From DIPG to all pediatric cancers — we fund research, support families, and advocate until every child has a fighting chance.
Every dollar we raise, every family we support, and every research grant we fund moves us closer to defeating DIPG and all forms of childhood cancer.
We fund breakthrough research at leading institutions, supporting scientists who refuse to give up on finding cures for DIPG, pediatric brain tumors, and all forms of childhood cancer.
Learn more →A childhood cancer diagnosis devastates families emotionally and financially. Our aid fund provides direct assistance — covering travel, lodging, and everyday expenses.
Apply for help →We fight for more federal funding for pediatric cancer research and push for policy changes that give families facing DIPG and all childhood cancers access to clinical trials.
Our work →Neev Kolte was a four-year-old Pleasanton boy full of life — he loved animals, especially hummingbirds. He even named one that visited his backyard "Cutiepie Grapes." He loved growing vegetables in the garden and spending time with his family and older brother Rayaan.
In August 2020, Neev was diagnosed with DIPG. For more than a year, his family fought alongside him. Neev passed on November 30, 2021, at the age of six. His memory is the reason this foundation exists — and his spirit drives every grant we fund, every family we support, and every law we help pass.
Join us throughout September as we work with Bay Area communities to raise awareness, honor DIPG families, and advocate for more research funding. We've secured proclamations from 33+ cities.
$25/month funds one research sample analysis
$50/month supports a family's travel to treatment
$100/month contributes to a research grant
$500 names a grant in a child's memory
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The story of Neev Kolte — a boy whose spirit drives everything we do, and the foundation built in his name.
Neev Kolte was born on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, at 12:05 am. His name means foundation in Hindi and in every sense of the word, that is exactly what he was. Not just the youngest member of our family, but its quiet center. Its glue. The one whose presence made everything feel complete, and whose absence made everything feel different and broken forever.
He arrived in the world in the earliest minutes of a Wednesday morning, and from the very beginning, he seemed to understand something the rest of us spend our whole lives trying to learn: that the point of being here is to make sure everyone else feels glad they're here too.
At a game of Bingo, Neev once noticed someone across the table was about to lose. Without hesitation, he quietly slid his own winning card over to them. "In my game," he said, "everybody wins." He was five years old. That was just who he was.
At preschool, he had a quiet superpower: every time a new child joined the class, Neev made sure they had someone to sit with at lunch. Not because a teacher asked. Not because anyone was watching. He simply noticed the child who might be alone and moved toward them. Kindness wasn't something Neev performed. It was something he breathed.
He was also, without question, one of the funniest people in any room. His favorite joke — delivered with total commitment, every single time — was: "Why did the orange lose the race? Because he ran out of juice." He would dissolve into laughter before he finished the punchline, and then look around to make sure everyone else was laughing too. Even in hospital rooms. Even on the hardest days. The joke never got old to him. Somehow, it never got old to anyone around him either.
He loved tomatoes like other kids love candy — popping cherry tomatoes one by one, red juice on his fingers, eyes full of pure delight. His family joked he might actually turn into one. He just smiled and ate another. He loved books with the same intensity, pretending to read from memory until sleep finally found him, his small fingers tracing words like treasures waiting to be discovered. He loved Christmas with his whole heart, the gingerbread cookies he'd bake and share with his brother Rayaan, the Santa hat he'd pull on.
He made his dad pause a work meeting mid-sentence to come outside and look at a lizard on the wall. "Dadda! Come out, there's a lizard on the wall!" He said it like he'd just found something rare and extraordinary — because to Neev, it was. That was his gift: he made the ordinary feel worth stopping for. A lizard. A passing boat on the Bay. A cherry tomato. A spider in a corner. He saw wonder in all of it, and he could not rest until the people he loved saw it too.
During a trip to Discovery Bay, he sat on a wooden deck in his backwards Oakland A's cap, fishing rod beside him, sunlight glinting off the water, completely, perfectly at peace. His dad called out something silly from a kayak nearby and Neev burst out laughing so hard that "crows and tomatoes" became the family's permanent secret code for joy. They still say it sometimes. And when they do, it feels like he's right there, cap backwards, laughing.
In August 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, Neev was taken to urgent care. He had been riding his scooter that morning. He was four years old. His eyes were red, his mom thought all he needed were glasses.
It was DIPG — Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, which is now reclassified as Diffuse Midline Glioma or DMGs. A rare, catastrophic tumor that forms in the brainstem of children, most often between the ages of five and ten. There is no cure. There has never been an FDA-approved treatment beyond radiation. The median survival after diagnosis is nine to twelve months.
In 2020, the landscape for DIPG families was stark. There was almost no information, very few experts, and almost no viable clinical trials available. The disease had been chronically underfunded and underresearched for decades. Families facing a DIPG diagnosis were largely left to navigate an overwhelming medical system alone, with few options and little guidance.
Neev's family refused to accept that. They educated themselves, questioned treatments, sought second and third opinions, and pushed into every corner of medical research to find options for him. Over the course of fifteen months, Neev participated in four phase 1 clinical trials — access made possible only because other families, years before, had fought hard enough to fund the research that created those trials in the first place.
Through it all, Neev fought with a grace and resilience that defied everything. He learned to walk four times. When a treatment caused his right hand to stop working, he taught himself to write, draw, and color with his left. He collected Beads of Courage: one for every blood draw, every MRI, every procedure, every chemotherapy he took. And when his preschool class held show-and-tell, while the other children held up toys and drawings, Neev held up his beads. His eyes spoke what words no longer could.
He never complained. He never gave up. He just kept going.
Neev passed away on November 30, 2021, one month after his sixth birthday. He never lost a tooth. He never walked into his school. He never played his first soccer game. He left us. But he did not leave us empty. A purpose and promise to let everyone win.
Grief does not ask for permission. It arrives, and it stays, and it changes the shape of everything around it.
But we made a choice. Not to move on, because you do not move on from a child. You move forward, carrying them. We chose to carry Neev forward in the most Neev way we could imagine: by making sure someone else's child gets a chance he didn't have.
That is why the Neev Kolte Foundation exists.
It was born not from policy or strategy, but from a family's immense love for their child — and from the unbearable clarity that comes when you watch a brilliant, generous, joyful child face a disease that medicine has largely left behind. DIPG receives less than 9% of pediatric cancer research funding from the National Health Institute. Approximately 300 to 400 children are diagnosed each year in the United States alone. The five-year survival rate is under 1%. These are not just statistics. They are children. They are families. They are parents who will one day sit in a hospital room with a tiny Christmas tree, hoping Santa comes.
We created this foundation because Neev deserved better. Because every child with DMG deserves better. Because the science is moving, slowly, but it is moving — and family-led foundations like ours are part of what moves it.
We are not waiting for someone else to fix this. We are doing it ourselves, in his name, with his spirit leading the way.
Most foundations are built around a cause. Ours is built around a person.
Neev Kolte was spirited, precise, and full of quiet design. He was playful and principled, the boy who refused to count a goal his dad scored while he was looking at a bird, because fair was fair. He was the boy who defended a spider his dad was about to brush away — "Dadda, it's nature! Leave him alone!" — with the moral certainty of someone who had thought this through carefully and arrived at a firm conclusion. He couldn't stand the idea that anything small and alive should be dismissed.
He loved his big brother Rayaan so completely that if anyone upset Rayaan, Neev would fold his little arms, go utterly silent, and refuse to speak to a single person until smiles returned and everything was right again. His loyalty was absolute. His love was not quiet — it was total.
That is the animating spirit of this foundation. Not just to fund research, though we fund research. Not just to support families, though we support families. But to build something that reflects who he was: generous, curious, joyful, and absolutely committed to making sure no one faces the hard thing alone.
Neev loved all things nature. In the backyard of their home, hummingbirds are constant visitors. Neev and his brother Rayaan were both captivated by them — darting, hovering, impossibly small and impossibly vivid. Naturally, the brothers fought over what to name the hummingbird that kept returning. Neev had his name. Rayaan had his. Neither would budge. So, in the way that only families can resolve these things, a compromise was reached: the hummingbird was named Cutiepie Grapes.
It is impossible to say those two words without smiling. Which is exactly the point.
The hummingbird is one of the smallest creatures in the world and one of the most relentless. It can hover in perfect stillness while everything around it moves. It travels thousands of miles on a single migration, defying every expectation of what something so small should be able to carry. It weighs almost nothing. It carries everything.
In many cultures and spiritual traditions, a hummingbird appearing after the loss of a loved one is not considered coincidence. It is considered a visit — a sign that the person you are missing is near, that their spirit is still moving, still luminous, still full of the joy they carried in life. Many who grieve speak of a hummingbird arriving in a moment of sadness or stillness, hovering just long enough to say: I am still here. Keep going.
For our family, when a hummingbird appears — in the garden, outside a window, in an unexpected quiet moment — it carries one name. And somewhere, two brothers are still arguing over what to call it.
Since our founding in 2022, the Neev Kolte Foundation has worked to close the gap between where DMG research is and where it needs to be — and to make sure that every family walking that road feels less alone than we did.
We fund research. We support families in crisis. We advocate, in Washington and California, at the world's leading cancer conferences, alongside pediatric brain cancer families, researchers, physicians, pharma partners, and regulatory bodies — for the children who cannot yet advocate for themselves.
We do this work with the belief that Neev's story is not finished. It continues in every lab that receives our funding. In every family that receives our support. In every policy that shifts because someone was in the room speaking up for children with DMG.
He wanted everyone to win. We intend to make that happen.
"He never gave up. Even when his body was failing him, he found ways to keep going. He learned to walk four times. When a treatment caused his right hand to stop working, he simply taught himself to write and draw with his left. He never complained. He just adapted.
And in that, he taught me everything I know about strength, courage, and what it truly means to show up even when it's hard.
Whenever I feel like giving up, I remember him — my little boy who met every setback with love, grit, and grace.
This foundation is not my grief. It is his legacy. And it is the most important thing I have ever done — except, of course, being a mother to Neev and Rayaan."
— Misha Mehta, President & Co-FounderOur team combines professional expertise with personal experience. Together, we're dedicated to funding research, supporting families, and advocating for systemic change in childhood cancer care.
PhD researcher with 15+ years in microbiology and pharmaceuticals. Federal and state advocate. Speaker before U.S. Congress and White House Cancer Moonshot Forum. Mother of Neev and Rayaan.
Technology executive and software innovator. Leads financial strategy, corporate partnerships, and community outreach. Founder of BORN platform connecting families with resources. Father of Neev and Rayaan.
Neev's older brother. Started with a lemonade stand and expanded to annual toy drives collecting 1,150+ toys for hospitalized children. State Assembly advocate who helped pass AB 703 at age 16. National voice for siblings facing cancer.
Director of Product Management at Intuit. 20+ years in enterprise technology. Multiple MVP awards and leadership recognition. Passionate about using technology for social good.
IT Executive at The Hartford. 15+ years in healthcare insurance. Critical advisor during Neev's treatment journey. Expertise in navigating complex insurance for families.
Dedicated board member committed to advancing the foundation's mission to support families and fund breakthrough pediatric cancer research.
Medical research and advocacy leader. Believes that "curing disease requires both scientific innovation and deep compassion." Advocates for pediatric cancer research funding.
Long-time friends of Chloe who were introduced to the foundation's founders and became contributors since 2024. After losing Sophia's father, Bill Coysh, to glioblastoma in early 2025, they deepened their commitment to the foundation. Through their eclectic combined experience and leadership of the annual gala event, they honor Bill and pursue a cure for children's brain cancers, honoring Neev and all affected families.
Our diverse team brings expertise in research, medicine, technology, advocacy, and family support. What unites us is our shared commitment to honoring Neev's legacy and ensuring that no family faces childhood cancer alone.
Four-year-old Neev Kolte, attending preschool in Pleasanton, is diagnosed with DIPG. He had been riding his scooter that morning. His eyes were red — his mom had thought all he needed were glasses.
Neev passes on November 30, 2021, at the age of six. His family vows to honor his memory by fighting for every child who comes after him. His brother Rayaan organizes a toy drive for the hospital where Neev was treated.
Sandeep Kolte and Misha Mehta formally create the Neev Kolte Foundation in Pleasanton, CA, dedicated to funding DIPG research and supporting affected families.
The foundation earns its official nonprofit status and hosts its inaugural Neev Kolte Foundation Gala, raising $100,000 for DIPG research.
A $100,000 grant is awarded to Dr. Sabine Mueller and Dr. Sebastian Waszak at UCSF — the same doctor who treated Neev — to fund groundbreaking cell-free DNA whole-genome sequencing research for DIPG clinical trials.
Local high school students, inspired by the foundation, successfully lobby 33+ Bay Area cities to declare September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Misha Mehta is invited to the White House Brain Cancer Forum as part of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, advocating for increased federal funding for pediatric brain cancer research.
The foundation's advocacy efforts contribute to AB 703 being signed into law in California, expanding protections and awareness for pediatric cancer patients and families.
The Neev Kolte Foundation was formerly known as the Neev Kolte & Brave Ronil Foundation from 2023 to 2026.
Every dollar goes to research, family support, or advocacy. No child should face cancer without hope.
Here's exactly where every dollar goes:
$25 funds one research sample — $50 covers a family's travel day — $100 contributes to a research grant — $500 names a grant in a child's memory
We accept all major payment options through PayPal's secure platform:
All transactions are encrypted and processed by PayPal. We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit — your donation is fully tax-deductible. EIN: 88-4163158.
Many employers match charitable donations — double your impact by checking if yours does.
Learn about matching →"I filled out the form on a Tuesday. By Friday, the Foundation had covered our hotel."
— Ana, mother of Rodrigo, age 7Resources and community for siblings navigating childhood cancer, and opportunities for youth to advocate for change.
When a brother or sister is diagnosed with cancer, life changes instantly. You may feel scared, helpless, guilty for being healthy, angry, or forgotten. These feelings are all normal. Your sibling's diagnosis affects your entire family — and it affects you too.
Thousands of siblings face this every day. The Neev Kolte Foundation recognizes the unique challenges you face, and we're here to support you through emotional resources, community connection, and opportunities to channel your feelings into meaningful action.
"Knowing I wasn't the only sibling dealing with this made all the difference. I wasn't alone, and that changed everything."
— Jordan, age 14When your sibling is diagnosed with childhood cancer, you have a unique platform and perspective. You can speak to legislators, share your story, raise awareness, and advocate for changes that will help every family facing this disease. Many of the most powerful voices in pediatric cancer advocacy are siblings like you.
Join our youth advocacy team. Share your story before Congress, speak at state legislative hearings, and help shape policy that affects families like yours. Rayaan's testimony helped pass AB 703 in California — and your voice can drive change too.
Help organize awareness campaigns, speak at schools and community events, and build public knowledge about pediatric cancer. Your peer perspective resonates in ways adults' voices cannot.
Support other siblings who are just beginning this journey. Your experience becomes their guide. Lead peer support groups, host online chats, or mentor one-on-one.
When his younger brother Neev was diagnosed with DIPG at age 6, Rayaan felt sidelined as all the attention focused on his brother's treatment. Instead of letting that pain fester, he channeled it into action — turning his grief into a mission to help other siblings in his exact position.
June 2022 — The Lemonade Stand: Rayaan and his friends Athena and James set up a lemonade stand with a simple goal: raise money to buy a gift for a sibling of a child fighting cancer. He understood firsthand that siblings often feel forgotten. The lemonade stand raised $250, enough to buy gifts for children whose brothers and sisters were in the fight.
November 2022 — The First Toy Drive: Inspired by a toy drive sign he'd seen, Rayaan came up with the idea to collect toys for pediatric cancer patients. When his school teacher shared his story with other families, the community responded in ways he never expected. Day after day, children lined up behind Rayaan, each carrying bags of toys. By the end, nearly 300 toys had been donated to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Mission Bay. The local news covered the story, and it sparked something even bigger.
Three Years of Impact: What started as one boy's grief has grown into a tradition. Over the past three years (2022–2025), Rayaan and his community have collected and donated a total of 1,150 toys to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and Stanford Lucile Packard Children's Hospital — gifts that bring joy and normalcy to children in the midst of their hardest fight.
At age 16, Rayaan went on to deliver powerful testimony before the California State Assembly in support of AB 703, a bill to increase pediatric cancer research funding. His words helped move that bill to victory — and showed legislators that young people care deeply about this issue. Today, he continues to advocate, speak, and raise awareness across California and beyond.
"My brother's diagnosis gave me a mission. I want every sibling to know that their feelings matter, their voice matters, and they can be part of the solution. And I'm proof that grief can become purpose." — Rayaan
Whether you want to share your story, join advocacy efforts, or support other siblings, we want to hear from you. Young advocates are the heart of this movement.
Direct financial, logistical, and emotional support for families navigating DIPG — from treatment through recovery and beyond.
Families are required to make rapid decisions, travel across the country for experimental treatments, and manage significant financial strain—all while coping with emotional uncertainty. Without support, these burdens compound quickly. The Neev Kolte Foundation exists to reduce that burden—practically, consistently, and compassionately.
Direct financial support to help families manage the high costs of treatment and care, including:
Coordinated support for families accessing clinical trials across the country:
The emotional toll of DIPG extends far beyond treatment. We provide:
In addition to direct family assistance, we invest in programs that strengthen the broader DIPG support network:
Helping families navigate complex medical systems and clinical trial options.
Facilitating collaboration between researchers and clinicians for individual case support.
Creating spaces where bereaved families can heal together and support one another.
Ensuring families receive structured, comprehensive support across all aspects of care.
Bilingual Spanish support is available.
3–5 business days typical review time
Within 10 days of approval for first disbursement
Most families receive multiple grants throughout treatment.
Questions? Contact us at (619) 341 0836 or info@neevronil.org
Every number represents families supported during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
DIPG is one of the most devastating pediatric diagnoses. Families are often required to make rapid decisions, travel long distances for experimental treatments, and manage significant financial strain—all while coping with profound emotional uncertainty and loss.
Neev's family knows this burden. We lived it. We understand the impossible choices, the sleepless nights, the fear that compounds with every obstacle. That understanding drives everything we do for families today.
"The cost of cancer isn't just medical. It's the hotel room, the missed rent, the choice between your child's treatment and your family's survival. We fund the research. But families need us to fund their lives too."
— Misha Mehta, Co-FounderWe fight for policy changes that give childhood cancer the funding, visibility, and infrastructure it deserves. From California to Congress.
Childhood cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children in the United States. Yet only about 8% of federal cancer research dollars are directed toward pediatric cancers. DIPG receives less than 9% of pediatric cancer research funding. These are not policy failures. These are choices — and choices can be changed.
Since 2022, the Neev Kolte Foundation has worked to advance state-level policy that gives childhood cancer the visibility, resources, and infrastructure it has long been denied. Our advocacy is grounded in a simple belief: every child deserves a state government that sees them, funds their care, and fights for their cure.
We identify gaps in state and federal policy where childhood cancer is absent from data, priorities, and implementation strategies.
We work with pediatric cancer advocates, researchers, families, and policymakers to create unified voices calling for change.
We turn momentum into legislation that creates sustainable funding streams and systemic recognition for childhood cancer.
What it does: Beginning with the 2026 tax year through January 1, 2033, every Californian filing a state tax return will see a check-off box to donate a portion of their refund or any amount above their tax liability directly to pediatric cancer research.
Why it matters: This creates a sustainable, taxpayer-driven mechanism to close the funding gap at the state level. Every California tax return becomes an opportunity to fund a cure for childhood cancer.
Neev's Legacy:
The Neev Kolte Foundation championed AB 703 alongside ACS CAN California. Most personally, Neev's older brother Rayaan delivered powerful testimony before the California State Assembly, speaking for every sibling who has watched a brother or sister face a disease the system has under-resourced. His testimony helped move AB 703 across the finish line and onto the Governor's desk.
What we accomplished: In 2022, Misha discovered that California's master cancer strategy — the state's comprehensive approach to preventing, treating, and surviving cancer — did not include specific childhood cancer representation. Pediatric cancers were absent from the data, absent from the priorities, and absent from the implementation.
Over two years, the Neev Kolte Foundation changed that. Misha presented before the California Dialogue on Cancer (CDOC) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to make the case that any serious cancer plan must include the children who get cancer, the families who fight it, and the survivors who carry it for life.
The result: Misha led the development of an entire chapter dedicated to childhood cancer in the 2026–2036 plan, addressing:
The Foundation is also leading the implementation phase in partnership with CDPH, ensuring the language on the page becomes real services, real data, and real change for children and families across California.
The Neev Kolte Foundation championed and authored California's first state resolution formally recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This moment brought long-overdue recognition for every California child and family touched by pediatric cancer.
Made possible by: Senator Susan Rubio, a true state champion for childhood cancer whose leadership and partnership turned a long-held hope into the official record of the State of California.
Every September, SR 53 ensures childhood cancer is named, seen, and remembered at the highest level of state government.
Misha Mehta was invited to the White House Brain Cancer Forum as part of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, directly advocating for increased federal research funding for pediatric brain tumors including DIPG.
This recognition reflects the nation's growing awareness of the urgent need for childhood cancer research and the power of family-led advocacy in shaping federal priorities.
Policy doesn't change because governments decide to. It changes because families, advocates, and citizens demand it. You don't need to be a politician to shape policy. You just need to speak up.
Tell your senator, assembly member, and governor that childhood cancer deserves better funding, better research, and better outcomes.
Get guidance →Stay informed about bills that affect childhood cancer research and family support. We'll keep you updated on ways to show your support.
Subscribe for updates →"The only way to change a system that fails children is to make noise loud enough that it cannot be ignored. That noise is advocacy. That noise is you."
— Misha Mehta, Co-FounderEvery family carries a story of courage, love, and hope. These are their voices.
Your family's journey can give others hope and show them they are not alone.
From galas to walks to research symposia — there's a place for you in this fight.
Our flagship fundraising gala honoring Neev's memory and raising critical funds for DIPG research and family support. Featuring dinner, live auction, keynote speakers, and a celebration of hope in the fight against childhood cancer. Past galas have raised $100,000+ for research at UCSF.
Every September, we work with local communities, schools, and city councils to raise awareness about pediatric cancer. We've already secured proclamations from 33+ Bay Area cities. Join us in expanding that reach.
Inspired by Rayaan Kolte, who organized a toy drive for kids at the hospital while his brother Neev was being treated, this annual drive collects toys and gifts for children fighting cancer during the holiday season.
Birthday fundraisers, memorial runs, bake sales — we'll support any community event that raises awareness or funds for DIPG research.
Join hundreds of volunteers who give their skills, energy, and hearts to the fight against DIPG.
Help us run galas, walks, and community events. Roles include registration, setup, guest services, and photography.
Create and run your own fundraising campaign — birthday fundraisers, peer-to-peer pages, or community drives.
Contact your representatives, attend lobby days, and amplify our voice in the fight for more DIPG research funding.
Are you a lawyer, accountant, designer, developer, or marketer? Pro-bono skilled volunteers help us run more efficiently.
Trained volunteers who provide companionship, practical help, and guidance to newly diagnosed DIPG families.
"Volunteering with the Neev Kolte Foundation gave me a way to channel my grief into something meaningful. Every event, every donation, every proclamation — it all adds up."
— Community Volunteer, Pleasanton"Watching Rayaan lead a toy drive at such a young age showed me that everyone — no matter their age — can make a difference in this fight."
— Volunteer, Bay AreaWe fund breakthrough research at leading institutions worldwide. Every grant is inspired by Neev's journey and guided by the families fighting this disease.
"Motivated by Neev's family determination to explore how changes to his microbiome might improve his outcome, we were compelled to ask this new scientific question more broadly. Neev inspired our investigation of the microbiome within our DMG platform trial as a new frontier in DIPG research — together with our partners at the Prinses Maxima Center in the Netherlands and colleagues at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia."
— Dr. Sabine Mueller, UCSFEvery research grant we fund is grounded in a simple truth: families facing DIPG and DMG are not waiting for incremental progress. They are living inside urgent questions that demand answers now. Our research strategy focuses on projects that directly address the barriers Neev faced and that other families continue to face:
Improving imaging, biomarkers, and tools to identify disease progression earlier and more accurately — reducing the uncertainty families live with.
Understanding treatment timing, combination approaches, and personalized medicine to maximize effectiveness while minimizing toxicity.
Mapping why tumors escape treatment and identifying new targets for therapies designed specifically for DMG biology.
This groundbreaking project uses cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from blood and spinal fluid to monitor tumor evolution and treatment response in real time across PNOC clinical trials. With 225 CSF samples from 118 patients, this represents one of the most comprehensive biobanks in DMG to date.
Project Update:
The team has successfully optimized laboratory workflows for cfDNA sequencing from extremely low DNA quantities — a critical technical achievement. Early analyses confirm that cfDNA patterns reflect meaningful tumor biology, chromatin structure, and epigenomic features. New methylation sequencing methods are enabling dual genomic and epigenomic analysis from single samples.
Why We Funded This:
We funded this project because of a moment that broke us: two of the country's leading premier institutes looked at Neev's same MRI and came back with opposite answers. One said progression. One said stable. We were left to decide whose read to follow, with our son's life hanging on the choice. This project opens that box. It uses cell-free DNA to read the tumor's genome from a simple blood draw, letting doctors see the tumor evolving in near-real time without relying on interpretation.
This research investigates whether aligning chemotherapy administration with the body's natural 24-hour biological rhythms could enhance treatment effectiveness. Early studies in adult brain tumors show that timing can dramatically impact outcomes.
Project Update:
The team's research revealed that Temozolomide, a chemotherapy drug Neev received, was significantly more effective when administered when key circadian genes (Bmal1) were at peak levels. Published in Nature, this work demonstrates that treatment timing could enhance drug effectiveness against pediatric high-grade gliomas.
Why We Funded This:
We funded this because of something that haunted us through four Phase 1 trials: no one ever told us when to give Neev his chemotherapy. The only timing instruction we received was "two hours before he eats." But every cell in the body runs on a 24-hour clock. This project asks: what if we could align treatment with that rhythm? That's not a new drug. That's a smarter use of the ones we already have.
Using advanced single-cell analysis on 40 patient tissue samples, this project builds a cellular map of why some children respond to ONC201 while others develop resistance.
Project Update:
Analysis of 22 postmortem DMG samples revealed that ONC201 alters tumor cell metabolism, pushing tumors toward a less aggressive state. The research also identified immune-suppressing cells that decrease with ONC201 treatment, suggesting this drug may work especially well in combination with emerging immunotherapies — and identified resistance mechanisms that could guide future combination treatments.
Why We Funded This:
We funded this because Neev was on ONC201. For some children, it works. For others, it doesn't. And right now, no one can tell you in advance which child will be which. This project goes after that question at the cellular level, building a molecular fingerprint that separates tumors that respond from ones that escape.
This groundbreaking research explores how the microbiome influences treatment response and toxicity in DMG patients. Initial findings suggest baseline microbial diversity may influence survival outcomes and treatment-related side effects.
Why This Matters:
For Neev, the cost of treatment was constant — rashes, nausea, fatigue. But Neev was also the first patient to show something remarkable: that modulating the gut microbiome could manage that toxicity and let a child stay on the recommended dose instead of being forced to reduce it. This single observation is what this research is built on.
This innovative approach uses mRNA nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells in the tumor microenvironment to attack DMG cells, potentially unlocking CAR-T cell therapy effectiveness in DMG.
Why We Funded This:
We funded this because Neev's body never got the chance to fight back. The tumor disarms the immune system, creating what oncologists call a "cold" microenvironment. Through the Teiko platform, we watched in real time as ONC201 — our hope — was acting as an immune suppressant in a tumor already immunologically cold. This research reprograms those turned immune cells back.
This global collaboration assembles the largest centralized DMG imaging dataset, enabling AI development for treatment response prediction and outcome forecasting.
Why We Funded This:
We believe the next answers won't come from any one expert — they'll come from technology trained on the experience of thousands of children at once. Radiogenomics can find connections between what an MRI shows and what tumor biology is doing — patterns invisible to the human eye, but readable to a machine that has seen enough cases. But none of that works without scale. We are funding the foundational layer beneath every breakthrough still to come.
Signed into law July 28, 2025
This historic legislation establishes a dedicated funding stream for pediatric cancer research. Every California taxpayer filing a state tax return can now donate directly to pediatric cancer research. Over the next seven years (2026–2033), this will create sustainable, grassroots funding for the research that has been chronically underfunded.
Impact: Rayaan Kolte delivered testimony before the California State Assembly in support of AB 703, speaking for every sibling who has watched their brother or sister face this disease.
Childhood Cancer Chapter (2026–2036)
Misha Mehta led the development of an entire chapter dedicated to childhood cancer in California's state cancer control strategy — the first time pediatric cancer has been formally represented in the state's comprehensive cancer plan. This chapter addresses advocacy, awareness, clinical trial access, psychosocial support, and equity.
First State Recognition
The Neev Kolte Foundation championed California's first formal state resolution recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, SR 53 ensures childhood cancer is named, seen, and remembered at the highest level of state government.
Every dollar funds research that brings us closer to answers. Every grant is inspired by families fighting this disease.
Stay informed on childhood cancer breakthroughs, foundation updates, and advocacy wins.
The Neev Kolte Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to Dr. Sabine Mueller and Dr. Sebastian Waszak at UCSF to advance cell-free DNA whole-genome sequencing research — a novel, noninvasive way to assess treatment response in DIPG clinical trials. Dr. Mueller also treated Neev Kolte.
Youth advocates inspired by Rayaan Kolte successfully lobbied 33+ Bay Area cities to declare September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — bringing national attention to the urgent need for pediatric cancer research funding.
TIME Magazine's feature on pediatric brain cancer advocacy highlights Misha and Sandeep's decade-long fight and the Foundation's growing influence in Washington.
The inaugural Neev Kolte Foundation Gala raised $100,000 for DIPG research at UCSF, funding Dr. Sabine Mueller's groundbreaking cell-free DNA whole-genome sequencing study for ongoing clinical trials. Join us for the next gala in 2025.
After sustained advocacy from foundation founders and youth advocates, Rayaan Kolte delivered powerful testimony before the California State Assembly that helped move AB 703 across the finish line. The law was signed in 2024 — a major victory for pediatric cancer families statewide.
Foundation President Misha Mehta was invited to the White House Brain Cancer Forum as part of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, advocating directly for increased federal research funding for pediatric brain tumors including DIPG.
Whether you're a family seeking help, a researcher interested in a grant, or a supporter wanting to learn more — reach out.
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neevronil.org
Reach us through the contact form on this page or visit our website for the latest updates.
Available Mon–Fri, 9 AM – 5 PM PST. For urgent family support needs, our helpline is available 24/7.
Our Family Aid Fund provides direct financial assistance to families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis.
You'll receive a confirmation email immediately. A family support coordinator will contact you within 48 hours.
Typical review: 3–5 business days
First disbursement: within 10 days of approval.
Most families receive multiple grants over the course of treatment.
"I filled out the form on a Tuesday. By Friday, the Foundation had covered our hotel. I don't know what we would have done without them."
— Ana, mother of Rodrigo, 7Join leading companies who are investing in childhood cancer research and giving their teams a reason to give back.
Our partnerships team will create a custom proposal aligned with your company's CSR goals, employee engagement priorities, and marketing objectives.
Contact: partnerships@neevronil.org or (619) 341 0836
Events, advocacy, research, and community moments from 2025.
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