure prostate cancer in canada and expanded global research efforts into china partnering with the chinese urological association and funding its first two young investigators in china . in early 2014 pcf launched the norwegian prostate cancer foundation . accomplishments edit through the prostate cancer foundation s unique funding structure pcf funding has been a major part of some of the most significant discoveries in the field of prostate cancer research . these discoveries and advancements include supported research for new life prolonging treatments for advanced metastatic prostate cancer jevtana cabazitaxel 8 fda approved xtandi mdv3100 9 fda approved zytiga abiraterone 10 fda approved xgeva denosumab 11 fda approved provenge sipuleucel t 12 fda approved xofigo radium 223 dichloride 13 fda approved supported research of 97 drugs in phase i or ii trials and 3 more pcf supported therapeutics are rapidly working their way through phase iii clinical trials yervoy ipilimumab 14 fda approved for unresectable or metastatic melanoma identification of 30 varieties genotypes of prostate cancer support of clinical trials through the prostate cancer clinical trials consortium at 13 centers in the u.s. research into stopping the production or function of growth factors that help cancer cells grow research concerning anti angiogenesis determination of the structure of the prostate cell androgen receptor which is responsible for the growth of both normal and cancerous prostate cells ; identification of prostate cell surface markers that can be targeted to destroy cancer cells development of analytical methods that identify the proteins in blood or the prostate that correlate to treatment effect or behavior of the cancer cell a method known as proteomic pattern recognition . discovery of gene fusions in the ets transcription factor family research and awards edit pcf has streamlined the grant making process in order to make research funding more readily available . according to a 2004 fortune magazine article pcf s grant giving model is to stimulate research by drastically cutting the wait time for grant money to flood the field with fast cash to fund therapy driven ideas rather than basic science to hold researchers accountable for results and to demand collaboration across disciplines and among institutions private industry and academia . 15 pcf research enterprise strategy edit to accelerate prostate cancer research and reduce red tape pcf employs a fast track awards process designed to maximize the time researchers spend searching for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer . pcf follows a venture capital model of philanthropic investing providing initial funding for high impact early stage research projects that offer great hope for new treatments or better understanding of the disease . when these early investments demonstrate promising results other institutional funders such as the national cancer institute or biopharmaceutical companies step in to provide the major funding needed to complete the work and bring a new drug or treatment to market . 16 grant awardees are selected from a pool of applicants from around the world . each submitted proposal is subjected to a rigorous peer review process in which the projects are assessed for their scientific merit and potential impact in the field of prostate cancer . the pcf standing review committee consists of approximately 74 pre eminent scientists and members have expertise in various areas of science and medicine related to advance prostate cancer solutions . each of these panelists adheres to confidentiality and conflict of interest policies to ensure pcf s award processes are free from bias . priority is given to high risk first in field and currently unfunded projects typically falling outside the parameters of conventional funding organizations . all pcf award recipients must share their work within one year of receiving their funds an innovative requirement for the industry . this unique stipulation encourages scientific cooperation and accelerates discovery . after the first year and the development of genetic testing of men at highest risk of prostate cancer the number of requests for grants soared and prestige for pcf grants grew as well . today many other foundations have adapted their grant making after pcf s model . after careful evaluation by more than 40 experts in prostate cancer research and biotechnology pcf revised its investment strategy in 2007 . 17 the current goal is to build on past successes and further accelerate the development of new therapies and the discovery of new information . pcf research principles identify the most promising research not being funded recruit the best scientists to energize the field limit award applications to five pages make award decisions within 60 days fund them in no more than 90 days grants and awards edit pcf s scientific strategic plan operates on the principle that longer term funding of milestone driven research is needed in the field in order to reduce death and suffering from prostate cancer . the following awards are offered to help to reach this goal challenge young investigator and creativity awards . 18 young investigator awards edit the young investigator yi program has been a pillar of pcf s research enterprise since its inception in 2007 . awards make 3 year investments in early career scientists recent mds and phds with the skills and expertise to rapidly advance high impact discoveries that can be translated to clinical practice . as part of the yi program awardees are mentored by leaders in prostate cancer research . each award is matched dollar for dollar by the investigator s institution . to date pcf has provided funding to 202 yis representing a total investment of 42.3 million in 10 countries . 19 challenge awards edit pcf challenge awards are multi year awards supporting cross disciplinary teams of research scientists . 20 these teams are composed of scientists from 3 or more cancer centers . as a stipulation of funding all pcf challenge award teams must include at least one pcf young investigator demonstrating the foundation s commitment to the career development of early and mid career scientists . creativity awards edit pcf supports imaginative innovative thinking with its creativity awards . 21 these two year awards for 300 000 support exceptionally novel projects with great potential to produce breakthroughs for detecting and treating prostate cancer . they are complementary and integrated with other pcf award programs . global expansion edit pcf has expanded its global research network and partnerships through three important steps the establishment of the coalition to cure prostate cancer ccpc in canada the launch of pcf china and the launch of the norwegian prostate cancer foundation . the canadian entity monitors national research progress at canadian cancer centers and universities . the pcf china initiative identifies funds and promotes innovative research projects benefiting men around the world . in march 2012 pcf presented the first two young investigator awards to chinese scientists at the inaugural china prostate cancer symposium in beijing . moving forward pcf will work with established chinese institutions such as the chinese urological