Movember supports four areas of men’s health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention. Since launching in 2003, the movement has grown to over 5 million supporters worldwide and funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects across more than 20 countries.
How Movember Started
The whole thing began with two Australian friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, who thought the mustache had gone out of style. In 2003, they decided to grow one for the entire month of November and recruited 30 friends to join, each donating $10. A friend’s mother had been raising money for breast cancer awareness at the time, which gave them the idea to tie their mustache challenge to men’s health, specifically prostate cancer. The goal was simple: get men talking about their health with one another. That small bet among friends became a global nonprofit.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of Movember’s original and largest funding priorities. The organization backs research into better diagnostics, treatments, and quality of life after treatment. One concrete example is True North, a Movember program specifically designed for men living with or recovering from prostate cancer. It provides guidance on the issues that matter most after treatment: erectile dysfunction, urinary problems, fatigue, sexual recovery, relationships, mental health, and diet and exercise. The program includes a guide to rediscovering intimacy after surgery, a topic many men struggle to find reliable information about.
When prostate cancer isn’t caught early, treatment can be more aggressive and lead to long-term side effects including sterility and a lifetime of hormone replacement therapy. Movember’s emphasis on awareness aims to push more men toward screening and earlier detection, which consistently leads to better outcomes.
Testicular Cancer
Though less common than prostate cancer (about 1 in 263 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime), testicular cancer tends to affect younger men, making awareness especially important in that age group. Movember funds awareness campaigns that stress self-examination as a first line of defense. Routine screening by a doctor is critical, but it doesn’t replace the need to check yourself regularly at home. Cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages, so catching a lump or change early can be the difference between straightforward treatment and something far more difficult.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Men die by suicide at significantly higher rates than women in most countries, and Movember treats this as a health crisis on par with cancer. The organization funds programs that try to reach men where they actually are, rather than waiting for them to seek help on their own.
One notable effort is the Making Connections Initiative in the United States, which works through five community-based coalitions. These coalitions specifically serve men and boys of color, military service members, veterans, and their families in both rural and urban communities. The approach centers on meeting men through activities they already enjoy, then building the social connections that help them cope with trauma and stress.
In Canada, Movember runs Indigenous Land Based Programs that support Indigenous men in reclaiming traditional skills like harvesting and living off the land. Through culture and mentorship, participants reconnect with traditional knowledge while building a stronger sense of belonging and purpose. These programs recognize that mental health interventions work best when they fit the community they’re designed for, not the other way around.
Where the Money Goes
Movember reports a global administration and fundraising ratio of 22.8%, meaning roughly 77 cents of every dollar raised goes toward men’s health projects. That falls within the internationally accepted best-practice range of 15% to 25% for nonprofits. All funds raised during Movember campaigns flow into the organization’s four focus areas: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
The projects themselves span research, clinical programs, awareness campaigns, and community-based support across more than 20 countries. With over 1,200 projects funded since 2003, Movember has become one of the largest funders of men’s health research and programming in the world. The mustache remains the symbol, but the scope has grown far beyond a conversation starter into a global infrastructure for keeping men alive and healthy longer.