Local Community Health Programs

Each year Komen and its more than 80 Affiliates across the U.S. fund nearly 1,000 community-based programs that address barriers and needs related to breast cancer. These local programs aim to change behaviors and increase access to quality breast health care. In order to ensure we’re funding programs that address the specific unmet needs of their communities, our Affiliates work with local medical and public health experts and community leaders to conduct comprehensive community needs assessments. These community profiles are then used to establish local funding priorities for the community grants program request for applications (RFA). Submitted applications are subject to a rigorous review process by an independent panel of experts and community reviewers consistent with Komen’s standards and mission.

Through thoughtful and strategic partnerships and coalition building, Komen and our Affiliates work to provide the community with seamless access to breast health services from breast cancer screening, diagnosis, patient navigation, treatment and education programs.

Through local community health programs, we strive to:

Reduce breast cancer mortality
Reduce late stage breast cancer diagnosis
Eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer outcomes
Invest in evidence-based programs that drive change
Reduce barriers to access quality care for individuals in need of screening, diagnostic and treatment services
Reduce barriers to and delays in the breast cancer continuum of care
Change people’s beliefs and attitudes and encourage positive behaviors/actions related to breast cancer through education

Thanks to supporters like you, the Local Community Grants Program invested more than $43 million to over 950 breast health projects in FY16. These programs include life-saving patient navigation as well as other services tailored to the needs of the community. For instance, rural areas have benefitted from mobile mammography units that provide free mammograms to women unable to access medical facilities for their annual screenings. Community members needing bilingual education are offered culturally appropriate education in breast self-awareness in their native languages. And women with little or no health insurance are able to complete their breast cancer treatment through Affiliate Grants Programs.

On any given day, our local community health programs are making an impact:

22 people learn they have breast cancer through Komen-funded services
809 people receive a free Komen-funded screening
142 people receive Komen funded treatment assistance
429 people receive Komen-funded patient navigation services
118 people benefit from Komen funded-diagnostic testing
3,604 people participate in breast cancer educational sessions to take action towards better health

Once the needs in the community have been identified in the Community Profile, Komen and our Affiliates can make well-informed decisions about where to invest the grants program funding. These decisions drive the creation of funding priorities to ensure resources and programs reach the individuals or target communities most impacted by breast cancer. These funding priorities are incorporated in the grants program Request for Applications (RFA).

The RFA describes which communities, populations, and needs the Affiliate has prioritized for funding. Grants are awarded through a highly-competitive application process. An independent panel of local experts and community reviewers reviews the applications for impact, feasibility, sustainability and other selection criteria designed to ensure that the programs most likely to have the biggest impact on decreasing breast cancer mortality in the community are funded.

Once the grants are awarded, they are carefully managed by staff and volunteer leaders to ensure that funds are applied effectively and leveraged for maximum impact. Throughout the year, both Komen and grantee staff work closely together in assuring high quality breast health services are available, while ensuring programs are truly responding to the target communities’ breast health needs identified in the Community Profile.

Funding Opportunities from
Susan G. Komen^®in the National Capital Region

Susan G. Komen announces the availability of grant funds for fiscal year 2018. Grants awarded will support efforts to reduce breast cancer disparities in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Key Dates:

Applicants are required to initiate applications before January 10, 2018 at 12PM (noon) EST.* The deadline for completed applications is January 26, 2018 at 12PM (noon) EST.

*NOTE: Komen’s Grants eManagement System (GeMS) will stop accepting new applications on January 10, 2018 12:00PM EST. Applications not submitted but started prior to this date will still have access to edit and submit by January 26, 2018 12:00PM EST.

For more information, please visit:

For more information regarding the grant process or questions about the application, please contact: Nationalcapitalarea@komen.org.

The National Capital Region (NCR) is a community served by Komen, which includes the District of Columbia, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County in Maryland and Prince William County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, Fairfax County and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park in Virginia. The NCR has one of the highest rates of breast cancer incidence and mortality in the nation.

To meet the great need in this area, Susan G. Komen® National Capital Region Community Grants are awarded annually and provide funding for high impact breast cancer programs aligned with Komen’s Big Bold Goal. Funds raised from the Susan G. Komen D.C. Race for the Cure® (formerly known as the Global Race for the Cure) support Komen’s mission to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

At least seventy five percent of the Komen D.C. Race for the Cure’s net income stays in the NCR and Maryland communities. The remaining funds support Komen’s breast cancer research program. Through a competitive grant application and review process, Komen provides funding to local nonprofit organizations providing breast health services such as breast health and breast cancer education, free or low-cost screening and diagnostic services, treatment assistance, patient navigation and patient support programs.

The National Capital Region grant program is based on the Community Profile; a community needs assessment that identifies and targets “gaps” in breast health and breast cancer services in the NCR, which informs the Request for Applications (RFA) funding priorities and target communities.

Read about the work of the 2017 National Capital Region Grantees.