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Marking the announcement of 50 new scholarships, Northwestern Mutual celebrates past recipients giving back through medical careers this National Cancer Research Month

MILWAUKEE, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, announces a new class of scholars from its annual Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program (CCSP), reinforcing the company's ongoing commitment to supporting families affected by childhood cancer. The program provides scholarships to students affected by a diagnosis — either as survivors themselves or as siblings — enabling recipients to chase their dreams and transform their experience into purpose.

This year, 25 survivors and 25 siblings will be awarded up to $10,000, totaling $500,000. The scholarship represents what the company calls, "goldeNMoments™", moments of joy, resilience, and community impact that are lighting the way toward a cancer-free future.

"Receiving a childhood cancer diagnosis can create profound physical, emotional, and financial hardships for families," said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. "At Northwestern Mutual, we aim to help families at every stage of life, including unexpected moments that test us most. Through the scholarship, we hope to empower students to create their own goldeNMoments and celebrate all they've accomplished."

Since the program began in 2017, 371 scholarships have been awarded to survivors and siblings, totaling $3.1 million. This impact extends beyond financial support: nearly half of recipients have pursued careers in nursing, medicine, or other health care-related fields – many inspired by the care teams and medical professionals who supported them and their families during their own journey. Last year's cohort had the highest number of scholarship recipients with plans to enter a health care-related field, including aspiring pediatric oncologists, nurses, and clinical researchers.

In honor of National Cancer Research Month, Northwestern Mutual celebrates scholarship alumni who are now giving back to the cause through medicine and research – a powerful reflection of the program's impact of nurturing educational aspirations and fostering careers that drive advancements in cancer treatment and care.

"Each of these recipients represents resilience, purpose, and possibility," said Radke. "We're not only proud to offer financial relief to families affected by a diagnosis, but to witness the same students become the next generation of researchers, caregivers, and innovators shaping the future of medicine is an honor itself."

The Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program is indicative of Northwestern Mutual's larger commitment to accelerating the search for better treatments and cures for childhood cancer, while also supporting families and survivors living with long-term side effects. To date, Northwestern Mutual, through its Foundation, has funded more than 860,000 hours of childhood cancer research and contributed more than $75 million to the cause overall.

To learn more about the scholarship program, visit https://northwesternmutual-foundation.com/scholarships/

About Northwestern Mutual Foundation
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $575 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company's employees and financial representatives live and work. We accomplish this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. Our efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods, and making our hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.  

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With more than $780 billion of total assets¹ managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $40 billion in revenues, and $2.5 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2025 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2026. 

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.  

¹ Includes investments and separate account assets of Northwestern Mutual as well as retail investment assets held or managed for clients.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual