A. Locate Potential Grantors

Look into other, larger cancer organizations to learn about their grant cycles and funding opportunities such as:

1. Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF)
2. Susan G. Komen for the Cure
3. American Cancer Society (ACS)

Check with local or family foundations such as:

1. Highmark Foundation
2. University of Pittsburgh Medical (UPMC) Center Health Plan
3. Jimmy V Foundation
4. Dow Foundation (Michigan only)
5. Atlanta 2-day Walk
6. California Endowment
7. California Health Foundation

Check with pharmaceutical companies, such as:

1. Medica Health Plans

Check with federal funding sources such as:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
2. National Cancer Institute (NCI)
3. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Do the funding sources offer competitive funding cycles? Is there a committee that determines how state funds are dispersed?

Review other organization’s websites to find out where they have received money from. There is a chance they will not share this information with you but it is worth asking.

Look for national grantors that do business in the communities you serve. They will often have broader parameters (i.e. types of grants, amounts and topic areas) in the communities in which they do business.

1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
2. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Read successful grant proposals before writing your own. Consider taking a grant writing workshop in your community. Ask colleagues in the community to share their accepted proposals with you for reference.

Check with the funding agency to see if they will release funded proposals as examples, or if the funded organization would share their application.

1. Resources

The Foundation Center maintains a comprehensive database on U.S. grant makers and their grants. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level.

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