GCCA PROGRAMS

CRC Health Equity Grants

GCCA grants members financial assistance to address colorectal cancer health equity issues in their communities.

2025 application is open April 1 - May 15

Hear from 5 recipients of the 2023 CRC Health Equity Grants as they share information about their organizations, and detail how the grant is helping them to advance health equity in their communities.

The GCCA CRC Health Equity Grants program seeks to provide financial assistance to fill specific unmet needs in underserved communities around the world. Priority is given to members in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) that build an evidence-based impact, design and test solutions, or interventions. Other examples of funded projects may include—but are not limited to—exploring local needs, validating feasibility of activities, and testing initial ideas. To date, more than $100K has been awarded.  

Areas of focus include equity driven screening programs, educational opportunities, patient support, and policy initiatives to increase equitable access to screening, testing, and treatment. Grants awarded range from US$1000 to US$5000.

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All GCCA members are eligible to apply for a CRC Health Equity Grant, and membership fees are only applied to corporate members.

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CRC Health Equity Grants awarded

Thank you to all the GCCA member organizations that applied for a CRC Health Equity Grant. We have selected 12 awardees in 9 countries. The 2024 CRC Health Equity Grant recipients are:

🇰🇪 Africa Cancer Foundation

Africa Cancer Foundation was awarded a grant to train community health promoters in a rural setting about colorectal cancer, distribute colorectal cancer educational materials to health facilities and the general public, and support ostomy patients with stoma care materials.

🇳🇬 Mbakuran Vaakaa Cancer Foundation

Mbakuran Vaakaa Cancer Foundation was awarded a grant to create awareness of colorectal cancer, finance colorectal cancer screening, and distribute free colostomy bags to CRC patients.

🇧🇹 Bhutan Cancer Society

Bhutan Cancer Society was awarded a grant to increase colorectal cancer awareness and provide screening to a community of Buddhist monks who are particularly vulnerable to CRC.

🇳🇬 Niola Cancer Care Foundation

Niola Cancer Care Foundation was awarded a grant for a community education campaign that includes free colorectal cancer screening.

🇿🇦 Campaigning for Cancer

Campaigning for Cancer was awarded a grant to develop and host a think tank focused on the colon cancer care continuum, engaging diverse stakeholders to come together to devise a coordinated path.

🇳🇬 Project PINK BLUE Health & Psychological Trust Centre

Project PINK BLUE Health & Psychological Trust Centre was awarded a grant to promote and distribute their documentary, a visual story of colorectal cancer patients in Nigeria, “Blood in My Stool”.

🇯🇵 CancerNet Japan

CancerNet Japan was awarded a grant to perform a needs assessment and for the advancement of the role of patient advocates in Japan.

🇱🇧 SAID NGO

SAID NGO was awarded a grant to support patients with ostomies, helping them get the materials they need for stoma care.

🇨🇱 Fundación GIST Chile

Fundación GIST Chile was awarded a grant to produce an educational short film and accompanying podcast to inform, educate, and empower people at risk for colorectal cancer, to promote CRC screening, and spread knowledge of symptoms and causal factors.

🇳🇬 St. Cyril Cancer Treatment Foundation

St. Cyril Cancer Treatment Foundation was awarded a grant to address early-onset colorectal cancer knowledge, perception, and attitudes among young people and to promote screening and early detection of CRC.

🇹🇿 Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute

Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute was awarded a grant for a needs assessment survey and to develop a colorectal cancer navigation toolkit guiding patients from screening through treatment and survival.

🇲🇼 Women's Coalition Against Cancer

Women's Coalition Against Cancer was awarded a grant for a needs assessment survey and to develop a colorectal cancer navigation toolkit guiding patients from screening through treatment and survival.

Recipients of the 2023 GCCA CRC Health Equity Grants

🇧🇷 Instituto Oncoguia

Instituto Oncoguia hosted an event at their annual Oncoguia Policy Forum in September 2023 to highlight service and access inequalities and challenges faced by patients living with colorectal cancer from diagnosis to treatment and care.

🇳🇬 Project PINK BLUE – Health & Psychological Trust Centre

Project PINK BLUE is creating a documentary short film called "Blood in My Stool" on the health inequities in colorectal cancer control in Nigeria. Through the stories of Nigerian CRC patients, they are putting a face to colorectal cancer to advance awareness, knowledge, and communication about access to CRC screening.

🇳🇬 Niola Cancer Care Foundation (NCCF)

NCCF held its annual health education event, Ijoya, in September 2023. The event uses dance, exercise, and wellness talks to promote CRC awareness. Addressing issues of access disparities, they offered free and subsidized CRC screening tests through Ijoya, mobile screening through a “Bowel Screening Bus”, and supplies for CRC patients, like ostomy bags and disposable gloves.

🇳🇬 St. Cyril Cancer Treatment Foundation

St. Cyril Cancer Treatment Foundation is implementing a program called Every Colon Matters through which they are promoting colon cancer awareness, as well as financing 70 FOBT screening tests and indicated diagnostic colonoscopies for Nigerians living in low- and middle-income communities.

🇱🇧 SAID NGO

SAID NGO fully financed 32 diagnostic colonoscopies for patients who had a positive FIT screening to address equity problems in access to colonoscopy.

🇲🇼 Women’s Coalition Against Cancer (WOCACA)

WOCACA is carrying out a needs assessment of CRC prevention, screening, treatment, and survivorship in the Lilongwe District and developing a policy brief for advocacy and awareness building.

🇹🇿 Tanzania Oncology Society (TOS)

TOS held a colorectal cancer session at the Tanzania International Cancer Conference in September 2023. They provided a forum for multidisciplinary collaboration, contributed to healthcare professional knowledge, and addressed health disparities in CRC screening, treatment, and care.

🇨🇾 The Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF)

PASYKAF is developing and administering a training course on stoma care to oncology nurses. By improving the quality of oncology nursing care, they aim to improve stoma patient self-care education and, therefore, quality of life.

🇭🇷 Institute for Gastroenterologic Tumors (IGET)

IGET is providing support from nutritionists and psychologists to patients suffering from gastrointestinal tumors. Their investment in prehabilitation care aims to increase survivorship of CRC.

Recipients of the 2022 GCCA CRC Health Equity Grants

🇱🇧 SAID NGO

SAID NGO (Lebanon) is breaking down barriers through awareness campaigns and providing free colorectal cancer screenings, supplies, and support. The current political situation in Lebanon makes it practically impossible to raise the needed funds to support the local community. GCCA provided financial support for SAID NGO to further its mission.

🇺🇸 Man Up To Cancer

Man Up To Cancer held their first “Gathering of Wolves”, which brought together an international audience of men, and addressed the gaps in healthcare for men who have cancer, and for those who love them. As a sponsor, GCCA ensured a robust retreat for participants.

🇰🇪 Kenya Society for Hematology and Oncology

Kenya Society for Hematology and Oncology held a preceptorship for general surgeons in Kenya to learn colorectal cancer surgical techniques and better understand the challenges colorectal cancer patients face due to surgery. GCCA was a significant supporter of the program providing financial assistance to the organizers as well as speakers.

🇧🇷 Todos Juntos Contra o Câncer

Todos Juntos Contra o Câncer (All Together Against Cancer) (Brazil). This large conference is held annually in Brazil and is intended to address all issues facing citizens of Brazil and its cancer community. GCCA provided financial assistance to ABRALE, the NGO that hosts the conference and also supported a local event focused on equitable access to cancer biomarkers.