FALMOUTH – Maine Cancer Foundation recently awarded 14 transportation and lodging grants, totaling $717,500, to organizations across the state. These two-year grants, made in partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation, aim to provide practical and essential support to Maine cancer patients, ensuring they can access the care they need.
Maine’s expansive geography, limited public transportation, and the costs associated with traveling to and from cancer treatments pose significant challenges for patients statewide. In especially rural areas, patients may need to travel for hours to a treatment center, and without a ride or a place to stay nearby, patients sometimes delay or forgo necessary treatments. Over the past decade, Maine Cancer Foundation has invested $4.5 million in transportation and lodging services for cancer patients, ensuring Mainers will not have to make these difficult decisions after receiving a diagnosis.
This round of grants, which includes $200,000 in funding from the John T. Gorman Foundation, will provide critical transportation and lodging support for Maine cancer patients across the state. The total $717,500 in grants will expand access to care through various programs, including ride coordination, volunteer driver services, flight arrangements, mileage reimbursements, support for car repairs and insurance costs, lodging near treatment facilities, and innovative solutions to help Mainers reach their treatments.
Grant recipients and initiatives:
Angel Flight of New England (statewide): Changing Lives One Flight at a Time: Bridging the Gap Between Distance & Care for ME Cancer Patients – $60,000
Aroostook Regional Transportation System (Aroostook County): Cancer assistance fund – $60,000
Fisher House of Boston (statewide): Boston Medical Lodging Program – $60,000
Friends in Action (Hancock County): Connecting Seniors to Essential Cancer Services and Treatments – $40,000
Island Connections (Hancock County): Support demand for existing programs – $10,000
Joe Andruzzi Foundation (statewide): Transportation support for Maine cancer patients – $60,000
Kennebec Valley Community Action Program: (Kennebec County), Transportation for cancer patients – $60,000
Maine Association for New Americans (Cumberland County): Trauma Informed and Multilingual Transportation Program – $60,000
Maine Mobile Health Program (multiple sites): Transportation for cancer screenings for migrant and seasonal farmworkers – $50,000
MaineHealth Cancer Care Network (multiple sites): Transportation and lodging services for oncology patients – $57,500
My Breast Cancer Support (York County): Maine Gas Grant Program – $20,000
Patient Airlift Services (statewide): Eliminating transportation barriers for cancer patients in Maine – $60,000
Pleasant Point Health Center (Washington County): Sipayik Cancer Transportation and Lodging Support – $60,000
York County Community Action Corporation (York County): Connecting to Cancer Care – $60,000
“A cancer diagnosis comes with enough hurdles—accessing care shouldn’t be one of them,” said Katelyn Michaud, MCF’s director of programming. “By partnering with these remarkable organizations, we’re removing transportation and lodging barriers so patients can focus entirely on their treatment and recovery.”
In 2024, MCF has invested $2.6 million in grants to organizations across Maine. All funded programs support cancer prevention, early detection, and improved outcomes statewide.
Maine Cancer Foundation is dedicated to reducing cancer incidence and mortality rates in Maine. One hundred percent of funds raised by the Foundation are used to benefit the people of Maine. MCF leads a statewide effort to advance the most promising and effective cancer-fighting efforts available to the people of Maine through a combination of grant-based financial support and coalition building.
