2024-2026 Community Grant Program

The Prevent Cancer Foundation's 2024-2026 Community Grant Program is designed to empower individuals to proactively manage their cancer risk through prevention and early detection. This initiative directly aligns with the Foundation's mission to stay ahead of cancer, providing crucial resources for community-level activities focused on cancer prevention—including education and vaccination—and screening. The program aims to support projects that will have a significant positive impact, particularly in underserved and disproportionately affected communities across the United States, including tribal areas and territories. The target beneficiaries of this program are communities that face structural inequities and are historically marginalized. The primary impact goal is to reduce cancer incidence and improve early detection rates within these populations. Awarded projects will be selected through a competitive cycle, with a strong emphasis on initiatives that actively work to dismantle systemic barriers to healthcare. This includes engaging individuals with lived experiences and ensuring that patient navigators, staff, and leadership reflect the priority population being served, thereby fostering culturally sensitive care. Key priorities for funding include projects that address an unmet need within an organization or community, make intentional efforts to reach historically underserved groups, and involve community members in all stages—planning, implementation, and evaluation. Furthermore, the Foundation prioritizes projects that contribute to systemic change and demonstrate sustainability beyond the grant period. The theory of change underpinning this program is that by investing in community-led prevention and early detection efforts, particularly in vulnerable populations, the Foundation can create lasting improvements in health outcomes and reduce cancer-related disparities. The expected outcomes of the grants are a measurable increase in cancer prevention knowledge, vaccination rates, and early detection screenings in targeted communities. Successful projects will demonstrate a tangible positive impact, contributing to the Foundation's strategic priority of promoting health equity and preventing cancer before it starts or finding it at its most treatable stages. The Foundation will provide $100,000 grants over two years ($50,000 per year), with the expectation that these funds will enable comprehensive and impactful interventions that can extend their benefits well beyond the initial grant duration.