Kiona Foundation Inc. · 501(c)(3) Public Charity
United for Hope, Advancing Cures
We advance research into the endogenous cannabinoid system and the botanical drug candidates that may follow from it, pursuing the FDA Botanical Drug Development pathway in search of less toxic, more effective options where conventional therapy has been inadequate.
One Ribbon, One Movement
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month begins September 1. See the whole child, learn about the Foundation's response, and support the live campaign.
Start here
Follow the part of the Foundation's work that brought you here.
Our mission
Based in New York City, Kiona Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity advancing pharmacognosy, the study of medicines derived from natural sources, as the foundation for novel botanical drug discovery.
Kiona Foundation was founded in 2003 in honor of Kiona T. Jenkins. The loss of Dr. Lakisha Jenkins-Samuels' sister, Merika, in 2018 further shaped a mission that reaches beyond any one age group. Kiona's sister, Carlene O.J. Samuels, was born in 2020, nearly twenty years after the Foundation began, and her life expanded the legacy the Foundation now carries forward. We advance research and pursue better options for people and families affected by cancer across the lifespan.
Cancer research and charitable work across the lifespan.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month through One Ribbon, One Movement.
Every Ribbon Has a Name, honoring children lost to cancer.
Foundation research
The Foundation's research protocol examines endogenous cannabinoid system deficiency across general, clinical, and medically authorized adult and pediatric populations.
It received approval in September 2024. Independent IRB reconstitution is the remaining structural step before the next submission, so this site makes no claim of current approval, enrollment, recruitment, intervention, or results.
Programs
The Foundation's programs extend the work into research infrastructure, practical technology, donor support, and remembrance while keeping each purpose clear.
Initiative
A unified research, cultivation, processing, and clinical campus planned for Wayne County, with industrial hemp and medical Cannabis research carried on distinct tracks. The project is rooted in Finger Lakes agricultural history and the long work of building research infrastructure that can serve the region.
Family support program
Kiona Foundation's active device refurbishment and placement program turns donated computer hardware into practical tools for pediatric cancer families and caregivers.
Donor recognition
The Foundation's permanent, opt-in recognition program for cumulative calendar-year giving of one thousand dollars or more.
Permanent memorial
A digital place where children lost to childhood cancer are remembered by name, photograph, and the words their families choose to carry forward.
Research and updates
The Blog preserves the Foundation's fully cited research writing. News connects visitors to primary reporting and source documents that shape the broader cancer conversation.
Read the Foundation's published articles on phytochemicals, the endocannabinoid system, and whole-person care in cancer treatment.
Read the July 8 WHO news release, watch the UNifeed video, and open the complete source report.
One Ribbon, One Movement
One Ribbon, One Movement is Kiona Foundation's single September childhood cancer awareness campaign.