OHSU Knight Cancer Institute launches program to support communities in reducing cancer’s impact

Community
Jackilen Shannon, Ph.D., R.D.
Jackilen Shannon, Ph.D., R.D.

The Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is launching a program to aid communities statewide in better understanding and addressing their cancer-related needs. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute has made a decade-long commitment to invest $1 million annually through this program to assist groups that want to reduce the cancer burden in their communities.

Three tiers of grants are available to support a wide variety of projects that could range from conducting a needs assessment exploring a community’s cancer-related concerns to developing and implementing a program that addresses those concerns. Early stage grants provide up to $10,000, developmental grants offer up to $25,000 and program advancement grants supply up to $50,000 in funding. These grants will fund community-identified projects anywhere along the cancer continuum from prevention to early detection and treatment through survivorship. Any organization with an interest in reducing the burden of cancer or cancer-related health disparities in their community is encouraged to submit a proposal.

“The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is excited to be able to provide communities with new opportunities to address their most pressing cancer-related concerns,” said Jackilen Shannon, Ph.D., R.D., co-director of the Community Partnership Program, and co-leader of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Cancer Prevention and Control Program.

The Community Partnership Program will differ from many other community grants programs in that the multiple tiers of funding offer a method for organizations to take an initial idea and move through the funding tiers to develop a robust, sustainable program. Additionally, projects will be paired with an academic collaborator who will share best-practices, support program development and aid in evaluation measures. The mutual sharing of information between organizations and academic collaborators will help strengthen the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s understanding of Oregonian’s needs as they relate to the problem of cancer.

“We know from experience that to improve the health of Oregonians we have to collaborate at the community level, working in unison with organizations that are most in tune with the needs of their communities,” said Kerri Winters-Stone, Ph.D., co-director of the Community Partnership Program and co-leader of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Cancer Prevention and Control Program. “The Community Partnership Program is designed to work side-by-side with the people who best understand how cancer impacts their communities.”

The Community Partnership Program website provides further information about the application process, including the Intent to Apply form and request for proposals (RFP). Intent to Apply forms are due Oct. 31; full proposals are due Dec. 12. A program representative, available to answer questions about developing a proposal, can be reached by emailing knightcancer@ohsu.edu, or by calling 503 494-1617 and selecting option 6 for the Community Partnership Program.

The Community Partnership Program will strengthen relationships between the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and the Oregon communities it serves. Working together will aid both in creating sustainable programs that benefit the health and well-being of all Oregonians and take another step toward ending cancer as we know it.


OHSU Communications
503 494-8231