NCRA wins ASAE award for cancer surveillance advocacy

NCRA received the 2026 Power of Associations Summit Award from ASAE for its nationwide response to proposed FY26 budget cuts that threatened U.S. cancer surveillance programs. The effort helped preserve funding support for systems that collect data on nearly all Americans and guide cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Why it matters: - The award recognizes an advocacy push that helped protect federal cancer data systems tied to research, prevention, treatment and public health decisions. - The outcome preserved support for programs that collect cancer data for nearly 100% of the U.S. population.

What happened: - NCRA’s program, “Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget Threats,” received ASAE’s 2026 Power of Associations Summit Award on Sept. 22, 2026. - ASAE presented the award at its dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. - The honor is ASAE’s highest recognition for associations that create meaningful impact through innovative programs, strategic partnerships and bold initiatives.

The details: - NCRA’s “Advocacy Now” campaign aimed to defend the U.S. cancer surveillance system after the proposed FY26 federal budget sought to eliminate funding for the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries. - The budget also proposed major cuts to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. - Those two programs together collect cancer data for nearly the entire U.S. population. - The data supports cancer research, prevention, treatment and public health decision-making. - Jennie Jones, NCRA’s immediate past president, accepted the award on behalf of NCRA members, volunteer leaders and national partners. - The advocacy effort used coordinated grassroots action, strategic outreach and communications. - The campaign raised awareness of the role cancer registries and registrars play in U.S. cancer control. - The effort helped secure bipartisan support for continued funding.

Between the lines: - The award underscores how association-led advocacy can move quickly when federal funding threatens a core public health infrastructure. - Protecting cancer surveillance data matters because research and policy depend on complete, reliable records.

What's next: - NCRA is likely to continue positioning cancer registries as essential public health infrastructure. - Continued funding decisions for NPCR and SEER will shape the scope and quality of future U.S. cancer data.

The bottom line: - NCRA turned a budget threat into a national advocacy win, and the recognition signals the stakes of cancer surveillance funding.