John and Pat Tarantino
Charitable FoundationProvidence, Rhode Island Donate

Hope is something we can fund.

The John and Pat Tarantino Charitable Foundation backs the researchers working to make pancreatic cancer survivable, and stands with the patients and families facing it today. Every gift goes directly to that work.

Give today See what we fund

About the foundation

The John and Pat Tarantino Charitable Foundation was founded as a lasting tribute to Pat Tarantino, whose life was cut short by pancreatic cancer. In the midst of grief, and surrounded by an outpouring of love, her husband John chose to turn personal loss into a mission: a living legacy that offers support, comfort, and hope to others facing the same fight.

The foundation stands for resilience, compassion, and hope for everyone touched by cancer. Its reach includes patients and the families who stand beside them, researchers working toward better treatments, and the hospitals and cancer centers pursuing a cure. It rests on a simple belief: no one should face cancer alone, and what we do together can ease suffering and speed progress.

Together, we honor Pat's memory by giving others strength, healing, and a fighting chance.

Our mission

Our mission is simple: to ease the burden of cancer by funding care, fueling research, and fostering community support. Progress happens not only in laboratories but in moments of kindness: a helping hand, a medical bill paid, a discovery that changes what is possible. Scientific breakthroughs and human kindness are both vital. We work to lighten the load carried by individuals and families confronting cancer, because innovation and empathy are each essential to diminishing its weight.

Pat's story

In April 2021, Pat was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. John stepped away from a 40-year legal career to become her full-time caregiver. Pat was treated by Dr. Howard Safran, Chief of Hematology/Oncology at what is now the Brown University Health Cancer Institute, and the care she received shaped everything that followed.

Together, John and Pat chose to sell the home they had shared for 33 years and to commit the proceeds, along with Pat's life insurance, to cancer research. Pat passed away on April 16, 2022.

John honored the commitment they made together with a $1 million gift to Dr. Safran's pancreatic cancer research, and then established this foundation so that Pat's name would keep working on behalf of other families.

"Nothing would make me happier than to be alive and hear that Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is no longer a death sentence."John Tarantino
Pat Tarantino smiling, wearing a red cardigan and a beaded cross necklace

Patrice "Pat" Tarantino, 1954–2022

John's 2023 TEDx Providence talk, "Redemption Stories," tells Pat's story alongside another. It became the most-viewed TEDx talk of that year. Watch the talk.

What we fund

The foundation holds two funds. Donors can direct a gift to either one, or let the board place it where the need is greatest.

Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund

Grants to investigators working on the prevention, detection, and treatment of pancreatic cancer, with a focus on the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University and the Brown University Health Cancer Institute. Grants to date include support for Dr. Howard Safran's clinical research program and for the laboratory of Dr. Sendurai Mani at Brown University, whose work focuses on how pancreatic tumors adapt, spread, and resist treatment. The fund has also supported its first published peer-reviewed study of new treatment approaches.

Patient and Family Support Fund

Direct help with the costs a diagnosis brings: travel to appointments, bills that pile up during treatment, and the everyday expenses that make it harder to focus on getting well. Pat's wish was that no patient's care depend on their income, their location, or their prognosis.

What giving has made possible

  1. $1MCommitted to Dr. Safran's pancreatic cancer research program in Providence, with further grants to the Mani Lab at Brown University studying tumor plasticity and metastasis.
  2. 22High school students from under-resourced communities placed with oncology and hematology mentors for a summer, in partnership with the Papitto Opportunity Connection.
  3. 1stPeer-reviewed publication on pancreatic cancer treatment advances funded by the foundation, with more work under way.
Students in white lab coats and safety glasses working together at a lab bench

Board of directors

The board serves without compensation and works closely with clinicians and scientists at the Legorreta Cancer Center.

John Tarantino

John A. Tarantino

President and Founder

John Tarantino is an attorney and philanthropist based in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a shareholder at the law firm Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C. and has been recognized nationally for his litigation leadership. After his wife Pat's diagnosis and passing from pancreatic cancer, he established the John and Pat Tarantino Charitable Foundation to honor her memory by supporting patients, hospitals, and research. On the board, he brings vision, legacy-driven leadership, and fundraising strategy to the Foundation's mission.

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Sendurai A. Mani, PhD

Director

Dr. Sendurai Mani is Dean's Professor of Translational Oncology and Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and Associate Director for Translational Oncology at the Legorreta Cancer Center. His research focuses on how cancer cells become metastatic, develop resistance to treatment, and relapse. Originally from Tamil Nadu, India, he earned his PhD at the Indian Institute of Science and completed postdoctoral work at the Whitehead Institute/MIT. As a director, his scientific expertise helps guide the Foundation's research funding and patient-assistance programs.

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Howard Safran, MD

Director

Dr. Howard Safran is Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the Brown University Health Cancer Institute (Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, and Newport Hospital) and Medical Director of the Brown University Oncology Group. A nationally recognized expert in gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer, his clinical and research leadership aligns closely with the Foundation's focus on cancer care and advancing treatments. As a director, he helps ensure funds are directed to high-impact research and care initiatives.

Contact

John and Pat Tarantino Charitable Foundation
100 Westminster Street, 16th Floor
Providence, RI 02903

Researchers seeking support: tell us about the project and its relevance to pancreatic cancer in a few sentences, and we'll follow up for a one-page summary. Patients and families: the social work team at your treating cancer center can also refer you to the Patient and Family Support Fund.