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Movember Foundation

Annual Giving
$11.0M
Grant Range
$90K - $0.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $11+ million USD (US programs, 12-month period)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by program (not publicly disclosed)
  • Grant Range: $90,000 - $500,000+ (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: International (US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)

Contact Details

Website: https://us.movember.com

Email: info.us@movember.com (general); ymmcgrants@movember.com (YMMC program); fundingopportunities@movember.com (funding notifications)

Phone: (310) 450-3399

Address: 1616 17th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Mailing Address: PO Box 2040, Santa Monica, CA 90406

Overview

The Movember Foundation is a global men's health charity founded in 2003 that has raised over $1.3 billion and funded more than 1,320 men's health projects worldwide. The US entity (EIN 77-0714052), based in Santa Monica, California, has earned a Four-Star rating with a 99% score from Charity Navigator. Led by CEO Owen Sharp since 2016, Movember focuses exclusively on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention. The foundation has committed to reducing male suicide rates by 25% by 2030 and operates with a distinctive funding model: 100% of grant funding must be applied to research, health services interventions, and their evaluation, with no institutional overhead permitted. Over the past 12 months, Movember committed over $11 million to programs in the United States alone.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Prostate Cancer Health Equity Initiative

  • Amount: $4.4 million total (18 grants over 3 years)
  • US Allocation: 3 grants in the United States
  • Focus: Addressing health inequities for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), rural and remote, LGBTQIA+, First Nations and Indigenous, Black and Caribbean men, or people of low socio-economic status
  • Application: Through specific funding calls

Indigenous Men's Wellbeing Innovation Initiative

  • Amount: Up to $250,000 USD per year for 3 years
  • Focus: Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations improving social and emotional wellbeing among Indigenous boys and men in the United States
  • Application: Expression of Interest (EOI) process through online portal

Young Men & Masculinities in Culture (YMMC)

  • Amount: Partnership totaling approximately $1.15M USD supporting 8-10 partners (roughly $90,000-$180,000 per grant)
  • Focus: Young men aged 16-25 in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States
  • Application: Online through Foundant Grant Application System

Scaling What Works

  • Amount: AUD $250,000 to $500,000 over 2 years per project
  • Total Program: AUD $10.38 million fund
  • Focus: Mental health initiatives for young boys and men with proven effectiveness in community or workplace settings
  • Application: Funding call process

Movember-PCF Challenge Awards (Partnership with Prostate Cancer Foundation)

  • Amount: $1.5 million total for multi-year team science projects
  • Focus: Pioneering prostate cancer research at leading cancer research institutions
  • Application: Through Prostate Cancer Foundation (pcf.org)

Mental Health & Community Programs

  • Laureus Sport for Good Partnership: 3-year commitment to youth sports programs in Chicago and New York City for youth aged 12-18
  • Game Changers: Sport-based mental health resilience programs for young men

Priority Areas

Prostate Cancer

  • Biomedical and clinical research
  • Health equity in care delivery
  • Sexual health impacts of treatment
  • Patient outcomes and quality of life
  • Prostate cancer registries

Testicular Cancer

  • Post-diagnosis support
  • Peer-to-peer resources
  • Treatment and recovery

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

  • Community-based programming for young men
  • Digital mental health tools
  • Workplace interventions
  • Sport-based mental health programs
  • Social connections and resilience building
  • Focus on high-risk populations (Black youth, veterans, socially isolated men)

What They Don't Fund

  • Institutional expenses or overhead (100% of funding goes to direct program costs)
  • Infrastructure grants (outside of specific funding calls)
  • Projects outside strategic priority areas (prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health/suicide prevention)
  • Direct and unsolicited funding requests (funding only through formal calls)

Governance and Leadership

CEO: Owen Sharp (appointed June 2016)

  • Previously CEO of Prostate Cancer UK and COO of Movember
  • Quote: "It's an organization that has done more than any other to highlight the fact that men are dying too young, unnecessarily. This is a societal issue and one that needs to be faced up to and addressed."
  • On mental health expansion: "Movember is addressing mental health because three out of four suicides are male. More than 500,000 men every year, across the globe, die by suicide."

Board Chair: Richard Deutsch (joined October 2022)

  • Former Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Australia (2018-2021)
  • Non-Executive Director of Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Limited and Chair of Board Audit Committee
  • Non-Executive Director of AUB Group Limited

Board Members:

  • Cassandra Vujovich-Dunn, Non-Executive Director (epidemiologist and public health researcher with 15+ years' experience)
  • David Bryant, Non-Executive Director (CEO of Marsh McLennan Pacific and President of Mercer Pacific)
  • All Board members serve unpaid

Governance Structure: The Board ensures highest standards of performance, governance, accountability, transparency, and cost-to-fundraising ratios. They annually review the performance of the CEO and Executive Director of Programs. Selection of successful applications is managed through strict governance processes with expert advisory committees.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Movember does not accept direct and unsolicited funding requests. All funding is allocated through formal funding calls or expressions of interest released at different times for different strategic priorities.

To Stay Informed About Funding Opportunities:

  1. Email fundingopportunities@movember.com to be added to the funding notification database
  2. Monitor specific program websites for announcements
  3. Check partner websites (e.g., Prostate Cancer Foundation for PCF-Movember opportunities)

Application Process When Calls Are Released:

  • Applications are submitted online through the Foundant Grant Application System: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=movember
  • Applicants must register and set up a profile
  • Each funding call details specific eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, key dates and deadlines
  • Applications must be structured and submitted according to specific funding call requirements

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by program and are specified in individual funding call documentation. Movember invests in specific programs under the guidance of expert advisory committees, and selection follows strict governance processes. Specific timelines are not publicly disclosed and depend on the individual funding opportunity.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. Recent grant activity shows:

  • 20 awards in 2024
  • 22 awards in 2023
  • 19 awards in 2022

The foundation has funded over 1,320 projects globally since 2003.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not publicly disclosed in general terms. Specific reapplication guidance would be included in individual funding call documentation when opportunities are released.

Application Success Factors

Based on Movember's documented priorities and funding patterns, successful applicants demonstrate:

Strategic Alignment with Core Focus Areas:

  • Projects must directly address prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, or suicide prevention
  • CEO Owen Sharp emphasizes that Movember has expanded mental health programming because "three out of four suicides are male"
  • Recent investments prioritize health equity, particularly for underserved populations

Evidence-Based Approaches:

  • Movember's "Scaling What Works" program specifically seeks initiatives with "proven effectiveness"
  • The foundation prioritizes funding that builds on existing evidence about effective approaches
  • Research grants require rigorous scientific methodology

Global Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing:

  • Funding strategy principle: "Foster global collaboration"
  • The Global Action Plan (GAP) brings together international researchers to share data
  • Successful projects demonstrate potential for knowledge sharing across borders

Innovation and Technology:

  • Funding strategy emphasizes "innovative solutions, using new ideas and new technology to solve long-standing problems"
  • Recent funded projects include digital mental health tools, esports partnerships, and novel delivery mechanisms

Health Equity Focus:

  • Recent Prostate Cancer Health Equity grants (18 grants, $4.4M) specifically target CALD, rural and remote, LGBTQIA+, First Nations and Indigenous, Black and Caribbean men, or people of low socio-economic status
  • Indigenous-led organizations prioritized for Indigenous men's wellbeing programs
  • Programs addressing veterans, Black men, and socially isolated men receive priority

Community-Based and Culturally-Centered:

  • Indigenous programs must center "Indigenous culture as a protective factor for health"
  • Sport-based programs (Game Changers, Laureus partnership) use trusted community settings
  • Movember values programs embedded in community contexts

Measurable Outcomes:

  • 100% of funding must be applied to "research, health services interventions and their evaluation"
  • Projects must include evaluation components
  • Foundation reports on all funded initiatives for accountability

Examples of Recently Funded Projects:

  • Game Changers: Sport-based mental health resilience for young men in San Diego and Chicago
  • Indigenous Wellbeing Grants: Community-led solutions centering Indigenous culture
  • Prostate cancer sexual health research: National expert collaboration on treatment impacts
  • BLAST Esports partnership: Mental health promotion in esports communities
  • Stress First Aid for US firefighters: Training to recognize stress symptoms and reduce suicide

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No unsolicited applications: You cannot apply directly. Email fundingopportunities@movember.com to join the notification database and wait for formal funding calls aligned with your work.

  • 100% of funding goes to programs: Movember's unique policy prohibits institutional overhead, so budget accordingly—all funding must support direct research, interventions, or evaluation activities.

  • Health equity is a current priority: Recent investments heavily emphasize reducing disparities for CALD communities, Indigenous populations, Black men, LGBTQIA+ individuals, rural/remote communities, and low socio-economic groups.

  • Partnership model for prostate cancer research: US-based prostate cancer researchers should pursue Movember-PCF Challenge Awards through the Prostate Cancer Foundation (pcf.org), not directly through Movember.

  • Evidence and scalability matter: The "Scaling What Works" program demonstrates Movember's preference for interventions with proven effectiveness that can be expanded or replicated.

  • Strategic focus is narrow but deep: Only apply if your work directly addresses prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, or suicide prevention for men and boys—Movember will not fund outside these areas.

  • Community and cultural grounding valued: Successful projects are embedded in trusted community settings (sports programs, Indigenous-led initiatives, workplace interventions) rather than solely clinical or institutional approaches.

References

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