What is Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation?

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (a registered a 501c3 public charity) grew out of the front yard lemonade stand started by Alexandra “Alex” Scott, a pediatric cancer patient. In 2000, at the age of four, Alex opened her first annual lemonade stand with high hopes of raising money for pediatric cancer causes, specifically research into a cure. Since that time she held an annual lemonade stand in her front yard and inspired others to donate money to her cause. After fighting her own battle with cancer for over seven years, she died peacefully at home in August of 2004. At the time of her death, she had raised over $1,000,000 for pediatric cancer research and, amazingly, was only eight years old. Her legacy continues through Alex' s Lemonade Stand Foundation. With the help of tens of thousands of volunteers who hold stands to help the cause, the donors who give, and our generous sponsors, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised over $20 million for childhood cancer research.

Whose idea was the lemonade stand?

The idea for the lemonade stand and to donate the proceeds to help doctors fight cancer was Alex’s. She came up with the idea while in the hospital for a month just after her 4th birthday. She said she did not know how she thought of the idea but clearly knew why – “because all kids want their tumors to go away”.

How does Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation raise money?

As our slogan says, Alex’s Lemonade Stand is truly fighting childhood cancer one cup at a time. Adults and children have been inspired by Alex’s giving spirit – since Alex's first stand in 2000, there have been more than 7000 Alex’s Lemonade Stands held across the country. Alex’s Lemonade Stands have been organized by a diverse group of devoted volunteers including inner city school children, senior centers, pre-school aged children, a juvenile detention center, college students, and even a group of homeless people. The lesson that children and adults everywhere learn from holding their own lemonade stands is simple but powerful – every person can make a difference in the world. Alex's Lemonade Stand as a fundraiser brings charitable giving to communities and neighborhoods, making donating simple and rewarding for everyone.

In addition, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation gladly accepts donations online and through the mail and has wonderful corporate partnerships. Together we are making a difference!

How does the money raised by Alex’s Lemonade Stand help in the fight against childhood cancer?

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has donated millions to pediatric cancer care centers across the country. We are unique in our approach to providing grants. Our goal is to partner with the staff at leading research and treatment facilities around the country. We work with them to identify the specific ways in which the Foundation can make a difference for children who need new advances in treatments—and who need these options today, not tomorrow. For example, facilities such as The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified a critical need to fund research support staff in order to expedite the enrollment of children in clinical trials. In response, Alex’s Lemonade Stand provided CHOP with a $100,000 grant to fund research support staff; this grant allowed them to triple the number of children enrolled in these trials over previous years. The similar grants already made to top research institutions will increase exponentially the number of children who benefit, now and in the future, from the money raised by one little girl’s simple idea. These grants are already impacting lives! To find out more about our grant program recipients, check out our grants section.

How does Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation help children with cancer in my community?

Donations to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation are put to good use for all children with cancer by investing in the most promising new treatments, ideas and researchers.   The process of developing a new treatment and bringing it to young cancer victims is a complex and time consuming process.  This long process is designed to test both the safety of the treatment for children and of course, how well a treatment will work as a potential cure for childhood cancers. 

Our medical research grants are designed to test the latest ideas and increase access to new treatments for children with cancer across the country.   In addition, our nursing grants are designed to explore practical ways to improve the quality of life and care of children with cancer. 

The good news is that childhood cancer researchers across the country who work tirelessly to develop new and better ways to help children with cancer are also very committed to sharing their ideas and treatments with each other.  This means that a cure or better way of treating children with cancer found in one place will benefit children with cancer everywhere!     

Add this all up and be proud that your donations are truly making a difference for children with cancer everywhere!

What are the future plans for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation?

Alex’s family and the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation staff and Board of Directors are committed to Alex's vision of a cure for all children with cancer. The fundraising plan is simple -- lots of lemonade stands! Plans to continue and expand Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation include national Alex’s Lemonade Stand Days in June every year as well as creative corporate partnerships, various fundraising initiatives throughout the year and always lots of lemonade all year long. With the help of our generous volunteers, sponsors, and donors, we are confident that we will be successful in continuing her legacy and raising millions more to find a cure for childhood cancer. Together, we will find a cure -- one cup at a time!

Does Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation spend a lot of money on fundraising and overhead?

Alex was committed to making every donation count and her parents have carried on her vision of giving as much as possible to research. Because of the dedication of children and adults who hold lemonade stands and the support of our generous sponsors, we have traditionally been able to keep our administrative and fundraising expenses very low. In 2006, our fundraising and administrative expense ratio was around 9%.