Mission Statement
To support innovative research focusing on the causes, prevention,
screening, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.

Background
Over the past several years, New Jersey has had the dubious distinction of consistently ranking in the top ten states in the nation for prostate cancer incidence and mortality. To strengthen the battle against prostate cancer, citizens and policy leaders joined together to establish an innovative funding source to fund additional prostate cancer research projects in New Jersey. On January 2, 2002, Governor DiFrancesco signed into law Assembly bill A2633, an act establishing the "New Jersey Prostate Cancer Research Fund".

Meeting the Prostate Cancer Research Challenge in New Jersey
Citizens now have the opportunity to contribute to the New Jersey Prostate Cancer Research Fund through a check-off box on their state income tax form. The Fund is administered by the New Jersey State Commission on Cancer Research, which is the only state agency dedicated to eradicating cancer through scientific research. Monies from the NJ Prostate Cancer Research Fund support innovative prostate cancer research projects, training fellowships, and educational conferences. The legislation was sponsored in the Assembly by The Honorable Francis J. Blee (R-District 2), John C. Gibson (R-District 1), and in the Senate by the Honorable Robert W. Singer (R-District 30) and The Honorable Peter Inverso (R-District 14).

Administration of the Fund
The New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research administers the Fund at no additional cost to the State. Through a competitive scientific peer review process, the NJCCR awards monies for research projects focusing "on the causes, prevention, screening, treatment or cure of prostate cancer and may include, but is not limited to, basic, behavioral, clinical, demographic, epidemiological, and psychosocial research" (P.L. 2001, Chapter 305). Commission sponsored seed grants assist talented researchers in obtaining additional funding from the federal government, foundations and private sources. On average, for every dollar the NJCCR awards, more than four dollars are returned to the state for continued research.