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Request for Proposals for Transportation and Lodging Services for Cancer Patients

Access to healthcare is an important social determinant of health and a critical factor in determining the health and wellbeing of individuals. For Maine cancer patients, transportation and the costs associated with travel to cancer treatment can be a significant barrier, leading to preventable disparities in health status and disease outcomes.

Cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to a lack of transportation for several reasons. Patients receiving treatment require a high level of care with many visits to healthcare providers. The cost of transportation as well as dependent care, with consequent lost wages, can quickly become a financial burden. Many cancer patients are unable to drive themselves due to their illness and either have to pay for transportation services or rely heavily on family and friends to drive them to appointments.

Maine Cancer Foundation and John T. Gorman Foundation recognize the important role transportation to and from cancer care and lodging close to healthcare facilities plays in helping cancer patients. In support of this effort, Maine Cancer Foundation is now accepting applications for transportation and lodging services for Maine cancer patients.

To view our Full Grant Guidelines, please click here. 

Applications are due by 5pm on Friday, September 29, 2023. Awards will be announced by October 31, 2023. We recommend applicants contact Maine Cancer Foundation to discuss your proposal prior to submission or if you have any questions about your eligibility. To ensure your application is complete and meets this RFP's requirements, we highly encourage applicants to submit a draft application for review and feedback. Please send questions and drafts to Tricia Jamiol, Administrative Associate, at tricia@mainecancer.org. 

Applications are accepted online only through our grant portal. Apply here.

In addition to publishing topic-based Requests for Proposals, discretionary grant opportunities are available for projects that contribute to one or more of Maine Cancer Foundation's three goals:

Foster Prevention Practices: The best cancer is the one that never occurs. Prevention strategies have a proven impact on reducing cancer incidence rates. 

Increase Cancer Screening: Early detection saves lives. Cancer screening tests can detect cancer in its earliest stages, when it is most treatable. 

Improve Patient Outcomes: Maine Cancer Foundation supports efforts to improve patient outcomes by increasing access to care and ensuring the best cancer care is available for all Mainers.

Application Process for Discretionary Grants

If you are interested in submitting a discretionary grant application, please submit a one-page Letter of Interest (LOI) to introduce us to your project. The LOI serves as a brief overview of your organization and project idea and allows us to assess its alignment with MCF’s funding priorities. 

Instructions for completing a Discretionary Grant Letter of Interest

Letters of Interest may be submitted on a rolling basis throughout the year and discretionary applications are considered based on available funds. If discretionary grant funds are no longer available, we will post a notification on our website at www.mainecancer.org/apply-for-a-grant. 

Maine's Impact Cancer Network's Task Forces are charged with carrying out the objectives and strategies as outlined in the Cancer Network’s Community Plan to address cancer in Maine. Task Forces will include at least two individuals or organizations from different sectors. They will be time limited based on the nature of their objectives and strategies. Task Forces will focus on specific action items as designated in the Community Plan and will evolve their work as necessary to reach end goals.

Work of the Task Forces may include programs and activities that are currently being implemented by members of the Task Force or may be new programs and activities needed to fill gaps in reducing cancer.

In order to carry out this work, grants of up to $10,000 will be considered for Task Force projects. Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis. Grants must be awarded to a qualifying 501c3 organization.

Please contact dani@mainecancer.org to learn more.

Applications are accepted online only through our grant portal.

Open Requests for Proposals can be found on this page under Open RFPs (above) and on the grant portal.

Discretionary Grant requests will be considered after receiving a Letter of Interest (details above).

Completed applications will be reviewed by a grant review committee and applicants may be contacted for additional information.

All interested applicants are encouraged to contact Maine Cancer Foundation with all eligibility questions and to discuss your proposal prior to submission. 

Review Process

Grants are peer-reviewed by a committee of Maine-based experts in the field and MCF staff and board members. Reviewers read and score each application based on criteria from the Request for Proposal guidelines. The Committee then meets to discuss each application and prepare its recommendations for funding. Those recommendations are submitted to Maine Cancer Foundation's Executive Committee for final review and approval.

Before application review, reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest including financial or professional relationships with an applicant, a financial benefit resulting from a funding decision, or a perception of conflict. All sensitive application and organizational information will remain confidential by Maine Cancer Foundation and any review committee the Foundation assembles.

What We Will Not Fund  

- Organizations that are not a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization, educational institution, government entity or other public, non-profit entity (e.g. health department, university);
- Direct support to individuals for cancer prevention, detection or treatment services, equipment or supplies
- Capital campaigns
- Business investments or loans
- Programs that do not benefit the people of Maine

Additional Information

- Geographic distribution of grants will be considered and multiple grants to the same institution may be limited.
- Maine Cancer Foundation will not knowingly support projects that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
- A grant recipient’s work must support MCF’s mission. Funds may not be diverted to benefit any individual. The results or benefits of any Foundation supported initiative or program are required to remain in the public domain for the benefit of Maine people.

Contact 

If you have any questions about grant eligibility or would like to discuss a proposal prior to submission, please contact Tricia Jamiol, at tricia@mainecancer.org or 207.773.2533.