Grants

The Komen Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate is part of the 124-member Affiliate network of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting to end breast cancer forever.  Komen for the Cure awarded more than $100 million in research grants last year, representing the largest single-year investment in research in the organization's 26-year history and a 30 percent increase over the previous year’s award total of $77 million. 

An estimated 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer screening, treatment, and awareness are vital to ensure the health of individuals in our communities. To best address the enormity and complexity of the issue, The Komen Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate believes that it is imperative to fund community-based breast health programs that provide culturally relevant education and outreach, screening coordination and support and treatment. Our sixth grant cycle begins now and will focus its priorities on the various needs for screening, treatment, education and prevention in our affiliate’s service area: The Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate service area includes 32 cities and counties in Virginia including Alleghany, Amherst, Bath, Bedford, City of Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, City of Buena Vista, Campbell, Carroll, City of Covington, City of Danville, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, City of Galax, Giles, Grayson, Henry, City of Lexington, City of Lynchburg, City of Martinsville, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, City of Radford, Roanoke, City of Roanoke, Rockbridge, City of Salem, and Wythe.

To apply for a Komen Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate community grant, your organization must be:

 a) A federally tax exempt entity – nonprofit organization, government agency, educational institution, or Indian tribe.
 b) Located in the Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate’s service area – 32 cities and counties **
 c) A current or planned provider of breast health programs for education and prevention, screening, and treatment

Komen Virginia Blue Ridge is currently accepting Grant Applications.
For more information, click here for the package and  here for the budget template

Komen Virginia Blue Ridge is also accepting Applications for Small Grants and Travel Scholarships.
For more information, click here.

Grant Application 2011
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is there a cap on the amount of funding we can request?
Answer: There is no funding request cap at this time. Previous grants have ranged from $10,000 to $70,00

Q2. Can we deliver the hard copies of grants, rather than mailing them?
Answer: Yes, please feel free to deliver to the Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate Office, located at 4910 Valley View Boulevard, NW, Suite 212, Roanoke, VA by 5:00 pm on Monday, December 5, 2011. Please call first to alert the staff that you will be delivering the applications, 540-400-8222. 

Q3. If we do not have access to our organization’s audited financial reports, what options do we have?
Answer: Please request a copy of your latest financial reports (monthly or annual) from your organization’s Financial Officer, if an audited version is not available. 

Q4. If our organization is part of a larger agency (i.e. Department of Health) and we don’t have a local board of directors, may we substitute the state/parent organization board of directors?
Answer: Yes, that will suffice in such situations.

Q5. What if we are late in mailing or delivering the application?
Answer: We are sorry, but late applications will NOT be accepted.

Q6. Are we required to submit Letters of Support? The guidelines state there is no minimum, but would 0 letters be acceptable?
Answer: You are not required to submit letters of support, but it is encouraged, and is recommended if you are describing services which rely on collaboration with other community partners.

 Q7. We received a grant last year, but from a different Affiliate. Now that our site is in your expanded service area, do we still need to submit to you our Progress Report made to that Affiliate?
Answer: Yes, we want to review your progress report, even if it was for a different affiliate service area.

Q8. What do you mean by “key personnel?”
Answer: Key personnel would be those most closely associated with the program described in the application, even if they are not funded through the Komen grant. This would include staff members who are chiefly responsible for performing the activities in the program. You might also want to include the supervisory/management staff overseeing the program staff.

Q9. If we are creating new forms or including forms for various program aspects, i.e. evaluation, are they counted as part of the narrative, or can we attach those separately?
Answer: If you have described the form in the narrative to illustrate your plans that will suffice. Please adhere to the 8-page limit for the narrative. There is no need to attach the forms, but we would be happy to review them at the time of grantee progress reports and site visits.

 Q10. Can you elaborate on the meaning of “organizational capacity?”
Answer: Please describe your history of success with similar programs of this size and scope, and/or describe changes you’ve made to accommodate this program if it’s considerably different from those you’ve managed in the past. You can describe your organizational framework, mission, vision and values, governance, strategic relationships and community support, internal operations, etc. in this section.

11. What is meant by “Community Contact” on the Cover Sheet?
A: That would be the individual that you identify from your organization as the primary contact person for follow-up questions and discussions with our Affiliate staff/committee member. This might be the same person as the Project Director or it may be someone different.

12. Can we address both priority areas or do we need to select only one?
A.   You may select one OR both priority areas.

13. If we identify other sources of funding for our program, does that jeopardize our chances for Komen funding?
A.   If you demonstrate that your program requires funding in addition to Komen funds in order to be fully realized, it does not result in a lower score on the grant review. You are encouraged to seek other funds over time to ensure greater sustainability and/or to ensure greater capacity to meet community need.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Eileen Lepro, Grants Chair at 540-362-1788 or email grants@komenvablueridge.org, or Melissa Woodson, Executive Director at 540-400-8222 or email mwoodson@komenvablueridge.org.

Thank you.