Celebrating Our 2023 Grantees

 To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation is regarded as a prime funder in the breast cancer space in the Bay Area. In April 2023, we were proud to award $300,000 in grants to 18 Bay Area nonprofit organizations which support women and men with breast health issues. 

These organizations provide emergency, direct and diagnostic services, patient navigation, financial assistance, holistic complementary therapies and emotional support programs to underserved breast cancer patients. Grant recipients are located throughout the nine-county Bay Area. Grant recipients were chosen from a pool of applicants by the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee, which consists of community health and medical leaders, supporters, past and present Foundation Board Directors, many who have personally experienced breast cancer.

We were thrilled to resume our annual Grants Reception in person on April 6 th honoring the 2023 grantees. We were pleased to acknowledge and thank them for the important services and support they provide for breast cancer patients in our communities. Follow us on our social media as we feature our 2023 grantees with information about the incredible work they are doing to assist breast cancer patients in the Bay Area. For more information, read the overview of grants

Grant Recipients 2023:

See photos from the 2023 Grants Reception. Movie and photo credit: John Crane

Our 2023 Grantees

Front row, left to right:

Deborah Ramelli, Ceres Project; Darcie Green, Latinas Contra Cancer; Kelly Tyler, Marin Center For Independent Learning; Tina Fernandez, HERS; Liz Castillo, Bay Area Cancer Connections; Barbara Cicerelli, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Cancer Navigation Program; Ai May Tan, Shanti Project; Gabby Moraleda, Pilipino Senior Resource Center

Back row, left to right:

Charis Pasley, Tim and Jeanne Hamann Foundation; Linda Hastings, Tim and Jeanne Hamann Foundation; Julia Barba, Community Health Partnership; Nicole Loiacona, MarinHealth Foundation; Dolores Moorehead, Women’s Cancer Resource Center; Melbra Watts, Charlotte Maxwell Clinic; Star Quinine, San Francisco Women’s Cancer Network; Haley Pollack, Brightspot Network; Kerry Beuthin, Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation; Pamela Klaus, Pink Ribbon Good, Dawn Hogh, CancerCARE Poin

Grant Recipients 2023:

Bay Area Cancer Connections – San Mateo

Breast and Ovarian Cancer Emergency Fund (BOCEF)
The program helps Bay Area low-income individuals who are in active treatment for breast cancer with living expenses such as rent, essential utilities, health insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical equipment and supplies and dignified funerals.

Bright Spot Network – Alameda

Bright Grants Program
This program provides short-term relief for families, caregivers and parents grappling with the financial challenges presented by cancer while raising young children to foster safe spaces for individual and familial healing, recovery and reconnection.

Cancer CAREpoint – San Jose

Emergency, Navigational and Direct Services Support for Breast Cancer Patients
Patients, family members and caregivers receive assistance every step of the journey from
cancer diagnosis to survivorship through provided services..

Ceres Community Project – Sebastopol

Healing Meals for Healthy Communities
Teenagers prepare organic meals designed to support the specific nutritional needs of people facing a critical illness. The healthy, high-quality food can improve their quality of life, healing and recovery. Meals are delivered to breast cancer patients and their family members.

Charlotte Maxwell Clinic – Oakland

Integrative Care For Low Income Women With Breast Cancer
Free complementary therapies to low-income women diagnosed with breast cancer. The consultations will include a variety of holistic therapies to help reduce pain and improve quality of life.

Community Health Partnership – San Jose

Community Mammography Access Project (CMAP)
This program provides navigational assistance for mammograms for underserved women by addressing barriers to screening services in order to reduce late-stage breast cancer diagnosis among medically underserved low-income women in Santa Clara County. CMAP offers culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach, navigation services in multiple languages, breast cancer screening referrals and primary care health care access referrals.

HERS Breast Cancer Foundation – Fremont

Lymphedema Project
This program provides fitting services and compression garments for prevention and treatment of lymphedema symptoms that can occur after treatment of breast cancer.

Latinas Contra Cancer – San Jose

Breast Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Care Through Patient Navigation
Latinas Contra Cancer offers direct financial assistance for clients in need. Navigation services include translation, attending appointments, support groups, assistance for co-pays and connection to a safety net of resources for transportation, food, or other basic needs.

Marin Center for Independent Living – San Rafael

Mary Mathews Breast Cancer  Advocacy Project and Emergency Assistance
Underserved and uninsured individuals in Marin County diagnosed with breast cancer receive help in navigating the health care system in order to acquire and maintain medical insurance. Also, the project provides emergency services including housing and financial planning and assistance during treatment and recovery.

MarinHealth Foundation – Greenbrae

Screening and Diagnostic Fund for Uninsured and Underinsured Individuals
Breast screening and diagnostic testing, mammograms, ultrasounds, MRI screenings and biopsies are provided for low income, uninsured or underinsured individuals facing disparities in breast cancer detection.

Pilipino Senior Resource Center – San Francisco

Kapwa Kalinga – “Care for Each Other” 
Underserved Filipinas with breast cancer receive navigational assistance, transportation, group support therapy and emergency support services during their breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Pink Ribbon Good – Los Altos

Simply Fight TM and No Age, No Stage TM
These programs will provide rides for clients undergoing treatment for breast cancer..

San Francisco General Hospital Foundation – San Francisco

Lymphedema Education and Referral Program (LERP)
This program is offered to diverse underserved breast cancer patients in San Francisco
and includes services such as garments, transportation and supplies.

San Francisco Women’s Cancer Network – San Francisco

African American Women Breast Health Project
This program provides navigation for African American women living in the Bayview/Hunter’s Point communities of San Francisco to access breast cancer screening services, follow-up diagnostic, treatment and breast cancer support services.

Shanti Project – San Francisco

Shanti’s Women’s Cancer Program
Navigation is provided to underserved, low-income clients with breast cancer to ensure they access, understand, and complete treatment. Services include individualized case management, advocacy, interpretation/translation, appointment accompaniment, taxi vouchers and gift cards for groceries and other critically needed household items.

Sutter Pacific Medical FoundationSanta Rosa

Sonoma County Breast Cancer Services: Cancer Support Services and Institute for Health & Healing
Recently diagnosed breast cancer patients are supported with integrative medicine services that help patients navigate breast cancer treatment into survivorship.

Tim and Jeannie Hamann Foundation – Benicia

Making a Difference to Fight Breast Cancer
Direct and emergency services assist Solano County breast cancer patients who do not have the resources to meet basic needs.  Emergency financial assistance includes rent/ mortgage payments, transportation to treatments, utilities, food and medical deductibles.

Women’s Cancer Resource Center – Berkeley

Financial Assistance for Breast Cancer Patients
Through the Faith Fancher Emergency Breast Cancer Fund, emergency financial assistance for rent, healthy food and personalized navigation services are available to low-income women diagnosed with breast cancer who are actively in treatment in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

Your contributions support multiple stages of treatment and a range of services for healing. We put your dollars to work in the community.