WALL STREET RAISES RECORD BREAKING $4.2 MILLION AT 15TH ANNUAL LEVERAGED FINANCE FIGHTS MELANOMA BENEFIT SUPPORTING THE MELANOMA RESEARCH ALLIANCE

NEW YORK, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,100 private equity leaders, financiers and attorneys packed the Museum of Modern Art on June 11^th – not for a deal, but to help save lives. The 15^th annual Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma (LFFM) benefit raised a record-breaking $4.2 million for the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research worldwide.

LFFM is the premier convening of the leveraged finance community, uniting to advance critical melanoma research and accelerate progress against the deadliest form of skin cancer. Launched in 2011 by melanoma survivors Brendan Dillon (Veritas Capital) and Jeff Rowbottom (General Atlantic), LFFM has raised over $32 million to fuel research that is not only transforming melanoma care but changing the course of cancer innovation. 

The funds raised at LFFM have supported research breakthroughs across immunotherapy, AI-powered early detection and diagnostics, rare and underfunded melanomas (acral, mucosal, uveal and pediatric) and brain metastases, a major cause of mortality in advanced melanoma.

"LFFM proves what's possible when the power of capital is aligned with the purpose of cure," said Jeff Rowbottom, co-founder of LFFM. "A better name for the event would be Leveraged Finance Fights Cancer. Breakthroughs in melanoma and immunotherapy continue to be applied and repurposed to benefit over 30 other cancer types which is truly an exponential return on investment. We have so very many stories of patients we have saved, but continue to be driven more by those we could not save."

The event was co-chaired by Clare Bailhé (MidCap Financial), Brendan Dillon (Veritas Capital), Kerry Dolan (Brinley Partners), Chris Edson (Apollo), Lee Grinberg (Elliott Management), Jason Kanner (Kirkland & Ellis), Eliza McDougall (White & Case), Erwin Mock (Thoma Bravo), George Mueller (KKR), Geoff Oltmans (Silver Lake), Jeff Rowbottom (General Atlantic), Mark Rubenstein (HPS), Ian Schuman (Latham & Watkins), Brian Steinhardt (Simpson Thacher & Bartlett), Cade Thompson (KKR), Jason Van Dussen (Golub), Trevor Watt (Hellman & Friedman), & Eric Wedel (Paul Weiss).

The evening was sponsored by industry leading giants with Global Presenting Sponsors including HPS, Veritas Capital, Apollo|MidCap, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Paul Weiss, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, White & Case and General Atlantic with Fitch Ratings and Golub Capital as Global Sponsors. A full list of LFFM 2025 sponsors may be found here.

"The $4.2 million raised through LFFM is truly transformative," said Marc Hurlbert, PhD, CEO of the Melanoma Research Alliance. "While we've made remarkable progress, far too many patients still face melanoma without effective treatment options. This generous support gives scientists the critical fuel they need to push the boundaries of discovery—bringing us closer to a cure and delivering real hope to patients and families around the world."

Why It Matters

• Over 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2025
• One person, every hour will die from melanoma this year
• Melanoma spreads quickly through the body, often metastasizing to the brain, lungs, and liver, making it especially lethal if not detected early
• Melanoma diagnoses are on the rise and one of the most common cancers in adolescents and young adults
• Military personnel, veterans, pilots, and outdoor workers face significantly higher risk due to UV exposure
• MRA-funded research has led to 17 FDA-approved treatments in just over a decade

About Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) stands as the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research. Founded in 2007 by Debra and Leon Black, MRA's mission is to end suffering and death due to melanoma by advancing the world's most promising science and research. MRA provides critical funding for melanoma cancer research that propels advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, metastasis, and survivorship. MRA-funded researchers have been behind every major melanoma research breakthrough. Since MRA's inception, more than 17 new therapeutic approaches for melanoma have earned FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval. MRA is recognized as one of the most fiscally efficient non-profits in the country. Because the Black Family generously underwrites 100% of MRA's administrative and operating costs, every dollar donated is invested directly into MRA's scientific and research program. For more information, please visit: www.CureMelanoma.org.

Images from the event, courtesy of BFA, are available HERE.

Media Contacts:
Hunter PR
[email protected]

Dana Deighton, MRA Director, Communications & Engagement
[email protected]

SOURCE Melanoma Research Alliance