Grants

Affiliates play a special role in Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s vision of creating a world without breast cancer. Affiliates are Komen’s hands and feet in the community. The Northwest Ohio Affiliate helps to ensure that information and resources reach those who need it most. While we have made great advances over the last several decades in understanding the causes of breast cancer, how it behaves in the body, and successful treatments, there are many people who still do not receive regular mammograms or receive quality breast cancer treatment.

Like other affiliates, the Northwest Ohio Affiliate makes grants to support local programs that address specific needs related to breast cancer. Please note that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Northwest Ohio Affiliate is not a direct service provider.  We do not provide funds directly to individuals for screening or treatment, nor do we determine individual eligibility, or influence the screening or treatment decisions of the organizations that we fund.

Our Affiliate’s grant-making strategy is guided by our Community Profile. The Community Profile identifies the needs and assets of our service area and identifies the priorities of our Affiliate. Grant-making is one way that we can address those priorities. We also address those priorities through public policy, education, or partnerships.

Each Affiliate’s service area has different needs. However, there are some common goals that we share. These include:

•  Raising awareness and changing people’s beliefs and attitudes about breast cancer.
• Increasing the regular use of mammography by women over forty.
• Improving access to quality care for women in need of diagnostic and treatment services.
• Enhancing the quality of life of persons with breast cancer.

All grants funded by the Northwest Ohio Affiliate directly address one or more of the priorities identified in our Community Profile.

How Komen Community Grants are Different than Grants Made by Headquarters

Grants made by Headquarters aim to energize science to find cures by funding research discoveries, individuals, and research resources critical to ending breast cancer. The National Komen for the Cure Grants Program supports research and training in different ways, including grants and fellowships. To learn more about the grants awarded by Headquarters, visit www.komen.org.

In contrast, grants made by Affiliates aim to change behaviors and health care systems to increase access to early detection and quality treatment. The vast majority of grants made by Affiliates are for program implementation. These grants often include program development and program evaluation. Less often, Affiliates may fund conferences, symposia, or capacity building activities.

Affiliates may not fund research grants, except those which have been reviewed by Headquarters and referred for affiliate consideration by the Headquarters Grants Program. A research grant is defined as funding given for the primary purpose of studying or investigating something. This includes any project that would require Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval. In some cases, an Affiliate may fund a project with a significant program evaluation component. If the program evaluation requires IRB approval, you must contact your Affiliate Relationship Manager to seek an exception to ensure that you comply with the restrictions related to research funding.

In addition, Affiliates may not make grants to support the following:

• General Operating Funds
• Debt reduction Annual fundraising campaigns
• Event sponsorships 
• Projects completed before the date of grant approval 
• Individuals (with the exception of travel scholarships) 
• Building/Renovation 
• Capital Campaigns 
• Employee Matching Gifts
• Land Acquisition 
• Program-Related Investments/Loans 
• Scholarships 
• Equipment over $5000 
• Endowments  

Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world's largest breast cancer organization, awarded more than $100 million in research grants last year, representing the largest single-year investment in research in the organization's 26-year history and a 30 percent increase over the previous year’s award total of $77 million. The 2008 grants slate moves Komen for the Cure closer to accomplishing its goal of investing another $2 billion in breast cancer research and community health programs by 2017.

Any not-for-profit organization that provides breast health and/or breast cancer education, screening, or treatment services may apply for a grant.