Angel Foundation
Help when cancer strikes
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
When an adult is diagnosed with cancer, the financial stress placed on the patient is substantial. A study by Duke University showed the average out-of-pocket monthly medical expense for cancer patients is $703, which is unmanageable for many adults with cancer. To add to this already heavy burden, the physical demands of treatment and subsequent lost work time also make it difficult for patients to keep up with daily expenses. On top of financial worries, a cancer diagnosis can also devastate the emotional well-being of the patient and their family. On average, of adults who are diagnosed, one in four has children living in the home. This presents special challenges for everyone, and the reality of an uncertain future often results in fear, confusion, isolation, and anxiety. Without open communication in the home and the utilization of quality coping tools, a cancer patients children are at increased risk for emotional, social, academic, and physical problems.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emergency Financial Assistance
Emergency Financial Assistance supports adult cancer patients by relieving some of their immediate financial concerns. These financial grants help with basic, non-medical bills such as rent, mortgage,
utilities, food and fuel. Grants provide comfort and peace of mind during the overwhelming months of diagnosis and treatment.
Patients must be at least 18 years of age, be in active treatment for cancer, and live in or undergo treatment in the seven-county metro area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and
Washington). Patients can apply online through Angel Foundation’s website or they can speak with a member of their oncology care team for help in applying.
Adult and Family Services
Adult and Family Services provides free education and support to children, teens and young adults who have or have had a parent, grandparent or caregiver with cancer. Angel Foundation works with families to help them relieve fear and anxiety about the cancer experience, reduce stress, and learn new coping skills.
This program offers innovative and creative opportunities that combine “serious and silly” aspects. It also helps children and families reduce anxiety and isolation by building a support network with others experiencing similar situations. Programs include AngelPack backpacks, monthly activities, Camp, phone consultations and more.
Financial Cancer Care
Financial Cancer Care helps patients manage the long-term financial burdens of a cancer diagnosis.
This program provides support to cancer patients through financial coaching and advice by connecting patients to Certified Financial Planners™ who will help guide financial decisions that are impactful today, and in the future. This program also connects patients to additional support options and resources.
Patients must be at least 18 years of age, financially independent, in active treatment for a cancer diagnosis, and live in or undergo treatment in the seven-county metro area. Patients cannot currently be
working with a Financial Planner. There is no charge for this program.
Where we work
Awards
Meets Standards 2010 to Current 2022
Charities Review Council, Minnesota
Accredited Charity 2022
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of campers enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Adult and Family Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Camp Angel is provided to children who have (or had) a parent with cancer. Camp Angel combines traditional summer camp with educational and coping activities. Camp Angel's max capacity is 200 campers.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Emergency Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of adult patients receiving a financial assistance grant to help pay for basic needs.
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Adult and Family Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Reflects number of families who attend a physical program activity.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Emergency Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Dollars disbursed to adult cancer patients for critical basic needs.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Angel Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 2001 to help when cancer strikes. Our founder, Margie Sborov, worked as an oncology patient advocate for more than 16 years and often met patients facing severe financial and emotional worries. At that time, she had few resources to offer. Patients were making painful decisions: Should I cut my medication in half so I can pay rent? Should I pay for my clinic visits or buy food? These experiences led Margie to create Angel Foundations Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program, which supports the basic needs of low-income cancer patients.
In 2005, after seeing more patients with young families, Angel Foundation added Adult and Family Programs (AFP) to provide emotional support and education for families with a parental cancer diagnosis. That same year, we began offering Camp Angel. This traditional summer camp program uses a serious and silly approach and includes medical play, art expression, teaching coping skills, and the opportunity for children to interact with other kids who were going through the same challenges. Since Camp Angel was founded, we have served 2,450 children through the program.
We began providing Angel Packs in 2013, which are educational kits filled with materials grounded in research designed to help educate adults about how to talk to children about cancer. The packs help children understand what cancer is by providing accurate and easily digestible information. Angel Packs extended our supportive core programming into the home.
In 2019 the Financial Cancer Care (FCC) program was piloted to connect cancer patients with a Social Worker and a Pro Bono Certified Financial Planner through educational workshops and one-on-one meetings that provide a road map for patients as they navigate the potentially devastating effects of cancer-related financial toxicity. We fully launched the program in 2021. In 2022, we began providing the program at partner sites like Gildas Club. In 2021, we added a free meal delivery service, Meals in Motion, because requests for food support skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Cancer's impact is life-changing: emotionally, physically, and financially. By addressing critical financial needs and offering therapeutic wellness activities, social gatherings, and educational programs, we create a community of support and insight for those who need it most. Ultimately, our goal is to help patients and their families find stability and develop the necessary skills to manage the cancer diagnosis at home and face the future with increased resilience and renewed hope.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We will leverage a staff that brings professional expertise as well as personal experience to the organization. They strive to see through the eyes of those served to provide innovative programs that reflect and address the emerging needs of the families in order to alleviate stress and build strength, resilience, and hope.
To achieve our long term goals, Angel Foundation will focus on three priorities for the current strategic plan. First, we will grow the reach of our programs to begin to have statewide impact while continuing to serve the Twin Cities area. Additional markets include Duluth and Rochester, MN. Second, we will continue to identify and grow our core program offerings including increased support to marginalized communities and the development of programs for Senior Citizens. Lastly, we will build our capacity to deliver enhanced and expanded services to the community through developing a fee-for-service business model, increasing foundation funding, and leveraging strategic partnerships.
As a result, we expect to
- Expand mission delivery to 3,000 new clients
- Serve 3,000 individuals within marginalized communities
- Distribute more than $3 Million in basic need grants to more than 5,000 households
- Increase individuals served annually from 2600 to 5000, a 92% increase over the three year period
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
While there are other organizations in the Twin Cities that support cancer patients, Angel Foundation remains unique in several key ways:
Financial Assistance: We provide emergency financial assistance to cancer patients and their families for non-medical expenses. While other cancer organizations focus on research or medical support, we work to directly alleviate the financial burden associated with cancer.
Family and Patient Support: We dont just offer financial assistance and stop there. We also offer support and educational programs to help patients and families cope with cancers emotional and practical challenges.
Financial Cancer Care: The only program in the nation that we know of that provides financial literacy education via prop bono Certified Financial Planners to cancer patients
Local Focus: Unlike some organizations that may report to a national office and focus on broader cancer-related issues, Angel Foundation was founded in the Twin Cities and continues to serve those who are primarily from the 7-County metro area.
Specific Types of Cancer: Angel Foundation has no limits on the type of cancer a patient must have to be supported. We provide assistance for individuals with various cancer types, focusing on the financial and emotional aspects of their cancer journey.
Holistic Approach: Angel Foundation's approach is more holistic, addressing basic needs, emotional support, education, financial literacy, and making memories. Other organizations have narrower lanes.
Support for Families: We offer support and resources not only for cancer patients but also for their family members, recognizing that the cancer experience affects the entire family. Our Angel Packs allow us to offer a one-of-a-kind, direct-to-family resource to help children and youth understand cancer.
To provide the skills needed to accomplish our mission, Angel Foundation is fortunate to have a very passionate staff. The current organizational leadership is strong with an experienced, knowledgeable, and committed board of directors. Including 174 professionals from a variety of employment backgrounds, plus an oncologist serving as a medical advisor. The Board works diligently with staff to ensure that Angel Foundation conducts affairs legally, ethically, honorably, and as effectively as possible.
Our patient and family programs are headed by our Vice President of Mission Delivery, Norah Cooper, has more than ten years of experience working as a non-profit leader.
Programs evolve through the collection of survey data, and decisions regarding programs are discussed among our leadership team, then presented for approval to the Boards Executive Committee (which includes our Founder, Margie Sborov) and Finance Committee. With all parties working together, we strive to present programs that represent the changing needs of our constituent base as well as ensure those programs are operationally feasible and financially sustainable.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the years, showing a proven approach to addressing critical issues, Angel Foundation has distributed over $15 Million in financial aid and has touched the lives of of over 50,000 Minnesota families through our programs. The greatest strength and impact of our programs continues to be that they are designed to meet adults facing cancer (and their loved ones) anywhere in the cancer continuum; from dealing with the overwhelming news and reality of the initial diagnosis, to working with families to resume normalcy through treatment, to helping the patient and family find a state of integrated wellbeing where they can thrive regardless of diagnosis or outcome. Our program model is designed to move a patient and their family through these stages with dignity and grace.
Going forward, Angel Foundation wants to continue meeting the needs of those facing cancer by serving more people in our target population. Our strategic priorities are broken into 3 priorities. The first is grow the reach of our programs to begin to have statewide impact while continuing to serve the Twin Cities area. This includes developing an expansion strategy for the Duluth and Rochester markets, introducing an enhanced version of the Angel Pack that will have Statewide reach, and continuing to provide core services in the Twin Cities area.
The second priority is to advance. We will continue to identify and grow our core program offerings in areas where they are needed most. This includes increasing support offered to underserved communities and developing senior programming to better meet the needs of patients.
And the final priority is to build our capacity to deliver enhanced and expanded services to the community. This includes developing a fee for service business model to further diversify revenue, increasing foundation funding, and leveraging strategic partnerships with corporations to grow corporate revenue.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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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 act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
Financials
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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.
Angel Foundation
Board of directorsas of 01/15/2024
Kirstie Foster
Foster Modern PR, LLC
Term: 2023 - 2025
Cindy Chandler
Wheless Partners
Kristin Farnsworth
Helios Consulting
Molly Gantz
MMGantz Consulting
Amanda Knutson
Launch My Health
Yvette Mullen
Community Volunteer
Thomas Rheineck
MR Instruments
Margie Sborov
Angel Foundation
Kirstie Foster
Foster Modern PR, LLC
Marcy Keckler
Ameriprise
Scott Schufman
South Country Health Alliance
Uzma Ali
MN Oncology
Cindy Blackstock
SIVO Insights
Molly Gantz
MMGantz Consulting
Todd Hedtke
Community Member
Lisa Horgeshimer
American Express
Kristin LeBre
Fredrickson&Byron
Beth Monsrud
UCARE
Amy Reway
BCBS
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/15/2024GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- 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 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.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.