Thanks for dropping by our website.
This Foundation - The Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) - is a Non-Profit, Health Promotion Charity that my wife Kirralee and I began in 2014, after I was diagnosed with brain cancer. We began the Foundation when we realised how underfunded brain cancer was in Australia in comparison to other cancers. The lack of funding meant very little research into treatments or cures for brain cancer and, as a result, not much has changed in the shocking brain cancer mortality rates over the past 30 years.
We had no idea when we started our Foundation and set about raising funds for some much needed research, the incredible amount of support we would receive from people everywhere.
In 2014 we kicked off our first simple fundraiser, Beanie for Brain Cancer Campaign. Since then we have grown from selling a few hundred beanies locally to joining forces with the National Rugby League to create an annual Beanie for Brain Cancer Round.
Our Beanie campaign is now a nationally recognised fundraiser which has seen almost 1 million beanies sold!
To date the Foundation has raised close to $30 million and in 2022 MHF announced a $25 million Brain Cancer Research Centre at the University of Newcastle. The Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research is an exciting step forward for brain cancer research in Australia.
Other projects MHF have funded include a Brain Cancer Biobank, travel grants, multiple research projects around Australia including Fellowships and PhD’s. One of our proudest achievements as a foundation is implementing Brain Cancer Care Coordinators in rural and regional NSW health districts.
Ultimately research means better outcomes for brain cancer patients but research is expensive - so we will continue to make it our priority to raise funds and ensure those funds get to where they are needed most.
Our Foundation is a very small organisation that runs mostly on the generosity of our supporters and some community grants which allows us to keep the running costs to a bare minimum so that one day, maybe in my lifetime, together, we will find a cure for brain cancer.
Join our tribe… we believe anything is possible!
Mark Hughes