2-1-1
Population served: Everyone in the U.S. (check the website for availability in your area)Mission:
2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Services vary from community to community.
Examples of service referrals include:
- Basic human need resources: food banks, clothing, shelters, rent assistance and utility assistance
- Physical and mental health resources: medical information lines, crisis intervention services, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention
- Employment support: unemployment benefits, financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance and education programs
- Support for older Americans and persons with disabilities: home healthcare, adult daycare, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, transportation and homemaker services
- Support for children, youth and families: childcare, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring and protective services.
2-1-1 Canada
Population served: Certain sections of Canada (check the website for availability in your area)Mission:
2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Services vary from community to community.
Examples of service referrals include:
- Health services and support
- Financial and social assistance
- Housing and utility help
- Food assistance and meal programs
- Senior services and home care
- Government program assistance
- Parenting and family programs
- Disability support services
- Volunteer organizations
- Newcomer services
- Mental health support
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)
Contact: 610-649-3034 or 866-333-1213Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, young adults, healthcare professionals and researchers related to childhood cancer
Mission:
To change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.
- Travel For Care Program offers financial assistance to eligible families for travel for childhood cancer treatment at medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Patient must be diagnosed by age 18 and be under 21 and in active oncology treatment following a relapse, or enrolling in or currently participating in a clinical trial for active oncology treatment or a treatment innovation not available at their local institution. Applications must be submitted by a social worker or medical representative.
- Childhood Cancer Treatment Journal is a free treatment organizer for families of childhood cancer to help parents keep track of important treatment information.
- Ambassadors Program involves family members and friends of a childhood cancer hero who choose to get more involved with ALSF.
- My Childhood Cancer: Survey Series aims to better understand how childhood cancer affects families.
- SuperSibs Programs aim to comfort, encourage and empower siblings during their family’s battle against childhood cancer.
- Offers a free guide for education professionals to help patients, their siblings, and classmates cope with a diagnosis or death in their school community.
American Cancer Society (ACS)
Contact: 800-227-2345Population served: People affected by a cancer internationally; programs and services offered to patients and caregivers residing in the United States
Other language(s): Spanish, Chinese, Korean, VietnameseMission:
In the U.S., ACS is a community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem.
- Provides educational materials both online and in print about cancer, including blood cancers, as well as related information on topics such as diet, exercise, complementary and alternative medicine, and disease statistics
- Offers support services via online discussion boards and in-person support groups through local chapters
- Cancer Survivors NetworkSM, a global online community, transcends geographic boundaries and builds bonds among cancer survivors and caregivers through shared experiences and feelings
- Road to Recovery, a program offered locally by some chapters, has volunteer drivers who transport patients to and from treatment appointments
- Hope Lodges are temporary housing accommodations for patients traveling far from home for treatment. There are more than 30 lodges
- American Cancer Society’s Wig Bank - Provides free wigs from limited supply to needy patients suffering hair loss due to cancer treatment. Intended for those with insufficient insurance coverage for cranial prostheses (wigs).
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
Contact: 800-747-2820 or help@aamds.orgPopulation served: Patients and families living with Aplastic Anemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), and related bone marrow failure diseases
Mission:
To support, connect and educate patients, caregivers and health professionals on bone marrow failure diseases worldwide
- Free educational materials: Information on research, treatment, and clinical trials
- Online Academy: Live webinars, webcasts, interviews with experts, and interactive learning modules
- Peer Support Network: Patients and caregivers can speak with trained patient volunteers who share treatment experiences and provide emotional support
- Community Connections: Volunteer-led regional support groups connecting patient and families
- Online Community: MarrowCommunity.org is an online community for patients with bone marrow failure and their families. Members can connect with others, share resources, learn about upcoming events and have their questions answered.
- Educational Conferences: Our free conferences in cities around the country offer learning opportunities from leading medical experts, and the ability to connect directly with other patients and caregivers
- Travel Assistance: To ensure that patients can see a specialist to seek the best course of treatment. Financial aid may be available for U.S.-based patients with demonstrated financial need
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Find A Specialist: online search tool.
CancerCare
Contact: 800-813-4673Population served: Individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved in the U.S. affected by a cancer diagnosis
Other language(s): SpanishMission:
To provide free, professional support services to individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved to help them cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer.
- Oncology social workers are available for telephone counseling services to provide support, information and resources to help in coping with cancer
- Offers online support groups and educational publications
- Cancer Out Loud: The CancerCare Podcast features conversations with people living with cancer, caregivers, survivors, loved ones and the bereaved
- Connect Education Workshops in which leading experts in oncology provide up-to-date information in one-hour workshops over the telephone or online
- Financial assistance for transportation, medications, home care, child care, or durable medical equipment may be available for patients in active treatment. Eligibility guidelines vary depending on diagnosis, gender and geographic location. Call for details
- Young Professionals Committee Scholarship Program awards $2,500 grants to young adults who have lost a parent or guardian to cancer in the last two years. Applicants must be from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania. Call for details.
- Healing Hearts Family Bereavement Camp - a free retreat for families with children coping with the loss of a loved one to cancer
- Pen Pal Program: Cancer patients age 65 and older can receive letters from a caring volunteer
- Financial assistance for insured cancer patients in treatment in the US to help with co-payments for chemotherapy and targeted treatment medications who meet certain financial, medical and insurance eligibility criteria. Check the website (http://cancercarecopay.org/) or call 866-552-6729 for details.
Cassie Hines Shoes Cancer Foundation for Young Adults
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors
Mission:
To guide young adults with cancer to social support programs and services that can help them manage their mental healing as well as their physical battle.
- Survivorship program in Northern Michigan consists of 6 days of adventure-based learning at no cost
- Travel Assistance for young adults to attend an approved survivorship program in the US
- Annual Base2Summit Scholarship for a Michigan resident who is accepted to an accredited school of higher learning; see website for details
- Lists a variety of survivorship resources related to support, finances, legal, etc.
Compass To Care Childhood Cancer Foundation
Contact: 563-231-0458 or 773-657-3269Population served: Families with children under age 18 in active cancer treatment in the contiguous U.S.
Mission:
To provide a free non-emergency medical transportation solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and facing poverty or cancer-related financial toxicity.
- Provides help with travel to the hospital (must be at least 60 miles one way from home) to parents with demonstrated financial need, whose child is under 18 years old and in active cancer treatment. A doctor, nurse, or social worker must make the referral.
Family Reach
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Cancer patients and their families within the 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
Mission:
Dedicated to removing the financial barriers standing between a cancer patient and their treatment.
- Delivers financial education, financial planning, resource navigation, and emergency relief funds to patients and caregivers facing a cancer diagnosis so no family has to choose between their health and their home. Patient must have a cancer diagnosis; be in active treatment or have completed treatment within 1 year; receive treatment within the US, Puerto Rico or US territories; be represented by a healthcare professional from the treatment center who can communicate with Family Reach on their behalf.
Lazarex Cancer Foundation
Contact: 877-866-9523 or 925-820-4517Population served: Cancer patients in the US
Other language(s): Spanish, Mandarin, KoreanMission:
To improve access to clinical trials for cancer patients
- Helps cancer patients navigate clinical trial options
- Offers financial assistance (such as lodging and transportation costs) for participation in FDA approved clinical trials; call for eligibility details
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Provides community outreach and education.
Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation
Contact: 786-505-3914Population served: Families whose child is under the age of 21 and diagnosed with a pediatric cancer before age 18
Mission:
To be a leader in childhood cancer research and advocacy while providing financial and emotional support to families whose children are battling cancer.
- Provides financial assistance for a variety of needs to pediatric cancer families while the child is undergoing treatment; social worker from treatment facility must apply on behalf of the family
- Works with funeral homes to provide assistance towards memorial costs for children whose battle with cancer has ended
- Funds pediatric cancer research.
Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF)
Contact: 800-500-9976Population served: Patients with lymphoma and their families, caregivers, health professionals
Other language(s): Spanish, other languages available by phoneMission:
To fund innovative lymphoma research; to provide people with lymphoma and health professionals with up-to-date information about this type of cancer; to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by this disease.
- Provides Lymphoma Helpline and Clinical Trials Information Service
- Provides educational materials, conferences, webcasts
- Offers limited financial assistance to patients in active treatment
- Lymphoma Support Network is a one-to-one peer support program that matches lymphoma patients or caregivers with volunteers who have had similar lymphoma-related experiences
- Funds biomedical research focused on the origins, treatment and identification of a cure for lymphoma
- Raises public awareness of the disease.
Mercy Medical Angels
Contact: 757-318-9174 or WebsitePopulation served: Patients who need help with air or ground transportation in order to receive medical care in the US
Mission:
To ensure that no one in need is denied medical care because of a lack of transportation.
- Patients must be ambulatory, medically stable, and meet a financial guideline; see website for details and to apply
- Air transportation may be provided by volunteer pilots or commercial airlines
- The Angel Wheels ground transportation program may provide low-income patients with gas cards, bus or train tickets for medical care more than 50 miles away and generally not exceeding 300 miles.
Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation
Contact: 866-316-7263Population served: Underinsured patients in the U.S. living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare illnesses who need help with their out-of-pocket treatment costs.
Mission:
At the PAN Foundation, we help people with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases pay for the out-pf-pocket costs of their treatment
- Offers 12-month grants to help with the co-pays, deductibles, coinsurance, or premiums for nearly 70 disease areas. Also offers a transportation financial assistance program for PAN patients.
- An easy online application process and instant determination of eligibility. Secure online portals to enroll and manage grants and claims.
- Our free app, FundFinder, tracks more than 200 assistance funds at eight charitable assistance organizations. You can sign up to be notified by text or email as soon as a fund opens, so you don’t miss a chance to apply.
Patient Travel Referral Program
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Patients needing transportation by air or ground
Mission:
To provide information and referrals to patients for charitable, long-distance medical transportation.
- A program of Mercy Medical Angels, it provides information and referrals for charitable, long-distance medical transportation for patients and patient escorts
- Refers to air ambulance assistance services and non-emergency ground transportation.
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
Contact: 302-563-8389Population served: Families of children with cancer in the U.S.
Mission:
To fund research to find cures for childhood cancers and treatment protocols; to provide financial assistance to families of children with cancer nationwide.
- Provides grants to minimize the financial hardship that is directly attributable to the child’s illness; application form and eligibility criteria available on website.
The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation
Contact: 212-838-3029 or 800-365-1336Population served: Transplant patients and families, caregivers, survivors in the US
Mission:
To improve the quality of life for cancer and transplant patients and their families by providing vital financial assistance, comprehensive resources, educational information, physician referrals, and emotional support programs.
- Patient Navigators provide guidance and support to anyone faced with a cancer diagnosis or needing a bone marrow or hematopoietic cell transplant
- Lifeline Fund provides financial support to help cover the costs of donor searches, medications, home and child care services, medical equipment, transportation, cord blood banking, housing costs and other expenses associated with transplant
- Carelines provides social media tools for crowdfunding, journaling and a volunteer task calendar for anyone with a cancer diagnosis or receiving a bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant
- Scholarship Grants help make educational aspirations a reality for bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant survivors
- Clinical Care Counseling provides confidential individual and family supportive counseling, financial guidance and resource referrals for cancer, transplant patients, and family members
- Ask the Expert enables individuals to anonymously pose questions concerning transplantation and to have them answered by transplant specialists
- SupportLine links transplant patients and their families with volunteers who have gone through the transplant experience
- Support Groups provide patients, families and caregivers the opportunity to share experiences and draw support from one another
- Medical and Educational Handbooks provide comprehensive transplant information and resources
The National Children’s Cancer Society
Contact: 314-241-1600 or 800-532-6459Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, survivors, health professionals
Mission:
To provide emotional, financial, and educational support to children with cancer, their families, and survivors.
- Transportation Assistance Fund alleviates the financial burden of travel and lodging for families who have a child with cancer, when a child needs to stay near the hospital for treatment and nonprofit lodging is unavailable.
- Emergency Assistance Fund provides limited funds for emergency expenses to families who have a child that has been inpatient or away from home for an extended period.
- Online community provides a private network for parents, caregivers, and survivors of childhood cancer to connect, share, and offer support to one another.
- The "Beyond the Cure" Survivorship Program (BTC) prepares survivors and their families for life after cancer. The Late Effects After Treatment Tool (LEATT) provides a personal online assessment of potential late effects based on their specific diagnosis and treatment.
- The "Beyond the Cure" Ambassador Scholarship Program awards college scholarships to childhood cancer survivors to help them achieve their future goals.
- Mentorship Program pairs a younger child in treatment (ages 10-17) with a scholarship recipient who becomes a trusted ally as they face the challenges of childhood cancer.
- Provides resources and free publications to families and healthcare professionals
- Global Outreach Program partners with pharmaceutical companies to distribute donated cancer treatment drugs and medical supplies around the world.