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KEEP A BREAST GIVE BACK GRANT

THE KEEP A BREAST GIVE BACK GRANT (GBG) PROGRAM DIRECTLY SUPPORTS U.S.-BASED WOMEN OF COLOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS.

Women of color face many specific, long-standing challenges in their pursuit of appropriate, rigorous, and equal breast cancer treatment.

THE STRUGGLE FOR ADEQUATE HEALTHCARE LOOKS LIKE:

  • Healthcare Coverage Limitations: Racial and ethnic disparities rooted in inequality are a major factor when it comes to healthcare coverage. The cost of coverage is too high. This ultimately means less access to care.

  • Higher Death Rates: Black women have lower rates of breast cancer diagnosis than White women, but are more likely to die or receive diagnoses of highly aggressive forms of breast cancer.

  • Inadequate Care: Women of color report their concerns and/or inquiries are less likely to receive the appropriate level of concern, guidance, or recommendation of care escalation by healthcare professionals. 

  • Education and Nutrition Disparities: Lack of nutrient-dense food and health education puts people of color at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, which also complicates breast cancer care.

THE GIVE BACK GRANT PROGRAM IMPACT

The KAB Give Back Grant program launched with funds raised via a Breast Cast Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee in 2020 to recognize and assist with disrupting the inequality women of color face in the healthcare system.  

The $500 grants provided through the program are unrestricted, meaning KAB empowers recipients to make the choice for how they would like to use the funds unique to their needs and desires.

Any woman of color breast cancer patient or survivor living in the U.S. may apply. Recipients and applicants of previous cycles are welcome to apply every cycle. Grants are dependent on funding availability.

 
 

Give Back Grant 2024 Cycle Current Status

The Cycle 5 Application Window is now open! Apply below!

The application window will remain open through 12/31/2024, 11:59 p.m. PST.

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GIVE BACK GRANT PROGRAM FAQS

GENERAL QUESTIONS

  • The Give Back Grant Program awards unrestricted grants, meaning there are no limitations on how recipients choose to use their grants.

    It’s Keep A Breast’s goal to support women of color, not make their breast cancer experience more difficult.

    • Medical Treatment (hospital bills, mental health, co-pays, rides, etc.)

    • Alternative Care (acupuncture, massage therapy, sound bath, etc.)

    • Financial (rent, utilities, groceries, etc.)

    • Business (investment in your own small business)

    • Essential Self Care (time off, vacation, meditation retreat, spa day) 

  • The program provides $500 grants to all selected grantees.

  • Donate directly to the Give Back Grant program by clicking here.

  • Yes, all donations made to Keep A Breast, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION QUESTIONS

  • The 2024-2025 grant cycle opens at 8 a.m. PST on November 11, 2024, and closes on December 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

  • Anyone who is a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) woman living in the United States who has been diagnosed with breast cancer or is a breast cancer survivor may apply.

  • If you have received a grant in the past you may still apply. If you have applied in the past and did not receive a grant, you are also welcome to apply again.

  • If you have gone through our application process, but did not hit the green “Mark as Complete” button on the bottom of your screen and the green “Submit” button at the top left of the screen, your application was not submitted.

    By checking the checkboxes at the bottom of your application, you confirmed that you understood the “Mark as Complete” and “Submit” button must be checked. If you are seeing this question prior to December 31st, please take a moment to double-check your application and that it has been submitted.

    Even if “Mark As Complete” is clicked the application is not submitted until “Submit” is clicked.

    If you still have questions about your submission, please reach out to marquita@keep-a-breast.org.

APPLICATION REVIEW QUESTIONS

  • INITIAL REVIEW

    Initial review of applicants starts January 1, 2025  through January 31, 2025.  

    The KAB Grant Manager reviews all applications and disqualifies anyone who does not meet the stated requirements for applying. To qualify to receive the grant, you need to be a BIPOC breast cancer survivor or patient living in the United States.

    SELECTION COMMITTEE

    A secondary, external review of grant applicants starts February 1, 2025 and continues through April 1, 2025. The review is completed by a committee of independent BIPOC breast cancer survivors who make the final grantee selection.The committee is made up of unpaid volunteers. The selection committee votes on each application with a number scale of 1-5.

  • While Keep A Breast would love to grant every qualified applicant, this program is funding dependent. We are only able to grant as much as funding allows us. If you know anyone with a business looking to make a charitable contribution and/or an individual with a philanthropic desire, please have them reach out to our program manager at marquita@keep-a-breast.org. Donors can also make direct donations to this program here.

GRANT DISTRIBUTION QUESTIONS

  • Grant funds will be distributed to selected Grantees beginning May 1, 2025. All grantees will receive funds by May 31, 2025.

  • We are a small team of volunteers and our Grant Program Manager. To provide our best, most focused effort of reviewing all applications and honoring your applications with careful deliberation in our review, we have determined the process necessitates taking several months of review to finalize the grantees chosen.

    These funds will be transferred to payment processors chosen by grantees (Venmo or CashApp) or kept in the operating account for distribution to grantees via physical check.

  • No, once you have selected a method of payment in your application, the method cannot be changed.

    These funds will be transferred to payment processors chosen by grantees (Venmo or CashApp) or kept in the operating account for distribution to grantees via physical check.

  • Grantees will have 90 days to claim their funding. After 90 days, the grant funds will be redistributed.

  • If you need assistance with anything regarding the KAB Give Back Grant Program, please email our program manager Marquita: marquita@keep-a-breast.org

 

Meet Our Cycle 5 Give Back Grant Program Ambassadors

Tamika L. Herbert

Tamika L. Herbert, known as "The Communicative Liberationist," is a passionate advocate and breast cancer survivor. In 2016, she was featured in Keep A Breast’s Breast Cast Exhibition in Portland, Oregon, and has served on the selection committee for the organization’s Give Back Grant, later becoming a grant recipient herself. On October 31, 2023, Tamika celebrated 10 years cancer-free and marked the occasion by publishing her first book, Conquer The Fight of Life, which shares her journey and lessons from overcoming cancer.

Follow Tamika on Instagram

Jess Miso

Jess is a Stage 3 IDC breast cancer survivor who went through treatment during the pandemic with limited resources. Finding support from other survivors inspired her to become a cancer advocate and community builder. She’s also a college student advisor, dog mom, cat auntie, and boba milk tea lover. Jess values the Give Back Grant for its flexibility, which allowed her to visit a metastatic breast cancer friend in her final days “which certainly wasn't what I had planned, but definitely turned out to be the best thing and I'll be forever thankful for those moments with her.”

Follow Jess on Instagram

Dawn R. Freeman

Dawn is a 2-time breast cancer survivor! She is a singer, loves to propagate plants and is a cactus grower. Most importantly, she is a bearded dragon mom to her rescue Frankie. Dawn is a certified health coach, with a masters in public health and believes in a plant-based diet. She loves Keep A Breast as “it is an organization that helps survivors, caregivers and everyone through education, prevention and most important their Give Back Grants. It is indeed an organization that is helping to change the lives of others in a positive way.”

Follow Dawn on Instagram

Tanesha Patterson

Tanesha was diagnosed with breast cancer at 42. Cancer taught her the value of resilience and the importance of cherishing every moment. She was a 2021 Keep A Breast Give Back Grant recipient and has always been a huge advocate for anything pertaining to Woman of Color even before breast cancer. Tanesha has been a volunteer at the shelter in her local community and in the healthcare industry for many years, so she knows the importance of giving back and helping others in need.

Follow Tanesha on Instagram

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIVE BACK GRANT PROGRAM SUPPORT

With gratitude to:

OUR GRANT CYCLE JUDGES
Our diverse panel of breast cancer survivors who served as judges this past grant cycle. We recognize your tremendous efforts in this difficult and emotional process of reading through the experiences of other survivors and patients.

OUR GIVE BACK GRANT PROGRAM SPONSORS
Black Girl Sunscreen | Smart & Sassy | Curvy Couture

PAST PROGRAM SPONSORS
The Clara Lionel Foundation, Curvy Couture  Hello In There Foundation, The Community Foundation, Akos, Bosom Boutique, Breast Of Friends ,The Coast Creative, Coast Law Group, Fiona Prine, For The Breast Of Us LLC, Global Toy Box, Imogene and Willie, Jonsey Woods, Jordan & Robin Silon, Keva Dine Agency, Leigh Edwards & Company, Megan Garrett, M&M Company LLP, One Drop Ink, Orangetheory Fitness Nashville, Owls Brew, Red Ventures LLC, Studio Bank Nashville, Studio Barre Ventura, Global Toybox, Dip Already, For The Breast of Us, Big Sister Sisterhood,  MIKOH, UTA, XO Jackie, Fit 4 Mom, Jetty Extracts, Rockers for Knockers, Angela Pachecho, AKOS

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your donation WILL make a difference. 100% of every dollar donated to the Give Back Grant program will go directly to support grantees. No red tape involved. $500 funds one grant for a woman of color breast cancer survivor or patient in need.

 
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