Thank you for your support!

Government funding for pigment cell and melanoma research has been increasingly difficult to obtain in recent years. This has been reflected in a lower fraction of funded applications, often below 10% of submitted proposals. Principal investigators have submitted more grants to maintain an active research program. The additional time spent away from conducting research inevitably slows discovery. However, the possibility of reduced funding resulting in losing critical employees can be an even larger concern. One positive change that has occurred recently is the diversity and amount of foundation support available for pigment cell and melanoma research. In times of a difficult government funding environment, this private research support has had a large impact on the stunning rate of research progress that we have seen in the last decade. It has enabled high-risk/high-reward approaches and the building of infrastructure that is oftendifficult to accomplish with traditional fundingmechanisms. Perhapsmost importantly, it has resulted in a larger pool of talented young investigators that have begun their careers as independent pigment cell and melanoma researchers, fueling discoveries for decades to come. We express our gratitude to foundations that provide funding for pigment cell and melanoma research listed in Table 1. All too frequently, the inspiration that moves individuals to donate time or funds is the suffering or loss of someone that they care about. Melanoma, albinism, and vitiligo frequently affect young individuals, making the suffering or loss even more difficult to bear. On occasion, rather than donating to foundations, individuals give donations directly to particular institutions. These donations can also be sizeable and also have a large impact. In addition to foundations and individuals that support pigment cell and melanoma research, a large number of foundations have been created to educate the public about melanoma, albinism, or vitiligo. These efforts go a long way toward minimizing the suffering and impact of pigment cell diseases. A partial list of organizations with a pigment cell disease educational mission is included in Table 1. On a separate note, due to the increasing number of manuscript submissions to PCMR and the need to minimize turn-around times, we are happy that Andrew Aplin, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, has agreed to serve as an additional Associate Editor, effective immediately.