Joe Andruzzi Foundation Inc.
(Up)Beat Cancer
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF) was created to provide financial support for New England cancer patients and their families when they need it most. While there is public awareness of the physical impact that comes with cancer treatment, many people don’t realize the financial toll it can also have on a family. Cancer-related income loss or reduction, coupled with rising treatment costs, can lead to financial stress and barriers to care as families struggle to cover their everyday expenses. JAF is committed to removing barriers and alleviating stress so that patients can maintain uninterrupted access to care and focus on getting better. We believe that it’s important for patients and their families to remain upbeat in their battle with cancer and we strive to offer help, hope, and a reason to smile, to those we help.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Financial Assistance Program
Financial Assistance Programs: The Joe Andruzzi Foundation's Adult and Pediatric Financial Assistance Programs provide grants up to $800 to patients and their families battling cancer, allowing them to focus on treatment and recovery. Patients use grants to help with basic living expenses such as rent/mortgage payments, utilities, and other household expenses. The program does not cover medical or credit card-related costs. To be considered eligible for a grant, the patient needs to be in active treatment at the time of their application submission and a resident of New England. Patients work directly with their social worker, patient navigator, resource specialist, or another related healthcare professional who is familiar with their medical condition and course of treatment to apply to one of our two Financial Assistance Programs.
Note: this program serves all six New England states (MA, RI, CT, VT, ME, NH). Only 5 georgaphic areas are allowable in the section below that indicates geographic areas of the program.
(Up)Beat Opportunities
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation believes patients and their families can significantly benefit from activities organized to help take their minds off of treatment, even if just for a little while. This belief forms the core of the Foundation’s (Up)Beat Opportunities – experiences, outings, and activities offered throughout the year, explicitly organized for patients and their families, designed to bring joy and encourage laughter, providing patients and families with much-needed opportunities to relax and smile. Joe Andruzzi, JAF Co-Founder, plays a significant role in the (Up)Beat portion of the Foundation. Because of Joe’s personal experience with cancer and the emotional impact of isolation during treatment, he believes in “paying it forward” when it comes to current patients and their families. Each year, Joe dedicates time to visiting cancer patients and families, both at in-patient facilities and their homes, as a way to lift their spirits with humor and share his experience with cancer. Joe would attest that one of his favorite things is visiting pediatric cancer patients, especially those who are NFL enthusiasts, and share stories and smiles.
Note: this program serves all six New England states (MA, RI, CT, VT, ME, NH). Only 5 georgaphic areas are allowable in the section below that indicates geographic areas of the program.
Extraordinary Needs Program
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation’s Extraordinary Needs Program provides grants up to $4,000 to pediatric patients and their families battling cancer for project-based needs that present a barrier to treatment for a patient (i.e., fertility preservation, dental work, required home improvement projects). To be considered eligible for a grant, the patient needs to be between the ages of 0 to 20, in active treatment at the time of their application submission, and a resident of New England. Patients and their families work directly with their social worker, patient navigator, resource specialist, or another related healthcare professional who is familiar with their medical condition and course of treatment to apply to the JAF Extraordinary Needs Program.
Note: this program serves all six New England states (MA, RI, CT, VT, ME, NH). Only 5 georgaphic areas are allowable in the section below that indicates geographic areas of the program.
Food Security Program
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation’s Food Security Program provides grants in the form of gift cards to patients and their families battling cancer. Ensuring they can safely access food and do not have to make unthinkable decisions between filling a prescription or putting food on the table. Recipients of this program are eligible to apply for JAF’s other programs’ grants for critical living expenses such as rent/mortgage payments, utilities, and other household expenses and/or project-based needs. To be considered eligible for a grant, the patient needs to be in active treatment at the time of their application submission and a resident of New England. Patients and their families work directly with their social worker, patient navigator, resource specialist, or another related healthcare professional who is familiar with their medical condition and course of treatment to apply to the JAF Food Security Program.
Note: this program serves all six New England states (MA, RI, CT, VT, ME, NH). Only 5 georgaphic areas are allowable in the section below that indicates geographic areas of the program.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsTotal dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients through the Financial Assistance Program.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number represents the total number of grants distributed to patients and families per year through the Financial Assisatnce Program.
Number of families served in cancer treatment
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This figure represents the number of households served by the Financial Assistance Program.
Total dollars distributed for utilities assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients for utilities assistance.
Total dollars distributed for housing assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients for housing assistance.
Total dollars distributed for transportation assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients for transportation assistance (car insurance, auto payments, etc.).
Total dollars distributed for food assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients for food/grocery assistance (distributed in the form of grocery store gift cards).
Total dollars distributed for tax assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represents the total dollar amount of grants distributed to patient recipients for tax assistance.
Total number of grants awarded for utilities assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represents the total number of grants distributed to patient recipients for utilities assistance.
Total number of grants awarded for housing assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represent the total number of grants awarded for housing assistance (such as rent or mortgage)
Total number of grants awarded for food assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represent the total number of grants awarded for food/grocery assistance (distributed in the form of grocery store gift cards).
Total number of grants awarded for tax assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represent the total number of grants awarded for tax assistance.
Total number of grants awarded for transportation assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This figure represent the total number of grants awarded for transportation assistance.
Total number of partner hospitals and treatment facilities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
There were several mergers within the hospital/health and cancer care industry. JAF works with same partners but have merged into one entity.
Total number of individual family members who are impacted by grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Financial Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This figure represents the total estimated # of individuals impacted by the grant award (based on 2.3 multiplier, which is the average family members within household OR from what is reported in SF.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
In the 15 years since its launch, JAF has impacted more than 40,000 individuals affected by cancer by providing more than $10 million in direct financial support. While we take pride in that accomplishment, we feel this is only the beginning of the impact JAF can make when considering the devastating breadth and depth of the problem. The focus for the Foundation over the next 10 years and beyond is to expand from a small non-profit to a medium or even large regional resource. We aim to do this by extending the reach of JAF’s mission through our powerful story which will help us grow our programs and allow us to service a greater number of cancer patients and families in need.
In addition, JAF plans to continue to be a leading voice in the cancer community by addressing the challenges of the rapidly increasing impact of financial toxicity on patients and their families due to cancer. While making a difference, the current JAF model only begins to address this growing issue. In the near future, the Foundation hopes to obtain funding to begin development of an expansive transformational model to integrate financial health and well-being into cancer care, while reducing the impact that social determinants of health have on access to care and health outcomes.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Since 2019, JAF has begun to develop and implement a multi-faceted strategic approach that will allow us to reach our goal for growth and increased patient outreach.
Development:
JAF has made significant progress in our goal to shift from event-focused revenue to a more diverse development approach. The team has expanded to include new members with professional expertise in several key areas including annual giving, corporate partnerships, and the pursuit of foundation opportunities. In addition, the organization has created several philanthropic programs and memberships including a sustaining gift program, a Young Professionals Council, a Healthcare Council, and a business giving society to build off the important relationships developed by JAF’s founders, Joe and Jen Andruzzi.
Data/Analytics:
JAF has invested in improving the functionality of our data capabilities through the activation and integration of Salesforce as our primary philanthropic and programmatic database system. Through the functionalities and efficiencies this system provides, we have experienced improved information flow and a faster grant review process, which is critical to our mission and the patients and families we support. Enhancements to our reporting have also helped us understand trends, improve our customer service, source patients for marketing storytelling opportunities and improve financial reconciliation accuracy. As we continue to evolve our analytics, we continue to utilize data to illustrate and quantify our patient stories and to assist in development strategies and program evolvement.
Marketing & Communications:
JAF has experienced a rapid growth in the sophistication of our marketing and communication efforts. This sophistication has resulted in broad increases in awareness involving our brand, mission, and the impact of Financial Toxicity and the Cost of Cancer on individuals and families facing cancer.
Community Outreach & Engagement:
As previously stated, JAF’s goal is to become a large regional resource in providing financial assistance for cancer patients and one of the key strategic components to achieve this is to ensure an on-going presence with healthcare professionals throughout New England. Over the last few years, the Foundation has established several communication tools and programs to grow and strengthen our partnerships, including a quarterly Healthcare Partner newsletter and an active Healthcare Council. Through these communications, our team gains access to firsthand knowledge about the current trends and experiences of frontline healthcare workers, up to date information about barriers impacting patients in treatment, as well as identified gaps in supports and resources. This information ensures that our team has complete and accurate information to inform our strategic plans and programmatic goals and development.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation has a unique point of differentiation from other similar non-profits in that we fund all cancer types and patients of all ages. We recognize that the financial toxicity that comes with cancer does not discriminate by diagnosis or age, and that the economic hardship is real for many families regardless of their pre-cancer socio-economic position.
Part of JAF’s past success and a factor in our ability to continue to grow is the strong backing that the organization receives from all of our supporters. The JAF Board of Directors, Development Committee, Finance Committee, and Young Professional Council are passionate about our mission and are active advocates in the community. Their efforts amplify the work that JAF's leadership and staff execute each day, creating significant progress across all aspects of the mission.
With the investments in our reporting capabilities, we will be able to more effectively utilize our data to target our messaging, better understand and assist our patients, and continue to make improvements to our grant processes. In turn, this will allow us to assist more families in need and expand the reach of our mission.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As noted earlier, the Joe Andruzzi Foundation is grateful to have played an important role in providing financial assistance to more than 40,000 New England cancer patients and their family members over the last 15 years. The Foundation has dispersed more than $10 million in financial assistance that has provided critical support to patients when they needed it most.
Starting in 2019, JAF has evolved from an event-driven development model to one that emphasizes sustainability, diversification, and growth. These efforts have allowed us to increase our annual development goals to fund the ever-increasing number of requests for financial assistance and support forecasted to deepen in 2023.
Recent additions to the Foundation's staff, Board of Directors, Development Committee, and Finance Committee have enhanced strategic thinking and diversified skill sets across the organization that provide a sophisticated and fresh approach. This, combined with improved data capabilities and reporting, has energized the team and improved our ability to achieve annual strategic goals and key performance indicators.
As we recognize the need for financial assistance for cancer patients continues to grow, JAF is committed to increasing our leadership role within the cancer community. Our current position is focused on increasing awareness about Financial Toxicity, the Cost of Cancer, Social Determinants of Health, and the impact each of these has on health outcomes. JAF is also focused on identifying gaps in resources and support that alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment and respond in kind. We are striving to answer the question, "Are we providing the right support, at the right time, and for the right length of time to produce an efficient, effective, and sustainable impact on patients, families, and healthcare partners?".
In the short term, JAF strives toward reaching several of our strategic goals, including diversifying the development plan even further to include a larger portfolio of leadership gifts, sustaining gifts, and foundation and corporate partnerships. With the addition of new staff members, the President & CEO (Jen Andruzzi) is able to focus on building long-term meaningful relationships. A renewed emphasis on marketing the organization to broader audiences provides JAF with the opportunity to leverage its established branding and awareness efforts and its expanded leadership role via a holistic communications strategy. This will include the development of new marketing collateral, which will be created with messaging tailored for a variety of audiences, which is now possible with expanded technology support.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Joe Andruzzi Foundation Inc.
Board of directorsas of 01/19/2024
Ms. Ronny Mosston
X4 Pharmaceuticals
Term: 2021 - 2023
Ms. Colleen DeSimone
Cedilla Therapeutics, Inc
Term: 2022 - 2025
Jennifer Andruzzi
President and CEO, Joe Andruzzi Foundation
Susan Kaplan
Board Member, Joe Andruzzi Foundation
Anne Furey
Owner, Placelift Anne Furey Interiors
Faith Weiner
Senior Director of CSR & Philanthropy, CVS Health
Ronny Mosston
VP, Human Resources, X4 Pharmaceuticals
Lucy Buckley
Retired, Pediatric Cardiologist, Boston Children's Hospital
Carter Buckley
President, CJ Buckley Sailing Foundation
Mark Cummings
Principal, Mark T. Cummings Consulting Services, LLC
Joe DeStefano
CEO, AmpliX
Colleen DeSimone
V.P. of Finance, Cedilla Therapeutics, Inc
Eric Kagan
KGN Holdings, LLC, Principal
Dan Gill
President,AmpliX
Joe Andruzzi
Joe Andruzzi Foundation
Kimberly Thomas
Old Colony Habitat
Brent Crouch
Senior Vice President Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/10/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.