The Huntsman Challenge

The Huntsman Challenge is your chance to make a real difference in the fight against cancer. Sigma Chi undergraduates create team pages to rally their friends, family, and networks around a cause that matters: funding the groundbreaking work of Huntsman Cancer Institute, a leader in cancer research and treatment at the molecular level.

The dollars you raise bring researchers one step closer to life-saving discoveries, and every team page is a testament to our commitment as Sigma Chis to becoming the Generation to End Cancer. Whether you’re a current student or a proud alumnus, join us in channeling the brotherhood of Sigma Chi into something truly meaningful.

Getting involved in the Huntsman Challenge is simple. Set up your page, share your story, and inspire others to rally behind your cause. Together, we can accelerate groundbreaking innovation at Huntsman Cancer Institute and turn the tide against cancer.

Jon M. Huntsman (1937–2018)

Order of Constantine and Significant Sig Jon M. Huntsman Sr., PENNSYLVANIA 1959, lived a life of service and giving back. He built a legacy on values gained through his family and his experience as a Sigma Chi to make a difference in the world. After losing his mother to breast cancer, Jon made a promise that would become his life goal: to eradicate cancer from the planet. In 1993, Jon and his wife Karen donated $10 million to establish a cancer institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two years later, the Huntsman family pledged $100 million to construct a state-of-the-art Cancer Center, formally establishing Huntsman Cancer Institute. What was once an empty hillside has become a transformational institution dedicated to changing the course of cancer care and discovery globally. 

Sigma Chi’s Commitment To Philanthropy

One in two men and one in three women will get cancer in their lifetimes, and cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States Knowing that the world expects more of Sigma Chis than it does of other men, we decided to do something about these staggering statistics. At the 150th anniversary of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity in 2005, it was announced that Huntsman Cancer Foundation (the fundraising arm of Huntsman Cancer Institute) would become the preferred charity of Sigma Chi. Ten years later, in 2015, Sigma Chi made the largest philanthropic commitment in men's fraternity history by pledging to raise $11 million for Huntsman Cancer Institute. In 2019, at the Sigma Chi Grand Chapter celebration in Salt Lake City, Utah, the fraternity made an even bigger announcement: an additional $20 million pledge to Huntsman Cancer Institute, bringing the total overall commitment to $31 million.

Today, over 20 years after the partnership with Huntsman Cancer Foundation began, Sigma Chi’s impact has reached heights once unfathomable. After fulfilling the $20 million pledge in the fall of 2025, the fraternity announced it would double the funds raised so far, with an additional $31 milllion pledge to establish the Sigma Chi Center for Advanced Therapeutics and Innovation at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Because of our commitment as Sigma Chi’s to be The Generation to End Cancer, countless lives have been changed, and there is even more reason for the real hope that one day we can achieve a world without cancer.

Huntsman Cancer Institute

Huntsman Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, which means it achieves the highest standards for cancer care and research and receives support for its worthy scientific endeavors. Huntsman Cancer Institute has become one of the best cancer hospitals in the world since its creation in 1995.

Here are some of the breakthroughs that make Huntsman Cancer Institute unique:

• More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center in the world, including genes responsible for hereditary breast, ovarian, colon, skin,  and headand neck cancers.
• Huntsman Cancer Institute manages the Utah Population Database (UPDB), the largest genetic database in the world, with information on more than 11 million people linked to genealogies, health records, and vital statistics.
• Huntsman Cancer Institute serves the largest geographic region of any cancer center in the country and has expanded its reach through three community clinics in surrounding areas and six affiliate hospitals in neighboring states.
• The largest and most comprehensive Phase 1 clinical trials program for all cancer types in the Mountain West is operated by Huntsman Cancer Institute, which currently has more than 400 open clinical trials.
• Huntsman Cancer Institute has provided patient and prevention education to more than one million residents from every state and six continents.