The Chick Mission Raises $1.15 Million at Its Eighth Annual New York Gala

At a Glance

• The Chick Mission's eighth annual gala was held October 22, 2026, in New York City.
• The evening raised more than $1.15 million, with totals still being counted, for fertility preservation for young women with cancer.
• Since 2018 the nonprofit has awarded 957 Hope Grants through 100 partner fertility clinic locations in 10 states.
• Founder Amanda Rice is a three-time cancer survivor and a 2026 L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth honoree.

The Chick Mission raised more than $1.15 million at its eighth annual gala in New York City on October 22, 2026, bringing together over 500 cancer survivors, philanthropists, medical professionals and leaders from business and media.

The nonprofit was founded by three-time cancer survivor Amanda Rice, whose own diagnosis led her to a mission: that young women facing cancer should not have to give up the chance of motherhood because of the cost. The gala marked nearly 1,000 Hope Grants awarded to women who needed fertility preservation before treatment that could end their ability to have children.

Beyond the total, the evening opened a larger conversation about reproductive choice, healthcare access and what life after cancer can hold.

For Rice, the mission is personal. She faced cancer three times before her 40th birthday and understood the decisions that arrive with a diagnosis, including one that gets too little attention: what happens to a woman's ability to have children after treatment.

Rice had the resources to preserve her fertility through egg freezing. She knew many other young women did not. In 2017 she founded The Chick Mission to close that gap, offering financial assistance, education and advocacy for women ages 18 to 40 facing cancer.

"When I started The Chick Mission, I knew firsthand how overwhelming a cancer diagnosis could be and how difficult it was to even know that fertility preservation was something I needed to think about," Rice said. "Eight years later, our mission is still deeply personal, but our vision is bigger than ever. We're not just helping women preserve their fertility today; we're working to make sure that one day, no woman has to fight for access to this care in the first place."

Her work earned her selection as a 2026 L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth honoree, recognizing her effort to remove the financial and systemic obstacles that keep young cancer patients from fertility preservation.

What began as a grassroots effort is now a national network. Since awarding its first Hope Grant in 2018, The Chick Mission has provided 957 grants through partnerships with 100 fertility clinic locations across 10 states.

According to the organization, that work has helped families avoid more than $12.7 million in medical expenses, while its education, community and advocacy programs have reached tens of thousands of people.

The numbers matter. Fertility preservation, including egg freezing, can cost upwards of $20,000, plus annual storage fees. For a young woman already carrying the emotional, physical and financial weight of cancer treatment, that cost can put future parenthood out of reach. Hope Grants remove the obstacle by giving qualifying patients access to fertility preservation before treatment begins.

During the gala, Rice welcomed Hope Grant recipients and fellow survivors onto the stage. It was the evening's most meaningful moment, and a reminder of the women whose futures the organization's work is shaping.

The Chick Mission is also working to change how fertility preservation is treated within the healthcare system. Chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments can affect reproductive function, yet access to preservation remains inconsistent and insurance coverage varies widely by state and policy.

The organization advocates for recognition of treatment-related infertility and for expanded insurance coverage when medical care may compromise a patient's reproductive future.

"Fertility preservation should not be viewed as an optional add-on to cancer care. For many young patients, it is an essential part of planning for the life they hope to have after treatment," said Dr. Jaime Knopman, The Chick Mission's chief medical officer and director of fertility preservation at CCRM. "The Chick Mission has been instrumental in bringing this conversation into the exam room, into communities and into the policy conversation."

In 2026 the organization continued its legislative advocacy in Pennsylvania and Arizona, including efforts to require insurance coverage for fertility preservation when medically necessary treatment may cause infertility. The long-term goal reaches past individual grants: a healthcare system in which fertility preservation is a recognized part of cancer care rather than an elective expense.

The gala also spotlighted The Chick Mission's High School Ambassador program. Members of the 2026 ambassador class attended and spoke about cancer awareness, reproductive health and advocating for patients at a young age.

The program introduces students to complex healthcare issues and prepares them to speak up in their schools and communities, building a culture in which fertility preservation and reproductive choices are discussed openly and without stigma.

The evening's success reflected a network of supporters spanning finance, healthcare, fashion and hospitality. Corporate sponsors included Feynman Point Asset Management, GoldenTree Asset Management, Brookfield, Barclays, Blue Owl Capital, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Centerbridge Partners and RTW Investments, alongside healthcare and fertility partners NYU Langone Fertility Center, CCRM Fertility, Progyny and Everleap Fertility.

Fashion brand MARFA STANCE and hospitality supporters including Tao Group Hospitality also contributed. A silent auction, in person and online, gave guests another way to give.

The coalition of financial institutions, medical organizations, entrepreneurs and private donors pointed to a growing dimension of modern philanthropy: directing private resources toward gaps in healthcare access while pressing for systemic change. For supporters, the evening was an investment in the autonomy, choices and long-term wellbeing of young women confronting cancer.

The most striking part of The Chick Mission's philosophy is its ultimate ambition: to make its own existence unnecessary. By pushing for broader insurance coverage and fuller integration of fertility preservation into standard cancer care, the organization hopes for a future in which women no longer need charitable help to access these services.

As The Chick Mission enters its ninth year, its mission rests on a simple belief: a cancer diagnosis should not decide whether a woman has the opportunity to build a family. With more than $1.15 million raised, nearly 1,000 Hope Grants awarded and a growing national community of advocates, the organization keeps showing what personal resilience, strategic philanthropy and collective action can do.

For the women whose futures remain full of possibility, that may be the greatest gift of all.