The negative financial impacts after a breast cancer diagnosis can be strenuous, especially for those already in a precarious financial situation prior to being diagnosed. Already having to deal with the overwhelming feeling of being diagnosed with breast cancer, patients should be able to focus on their health and not have the added stress of dealing with their financial situation. That is why we created FinancialNavigator, an online database of various financial assistance programs across Canada.
Depending on your situation, your financial needs can come in different forms, from needing money to pay for rent, to needing help with paying for treatments, to requiring help with parking costs when you go for cancer treatments. To highlight the various types of programs listed in FinancialNavigator, we have put together this blogpost series. All the highlighted programs below are available to individuals in all provinces and territories, unless otherwise noted. This is not an exhaustive list all of programs in these categories but is meant to highlight the types of financial help that can be found in our FinancialNavigator database. Visit FinancialNavigator for all available financial assistance programs.
In this post, we highlight five programs that provide funds and grants to help with the costs of various needs.
Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund
What you get:
Financial assistance up to $2,000.
Eligibility requirements:
Breast cancer patients who do not have the financial resources to cover the costs of basic necessities such as food and shelter, as well as medical and additional expenses related to their treatment.
Rainy Day Fund
What you get:
Financial assistance up to $1,500 per person, per year, for:
- Utility costs
- Rent
- Groceries
- Phone costs
- Hospital transportation and parking costs
- Special requests for consideration above and beyond the scope of services already covered
Eligibility requirements:
All patients must be currently receiving active treatment, and have an annual income of less than $60,000.
Snow Run for Fun Trust
What you get:
Financial assistance up to $1,000.
Eligibility requirements:
Recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Ceridian Cares
What you get:
Grants ranging from $200 to $5,000 for various needs such as:
- Clothing and footwear
- Food and basic household needs
- Medical assistance
- Personal development and recreation
Eligibility requirements:
An individual or family in need of financial assistance related to the types of items supported by Ceridian Cares.
For the Basic Essentials grant type, recipient annual household income must be at or below the "Low Income Cut Off before tax" level.
For the Quality of Life grant type, recipient annual household income must be at or below the "median total income in their province or territory" as defined by Stats Canada.
Poppy Trust Fund Grant
What you get:
Grants are available for:
- Food
- Heating
- Clothing
- Prescription medication
- Medical appliances and equipment
- Essential home repairs
- Emergency shelter or assistance
- Smaller comforts to Veterans and surviving spouses who are hospitalized
Eligibility requirements:
Serving and former Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP, and their families who are in financial distress.
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