Facts About Prop 38:
The Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative

Prevent and Cure Cancer, Alzheimer's, Heart Disease, and Other Debilitating Diseases – In Our Lifetime.

Research to find cures for major diseases in our lifetime

  • Prop 38 will provide $8.4 billion in vitally needed funding to advance breakthrough immunology research to develop life-saving treatments and cures for the most persistent and debilitating diseases impacting nearly every California family. Half of all funds are for research dedicated to cures for Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease.
  • Immunology harnesses the body’s own immune system to detect and stop diseases.
  • Immunotherapies are already saving and extending lives for patients dealing with cancers like melanoma, lung cancer and leukemia. Patients who have been weeks away from dying have received breakthrough treatments that have sent them into long-term remission.
  • Immunotherapies have the potential to prevent and cure a whole range of diseases including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, ALS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.1
  • Millions of families suffer when devastating diseases upend or claim the lives of loved ones. Prop 38 will invest in promising immunotherapy research that can prevent and cure diseases that could save your life and the life of someone you love.

California can lead the way amidst federal uncertainty

  • Federal funding cuts and uncertainty are delaying life-saving medical research and halting progress toward finding cures. We are in a race against time, and patients and their loved ones can’t afford to wait.
  • Prop 38 creates a stable source of funding for scientists and medical experts and accelerates the pace of discoveries to help the tens of millions of patients who are fighting cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and other debilitating diseases.
  • Half of Prop 38 funding will be awarded through a competitive grant process to leading nonprofit universities and research institutions across California. The other half will support a nonprofit immunology research institute affiliated with the University of California that brings together leading scientists, patients and clinical trials in one place to help rapidly accelerate scientific discoveries into new treatments and cures.
  • Prop 38 will make California a national leader in groundbreaking medical research, fostering collaboration between leading California-based universities, scientists and physicians.
  • Prop 38 will bring further investment into our state, creating billions of dollars in economic benefits and tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. Scientific research has become a critical economic engine in California, and studies show that each dollar invested in medical research returns three dollars back into our state’s economy.2

Strong accountability & taxpayer protections

  • Prop 38 is designed to fully pay for itself. Ten percent (10%) of all proceeds from the licensing of immunotherapies must be returned to California to offset the total costs of Prop 38, including interest.
  • Prop 38 limits state administrative costs to no more than 2%, requires all grant funds to public universities and nonprofit research centers be spent directly on medical research, implements rigorous conflict of interest rules, requires public disclosure of all spending, and mandates independent financial audits.
  • Funds can only be granted to California-based nonprofit universities and research institutes, and no funds can be given to for-profit corporations.

Reduces healthcare costs

  • Any cure or immunotherapy developed through research funded by Prop 38 must be made available to California patients at a 20% discount below the national average.
  • Preventing and curing the most pressing diseases will also reduce long-term healthcare expenses and save the state and families tens of billions of dollars in avoided medical expenses.3
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1 Why Immunology Research Matters, American Association of Immunologists, Inc. 2023. 2 NIH’s Role in Sustaining the U.S. Economy, United for Medical Research (UMR), 2026 Update. 3 Fast Facts: Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Conditions, CDC, August 8, 2025.