The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

Research strategy and grantmaking are led by CEO Ryan Schoenfeld and Executive Chairman Raymond N. DuBois, both reporting to Founder and Chairman Alexander Knaster. The foundation's board and scientific advisory committees review applications through a peer-review process modeled on NIH study sections but streamlined for faster capital deployment. Final approval authority sits with the leadership team, which operates independently of Knaster's Pamplona Capital Management.

The foundation proactively identifies high-impact science through relationships with academic medical centers and cancer institutes worldwide. It solicits applications through targeted requests for proposals and participates in consortium-based initiatives such as the Cancer Grand Challenges. The membership in the Health Research Alliance and the Association of American Cancer Institutes provides early visibility into emerging research, while the strategic alliance with Takeda Pharmaceuticals surfaces translational-stage projects.

The foundation does not publicly disclose its asset base or a formal endowment structure. Available records indicate a lean balance sheet consistent with a pass-through funding model, where Alexander Knaster and potentially other donors contribute capital on a campaign or annual basis to meet grant obligations, rather than operating a large permanently restricted endowment.

Alexander Knaster founded both entities, but they operate separately. Pamplona Capital Management is a global alternative investment firm managing outside capital; The Mark Foundation is a personal philanthropic vehicle funded by Knaster's wealth. No investment partnership or capital interchange between the two is disclosed, and the foundation's investment team and grantmaking decisions are walled off from Pamplona's operations.

The Mark Foundation actively co-funds with peer research funders. It has partnered with Cancer Research UK on Cancer Grand Challenges, runs a joint grant program in Israel with the Israel Cancer Research Fund, and executed a full merger with the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation in 2025. These partnerships indicate a preference for pooled-risk, high-impact consortium models rather than exclusively funding standalone grants.

The foundation focuses on the preclinical and early translational stages where academic discoveries require validation and lead optimization before pharmaceutical or venture capital involvement. It avoids late-stage clinical trials, which are typically funded by industry. The venture philanthropy arm also takes equity-like positions in spinout companies emerging from funded research, blending grant and investment capital.

The wealth originates from Alexander Knaster, who founded Pamplona Capital Management and previously held significant stakes in Alfa-Bank in Russia and LetterOne Holdings, the investment vehicle co-founded by Mikhail Fridman. Knaster's career in investment management, spanning Moscow, London, and New York, generated the personal capital that established and sustains the foundation.