The Estée Lauder Cos. has announced a $15 million grant to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to establish the Global Research Initiative on Breast Cancer in Younger Women.

The five-year commitment will be the largest coordinated global research program focused on the disease in younger women, with scientists around the world investigating the factors leading to early-onset breast cancer and improving approaches to risk prediction, prevention, early detection and treatment.

“The Estée Lauder Cos. has a long-standing commitment to advancing breast cancer research, and I know my mother would be so proud to see us carry her vision forward,” said William P. Lauder, the company’s chair of the board and co-chair of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The organization was founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993. Since then, Lauder has funded over $123 million in medical research through the BCRF, including more than 400 research grants. It has also fueled the largest global study of breast cancer in Black women.

“My mother believed deeply in the power of research to change and ultimately save lives,” Lauder said. “Through this donation we can expand our understanding of breast cancer in younger women, an area where there is still much to learn.”

Diagnoses among women under 45 have increased by 11 percent from 2012 to 2022, BCRF reports, while only 0.6 percent of breast cancer research funding since 2020 has focused on younger women. BCRF said breast cancer in younger women is more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and behave more aggressively, with women diagnosed before the age of 40 nearly 40 percent more likely to die from the disease.

“BCRF has always been at the vanguard of addressing persistent challenges in the disease and is proud to have already been advancing the largest body of research in younger women,” said Donna McKay, president and chief executive officer. “The alarming rise in incidence among this demographic warrants a global response to fund the scientists who are in a race to find answers.”

The organization has made great strides in improving outcomes for those diagnosed with breast cancer since its founding. Over the past 30 years, breast cancer deaths have declined by 44 percent, and treatment options have expanded from a single targeted treatment in 1993 to more than 30 today.

The grant comes on the eve of Breast Cancer Awareness month, which started in 1985. Estée Lauder Cos.’ breast cancer campaign was begun in 1992 and has become the cornerstone of the company’s commitment to the advancement of women and girls.

“For more than 30 years, the Estée Lauder Companies has been deeply committed to helping create a breast cancer-free world,” said CEO Stéphane de La Faverie, who is also president of the company’s charitable foundation. “That commitment is rooted in who we are: a company founded by a woman and serving millions of women around the world. It also reflects our enduring belief in the power of research, partnership and collective action to improve and save lives.

“As diagnoses rise among younger women, we have a responsibility to act with urgency,” continued de La Faverie. “We are proud to build on our long-standing partnership with BCRF and help lead a new era of global collaboration to improve outcomes for generations of women and families.”