Applications now accepted from First Nations communities

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Non-profit organizations or treaty groups are encouraged to apply for community grants from the Alberta/N,W,T, chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) for up to $50,000 per year for up to two years.

Efforts such as the CIBC Run for the Cure that takes place in many Canadian cities on Oct. 6 helps raise funds for both community projects and research to find a cure for a disease that takes the lives of 15 Canadians per day. Of the money raised by the run in Alberta, 75 per cent stays in Alberta to fund local research and community projects.

The CBCF has the goal of eliminating breast cancer in Canada. They fund cutting edge research for diagnostic tools and treatment options, but they also fund community projects that educate women on breast health, and provide support for survivors of breast cancer, and those going through this horrible disease.

As of this spring, treaty groups in Alberta and the Northwest Territories can apply for community project grants from the CBCF, and any Aboriginal group is encouraged to start programs that help reach women with geographic, cultural and language barriers to education and support.

Until this past spring, treaty women's groups were not eligible for funding. This was because they are not technically a charitable group, and the allocations committee held the idea that they already received federal money for education and community support.

But research showed that though there was federal money for healthcare, there was little or no funding for cancer programs, including breast cancer education and support, and there was a real need among Aboriginal women. A motion was passed by the board of directors, the criteria for community grants applications was revised, and treaty community groups are now eligible for funding to develop programs and services.

So now that Aboriginal women's groups are eligible, the Alberta/N.W.T. chapter of the foundation has gone one step further and recruited two members of the Aboriginal community to sit on the community grant allocations committee.

Their job is to give a fresh perspective, one that is uniquely Aboriginal, to the committee that reviews and evaluates all requests for funding and makes recommendations to the board of directors as to which proposals should be funded. They also encourage any interested group to develop a community project and apply for funding.

The CBCF community grants are meant to start projects that fill a gap of education or support in a community. They are looking for programs that are long-term, and will become self-sustaining after the initial funding, and ones that have formed partnerships with other groups in the community. The programs must also have specific objectives to fulfill, and a method of evaluating whether the objectives have been met. Application deadlines are Jan. 30 and June 30 of each year.

Projects they have funded are multicultural groups that provide peer support and education that is tailored to the culture. Another initiative is to help increase the knowledge of community health professionals on breast health issues. They have also funded a project to identify non-professional working women, a group that is often missed when it comes to breast cancer education, and who may be at risk for breast cancer, and give them the information they need.

For more information, for community grant application forms, or for CIBC Run for the Cure information, visit the CBCF national Web site at www.cbcf.org, or the Alberta/N.W.T. chapter Web site at www.cbcfalberta.org. You can also contact Lynn Long, the chapter's community development officer toll free at 1-866-302-2223 or email llong@cbcf.org.