Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) announced its most recent funding awards totaling $809,654 to be distributed to seventeen organizations throughout the state. Grant awards are given to nonprofit organizations working to further the MCF mission to reduce cancer incidence and mortality in Maine. This round of funding supports cancer prevention, decreasing tobacco use, transportation and lodging support for cancer patients, and operational needs of selected partners.
$496,584 of the grant funds are allotted to six organizations across the state to decrease tobacco use. About one in five Maine adults smoke and tobacco use contributes to several types of cancer, including lung cancer. In Maine, lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer and MCF is committed to decreasing tobacco use in order to reduce the impact of lung cancer in the state. Organizations selected for grants to reduce tobacco use are:
- Healthy Androscoggin, Lewiston, $94,816
- Knox County Community Health Coalition, Rockport, $90,307
- Maine Public Health Association, Augusta, $94,275
- MaineGeneral Medical Center, Waterville, $91,959
- Mid Coast Hospital, Brunswick, $28,987
- Waldo County General Hospital, Belfast, $96,240
In addition, $190,000 of the grant funds are allotted to six organizations that support Maine cancer patients’ access to care through transportation and lodging assistance. For Maine cancer patients, transportation and the costs associated with travel to treatment can be a significant barrier, leading to preventable disparities in health status and disease outcomes. Organizations selected for Transportation and Lodging Grants are:
- Angel Flight Northeast, Statewide, $30,000
- Brian’s Ride Cancer Fund, Caribou, $40,000
- Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine, Norway, $10,000
- Friends in Action, Ellsworth, $30,000
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Statewide, $50,000
- Patient Airlift Services, Statewide, $30,000
Lastly, MCF is providing $123,070 in grants for additional cancer prevention and patient support grants. Organizations selected for these grants include:
- Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center, Ellsworth, General Operating Support, $25,000
- Healthy Acadia, Ellsworth, General Operating Support, $50,000
- Bangor YMCA, Bangor, Increased Wellness Opportunities to Those Affected by Cancer through LIVESTRONG, $10,896
- Penobscot Community Health Center, Bangor, Improving Patient Outcomes via Dermatology eConsult, $12,174
- Sarah's House of Maine, Holden, General Operating Support, $25,000
“We are proud to invest in such a broad array of programs working to prevent cancer in Maine, and to help those who face a diagnosis receive the best possible care. We are fortunate to have so many trusted partners who will utilize these funds effectively and help further the MCF mission of reducing cancer in our state. We look forward to following their work and tracking their successes,” says Aysha Sheikh, Director of Programming at MCF.
These grant awards are offered as part of MCF’s ongoing Challenge Cancer 2020 initiative, aimed at reducing cancer incidence and mortality 20% by 2020. Since 2015, MCF has awarded nearly $9 million in support of this initiative, focused on prevention, early detection and screening, and access to care for all Mainers.