Act Now! Congress Proposes $10 Million for Melanoma Research

The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) needs you right now! After more than a decade of advocacy by the MRF and supporters like you we are days away from securing $10 million in Department of Defense (DOD) funding for melanoma research!

The Senate has proposed to create a new program specific to melanoma with $10 million in dedicated funding for research in its defense appropriations bill. This represents a historic moment for our community. Diseases like breast cancer and lung cancer have benefitted from special funding for years, while melanoma researchers have been left to compete for support with over a dozen other cancer types.

Our time is NOW! Contact your Members of Congress and ask them to write the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to support inclusion of a $10 million line item for DOD-funded melanoma research in the Fiscal 2019 Department of Defense Appropriations bill. 

With just five minutes of your time today, you can make a HUGE impact in the melanoma community! We have all the tools you need to contact your representatives below. All you need to do is follow these three easy steps:

1. Add your personal story to our call-to-action letter
2. Find your representative and their contact information using our “Who represents you” tool
3. Email your call-to-action letter to each of your lawmakers (two Senators and one Representative) and attach one of these letters of support:

• When writing your Representative, ask them to send the “House of Representatives” letter to House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Kay Granger and Ranking Member Pete Visclosky. 
• When writing your Senators, ask them to send the “Senate” letter to Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Richard Shelby and Ranking Member Richard Durbin.

Click here to let us know that you’ve joined our efforts!

We sent our letters today and I hope you will join us! It only takes a few minutes and what you do in this moment can reshape the future of melanoma research. With your support we look forward to announcing that, for the first time, melanoma will receive dedicated DOD funding for research!

With gratitude,

Kyleigh LiPira
Chief Executive Officer
Melanoma Research Foundation

Cassie Beisel
Advocacy Officer
​Melanoma Research Foundation