Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., National Office HQ

Our community health programs ensure access to and utilization of timely, high-quality care for all by providing breast cancer education, screening and treatment services for those who need them most. Through local and national community needs assessments, Komen identifies unmet needs in communities and supports localized community health programs to fill these gaps. Since our founding in 1982, Komen has provided more than $2.2 billion to fund screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, worldwide, and the number of cases is increasing in nearly every country. The number of new breast cancer cases has more than doubled around the world in the last three decades, with the highest increases observed in low- and middle-income countries. Breast cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death in these countries, with more than 600,000 deaths expected in 2018. These trends are concerning, which is why Komen works tirelessly to provide support to breast health programs worldwide. It takes collaboration and strong partnerships to make a global impact. Komen strives to serve as a “bridge” – collaborating with international nonprofits, corporations, and ministries of health to bring together people and organizations to develop programs that are tailored to the specific needs of the community and sensitive to cultural differences.

Susan G. Komen advocates act as the voice of the more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors and the 1 in 8 women in the U.S. who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Our patient advocacy efforts are broad and deep, and we work on multiple levels to ensure the voice of breast cancer survivors and those living with metastatic breast cancer are heard in all that we do.
In order to achieve our mission, we believe scientific progress and community programming must be complemented by sound public policy and advocacy. Through government action, broad, systemic, lasting change can be made in the fight against breast cancer. This means that Komen—as a patient advocacy organization with first-hand knowledge of how breast cancer touches local communities—must engage policymakers and government as partners in our efforts to end breast cancer forever. To advance our policy priorities, Komen works with our volunteers, partners, researchers and friends in communities across the U. S., to ensure breast cancer is a priority among policymakers at the federal, state and local levels and to increase access to affordable, high-quality breast health and cancer care services.

The Race for the Cure® and MORE THAN PINK Walk™ series of events provide education and fundraising to support Komen’s work to save lives. In addition to the funds raised by these events to support Komen’s research and community health investments, the events provide the opportunity for people to take an action for the cause and share their compassion for those in their community who need support.

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® is a three-day, 60-mile walk that is making a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Participants walk an average of 20 miles a day for three consecutive days, educating tens of thousands of people about breast health and raising funds to help support Komen’s work to save lives through breakthrough breast cancer research and ensuring all patients receive the care they need. Since 2003, over 500,000 people have participated in 3-Day walks around the country raising more than $834 million.