About the Research Grants Program Office (RGPO)

The Research Grants Program Office (RGPO) oversees a broad portfolio of research programs and grants, representing over $100 million a year in funded research. With a diverse set of missions and approaches, these programs seek to:

• Advance research in areas of importance to California, the nation and the world;
• Enhance research capacity and excellence, making it easier to attract the best faculty, graduate students, government funding, and companies to the State;
• Create opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers to develop their research and advance their careers.

The RGPO administers a diverse range of research programs, helps identify and foster the highest quality research, shares resources and best practices across programs, supports researchers in managing their UCOP-administered research grants, and helps to measure and communicate the impact of research at UC and throughout California.

Tax Check-off

As a service to California, the RGPO administers two Tax Check-off lines, the voluntary contributions from individuals’ State Tax Form 540.

California allows taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to a range of causes when completing and filing their yearly state tax return. Two of these causes impact vital cancer research in California. The California Breast Cancer Research Fund on line 405 and/or the California Cancer Research Fund on line 413 are earmarked for research into the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer for communities that face the greatest cancer risk, and 95% of all funding goes directly to support these research and education efforts.

Contributions to the California Breast Cancer Research Fund support the mission of the California Breast Cancer Research Program, whose mission is to eliminate breast cancer by leading innovation in research, communication, and collaboration in the California scientific and lay communities.

Previous contributions have supported critical areas of cancer research, including:

• Identifying environmental factors (like dioxins and PBDEs) that potentially cause breast cancer
• Developing scientifically rigorous data on health dangers that can change state health policies
• Developing targeted therapies to block breast cancer from spreading to other organs
• Finding extremely early genetic changes that can be used to eliminate cancer cells before they become tumors
• Improving support networks for socially or geographically isolated cancer patients
• Exploring the potential of natural products in preventing and treating breast cancer

View a full list of awards funded in part by Tax Check-off contributions through the CBCRP.

Contributions to the California Cancer Research Fund are used to conduct research relating to the causes, detection, and prevention of cancer and to expand community-based education on cancer, and to provide prevention and awareness activities for communities that are disproportionately at risk or afflicted by cancer. Learn more about the research funded in part by this voluntary tax contribution.

Look for the voluntary contribution lines or tell your tax preparer about donating to the California Breast Cancer Research Fund on line 405 and/or the California Cancer Research Fund on line 413 of your state tax Form 540.

To learn more information about California’s Voluntary Contributions, see the Franchise Tax Board’s FAQ page.