The Biden Cancer Initiative was a nonprofit organization founded in 2017 by former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, as a philanthropic extension of the White House Cancer Moonshot program. Inspired by the death of their son, Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015, the initiative aimed to accelerate progress in cancer research, prevention, and care by fostering collaborations among government, academia, nonprofits, private sector entities, and patient organizations. It focused on addressing key barriers such as data silos, slow regulatory pathways for drugs, high costs of treatments, and fragmented research efforts, without duplicating existing foundations. The organization convened stakeholders to drive new actions, partnerships, and shared purpose in oncology, emphasizing the transformation of cancer research and care systems for the 21st century.

During its operation, the Biden Cancer Initiative developed nearly 60 partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, healthcare firms, charities, and others, which resulted in pledges exceeding $400 million for cancer-related initiatives, though these funds were managed directly by the partners rather than the nonprofit itself. It created projects like the Oncology Clinical Trial Information Commons to improve access to clinical trial data for patients and supported efforts to double the rate of progress in cancer outcomes from prevention through survivorship. The initiative complemented the larger National Cancer Institute's Cancer Moonshot program, which Biden had spearheaded during the Obama administration with $1.8 billion in federal funding authorized over seven years.

In 2019, the Biden Cancer Initiative suspended operations indefinitely, coinciding with Joe Biden's presidential campaign. The decision was announced amid reports that it had raised several million dollars in direct funding but relied heavily on indirect pledges. Despite its closure, the initiative's work influenced ongoing cancer efforts, and Biden continued to advocate for cancer research through governmental channels during his presidency, renewing aspects of the Moonshot program.