Livestrong Solution Grants: Fostering Collaboration
Before 2020 began, we had funded 576 organizations across the country impacting the quality of life for millions of people. This spring, with the introduction of our Solutions Grant program, we added 8 more to the list.
The inaugural funding cycle was astounding! We received over 230 applications from 36 states, requesting more than $14.4 million in grant funding. After a multi-stage application and review process, we awarded almost $600,000 to eight organizations. The grant funding was split between smaller, single-year awards and larger, multi-year awards. These different programs serve a variety of populations within the cancer community, including pediatric and adult cancer patients, survivors, their families, and healthcare professionals.
The Solution Grants Program is a true partnership with grantees; we don’t simply mail a check. Our “Grant Partners” are family, and two of our partners — Hopecam and Monkey in my Chair — have already kicked off a partnership to connect children battling cancer with their school and peers. Hopecam received ten monkey kits from Monkey in my Chair and packaged them with their tablets/Chromebooks that were sent to Hopecam kids. Hopecam is also exploring ways of putting a tablet in each of the monkey kits that get sent to partner hospitals of Monkey in my Chair. We are all very excited about this collaborative work and can’t wait to see the results.
Another Grant Partner, B.I.G Love Cancer Care, reached out to Hopecam as their hospital partner needed help connecting children with cancer on their unit. These children were being isolated in their hospital rooms but through the collaborative efforts and engaged communication between the Livestrong Solution Grant Partners, Hopecam is in the process of providing the hospital with fifteen iPads to facilitate this connection and overcome social isolation for the children receiving treatment at the hospital.
These are just a few examples of our Grant Partners working together to solve everyday cancer problems. When innovation and collaboration intersect, we find the friction disappears and real progress can be made. The partnership Livestrong was able to foster between Hopecam, Monkey In My Chair and B.I.G. Love Cancer Care is a great example of the impact you make when you invest in Livestrong.
Settling for surviving isn’t good enough. Every dollar invested in Solution Grants will take us one step closer to finding the answers for everyday cancer problems that simply don’t deserve to exist. We can’t wait for the outcome of our 2021 cycle, which is underway now. We’ll announce new grant partners at the beginning of next year, thus furthering our collaborative efforts and awarding more Solution Grants to organizations that are disruptive, energetic, and have breakthrough ideas designed to improve the lives of anyone affected by cancer.
Victoria Threadgould | Director of Grants Management | grants@livestrong.org
