Connecticut Cancer Foundation, Inc.

The Connecticut Cancer Foundation provides financial assistance to Connecticut cancer patients and their families. Our goal is to increase the numbers of patients that we serve, while also increasing the amount of aid we are able to provide. In FYE 2021, we provided $500,000 to CT cancer patients to help them pay basic living expenses, such as rent, mortgage, and utilities through our CT Cancer Patient Assistance Program. In FYE 2022, our goal is over $500,000. For the past 35 years, CCF has provided over $7.4M in financial assistance to more than 9,000 Connecticut cancer patients and their caregivers along with $2.7M to cancer research.

We are working to expand our Matching Grant Program with hospitals and cancer treatments centers in Connecticut. We launched this effort in 2015 and have been able to double the amount of funding that we give to our partner hospitals as a result. We are working to add more hospitals to this network, thus increasing the amount of financial aid that we can provide to their cancer patients.

In addition to patient assistance, CCF funds cutting-edge research in the area of radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with a special emphasis on lymphoma. In the past 30 years, funding for this research has helped standardize the radiation treatment for lymphoma globally, greatly improving prognosis for millions of lymphoma patients. Our goal is to continue funding this important research and to increase the amount of research funding we provide each year.

The Connecticut Cancer Foundation's mission is to provide funding, both to CT cancer patients and in the area of research. In 2015, CCF launched a Matching Partner program with the major hospitals and cancer centers in Connecticut. In this program, the partner hospital makes a donation to CCF for the benefit of that hospital's cancer patients; CCF matches the amount, thus doubling the amount of financial aid available for those patients. This effort builds on our longstanding relationship with the oncology social workers at all of the hospitals, who have been referring patients to us for years. In FYE 2022, we will continue to expand this network and continue to increase our assistance to cancer patients being treated at our hospitals. We are also working to expand our fundraising initiatives. Our fundraising activities are as follows: We hold our signature Annual Celebrity Dinner at Mohegan Sun each year in February. This exciting gala features MLB sports celebrities such as Derek Jeter and David Ortiz in a lively sports program. This high-end evening is attended by close to 1,000 of CT's top business leaders, investors, and medical professionals and is one of our main fundraisers.
Our Cycle Against Cancer is an indoor-cycling fundraiser that brings together hundreds of CT residents to form teams, raise money, and get a great "spinning" workout in - all to help CT cancer patients. In 2017, we partnered with the Ledyard Police Department for their No Shave November event, where the officers didn't shave for the month of November and collected donations for CCF. This fundraiser was very successful, we launched a statewide effort and over the past three years has grown to include more than seventy police departments throughout CT. It will take place again in 2022 and the potential is limitless.
In July 2017, we opened our Operations Center in Old Saybrook, a building that hosts our offices, an extensive sports memorabilia exhibit, and an international art gallery. Every inch of our Operation Center was designed with fundraising in mind - this building will definitely support our fundraising efforts to raise more money for CT cancer patients.
In addition to the above mentioned initiatives, we also pursue grants and major gift donations. Success in these arenas will allow us to increase the amount of funding that we provide to CT cancer patients, as well as increase the amount of funding that we provide to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The Connecticut Cancer Foundation has a proven track record for raising money and providing financial aid to help CT cancer patients. Since our founding in 1987, CCF has been managed by Jane G. Ellis, the President and Executive Director. Under her meticulous guidance, CCF has provided over $7.4 million in financial aid to CT cancer patients and over $2.7 million in research funding for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. CCF's most recent audit revealed our administrative costs to be only 7% of our total budget. Connecticut Cancer Foundation keeps administrative costs low by only having two full-time employees. CCF is proud to have numerous volunteers that serve on multiple committees to help make our events a success. The Steering Committee members perform numerous tasks to support their event, such as securing sponsors, soliciting donations, and securing raffle items. Our longstanding, positive relationships with CT hospitals have aided in our expansion of the Matching Grant Program. As this program grows and proves successful, more hospitals will see the benefit to participate.

In the past 35 years, the Connecticut Cancer Foundation has provided over $7.4 million in financial assistance to over 9,000 Connecticut cancer patients and their families. In addition, CCF has provided over $2.7 million in funding for lymphoma research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. CFF is proud that a recent audit showed that only 7% of our budget was allocated for administrative costs - a testament to the dedication of our staff, volunteers and the meticulous oversight of our Executive Director and Board of Directors. Also in 2017, CCF opened it doors to our new Operations Center, which houses our offices, an extensive sports memorabilia exhibit, and an international art gallery. This beautiful new building will support our fundraising efforts as we seek to provide more financial assistance to Connecticut cancer patients and their families. In the coming years, we will increase our financial assistance to Connecticut cancer patients, as well as our research funding at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We will continue to support research to find a cure for lymphoma and we will continue to support Connecticut cancer patients and their families, so that they can focus on their health, and not worry about a roof overhead, lights on and food on the table.