Funding Priorities

A minimum of 25 percent of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race supports the national Komen for the Cure Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific conferences around the world. Up to 75 percent of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race stays in the local community to fund breast health education, breast cancer screening and treatment projects.

Programmatic Priorities

The Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is committed to offering hope by reducing mortality from breast cancer, and enhancing quality of life.  Our mission leads us to be a catalyst for change within our 26 city and county service area.  Women are dying of a disease that is usually curable when found at its earliest stage. 

• Recognizing that yearly screening mammography is the key to early detection, down-staging breast cancer, thus making it more curable, special consideration will be given to programs that address this issue.  It is estimated that nearly 80,000 women over age 40 in our service area have not had a mammogram in the past 12 months.  Recognizing that education and awareness WITHOUT changed behavior is essentially useless, consideration will be given to innovative programs that address changing behavior and increasing the yearly mammography rate in all women over 40. We are outcomes driven and seek to fund evidence-based programs that will be able to document this change in behavior with increased mammography.
• We believe the highest standard of care should be available to all women in our service area and seek to fund initiatives that will fill gaps and address disparities among communities and population groups. Special consideration will be given to programs that address highest priority communities and population groups.  While this may involve directly funding mammography for disadvantaged women, it may also involve funding innovative and creative programs designed to move beyond awareness and education in all populations to changed behavior with an increase in the mammography rate for all women. 

Please note: 
Special consideration will be given to applications proposing to serve the highest priority communities and population groups, as indicated by the recently completed Community Profile Report.   (Please refer to the Community Profile Report powerpoint presentation, found on the komenvablueridge.org website)

This includes the City of Roanoke, Henry County, and Pittsylvania County. These three locales have lower screening rates, and correspondingly higher percentages of Stage III and IV cancers.

The Virginia Blue Ridge Affiliate also seeks to support screening programs that target African American women in the entire service area.

The Affiliate also seeks to support programs that provide breast cancer education to women between the ages of 19-45.

Innovative projects are welcomed and we - along with those who generously support us with their talent, time and resources - are working to improve the lives of those facing breast cancer in our community. We join more than 100,000 breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer.

Community Profile for Download

The Community Profile is a needs assessment document that provides an overview of Komen’s grant-making priorities and the breast health needs in our service area. Please familiarize yourself with this document before developing your applications.