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Read more about Fred Hutch achievements and accolades.
Ten Washington state health organizations recently received grants of up to $15,000 from Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Community Grants Program. These grants, administered by the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (OCOE), provide financial support for programs addressing the health needs of underserved communities across the state.
The Community Grants Program was established in 2014. This year, Fred Hutch received an overwhelming response to the call for proposals. A total of 40 applications requesting $571,466 in funding support were submitted for consideration — a 25% increase from last year and a major jump from previous funding cycles.
“This year’s response shows us just how deep the need is and how many powerful ideas are emerging from our communities,” said Carrie Nass, community benefits manager and the director of the Community Grants Program. “We’re honored to support organizations that reflect the broad perspectives and inspiring resilience of Washington’s people.”
The program strives to identify organizations across the state who could benefit from the available funding and supports applicants throughout the process of developing their grant applications. A notable feature of the program is its mentorship aspect. Applicants are paired with a Fred Hutch or UW Medicine mentor to help them develop their application, and awardees are placed with a second mentor, a community health educator from OCOE who helps to support the final project, answer questions and check in at key points throughout the year.
This year’s project mentors included public health researcher Vida Henderson, PhD, PharmD, assistant professor in Fred Hutch’s Public Health Sciences Division and associate deputy director of OCOE; Kathy Briant, assistant director of OCOE; Mari Johnson, PhD, a Fred Hutch postdoctoral research fellow in genetic epidemiology; Allison Cole, MD, a family medicine physician in the Department of Family Medicine at UW Medicine and an OCOE program lead for rural populations; and OCOE staff members Elizabeth Carosso, Liz Tallent and Solange Mecham.
This year’s awardees and their projects include the following organizations:
- Tacoma Urban League / Leaders in Women’s Health: Breast Health Navigator Program
This initiative, led by Leaders in Women’s Health in partnership with the Tacoma Urban League, aims to address breast health disparities among Black/African American women over the age of 40 in Tacoma and Pierce County, and South King County. This project will help Black women access mammograms, navigate treatment and overcome systemic barriers to care. - Congolese United Foundation: Colorectal Cancer Awareness & Screening
The Afya ya Utumbo Project aims to directly address colorectal cancer screening (CRC) gaps in African immigrant communities by providing culturally tailored education, facilitating access to screenings and building long-term partnerships with health care providers to ensure continuity of care. (“Afya ya Utumbo” means gut health in Swahili.) By leveraging trusted social networks, the Afya ya Utumbo Project will break down cultural barriers, increase CRC awareness and promote lifesaving screenings in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. - Cancer Lifeline: Addressing Social Determinants of Health and Advancing Health Equity with Patient Financial Assistance Funds
This project aims to reduce inequities caused by social determinants of health with patient financial assistance funds for indirect costs for individuals in cancer treatment. The project will distribute funds of about $450 per person to assist low-income individuals for non-medical expenses such as travel, childcare, utilities, housing or food.
A repeat honoree, Cancer Lifeline received a Fred Hutch Community Grant in 2023 to provide free counseling to 130 cancer patients and survivors from under-resourced communities in the greater Puget Sound region who would not otherwise have had access to mental health care services. - International Community Health Services (ICHS): Building Trust and Expanding Care in South King County through Outreach and Education
The goal of this project is to advance access to care and positive health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities in South King County by addressing social determinants of health and barriers to access, with an emphasis on providing colorectal cancer screening, education and referrals. The ICHS Community Access team will leverage existing partnerships to host tabling events and connect with new potential partners, and the team will also continually research and connect with new community-based organizations for potential partnerships. - Camp Kesem: Providing Support for Youth Whose Parents Have Cancer
The goal of this project is to provide a supportive, empowering and fun-filled week-long camp experience for 155 children in the greater Seattle area who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer, fostering a community of understanding and resilience. The project aims to serve campers and counselors who reflect the cultural, racial and socioeconomic demographics of the region; deliver high-quality programming for the children by equipping counselors with comprehensive training to create a safe, inclusive and impactful camp experience; and partner with local organizations, schools and cancer support groups to spread awareness of Camp Kesem’s mission and offerings. - Northeast Tri County Health (NETCHD): Expansion of Cancer Care Fuel Card Program for Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties
This project aims to improve cancer outcomes for residents in the Tri-County area served by NETCHD by offsetting transportation costs by expanding a fuel card program to include offsetting travel costs for those traveling to diagnostic screening, surveillance testing or treatment. The need for travel cost assistance in this area is particularly great as Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties, with a population of fewer than 70,000 people in an area of about 6,200 square miles, are medically underserved areas ranked among the least healthy counties in Washington state. - Lahai Health: Access to Women’s Cancer Screenings for Uninsured Adults
This project will allow Lahai Health’s team of seven nurse case managers to facilitate cancer screening clinics and follow-up care. The project includes partnerships with community organizations including Citrine Health, Project Access Northwest, Labcorp and Cellnetix to provide critical services including facilitating referrals for specialty care, and ensuring patients have access to labs. - NeighborCare Health: Navigation to Colorectal Cancer Screening Through Strategic Outreach Calls Conducted by NeighborCare’s Patient Outreach and Engagement Team
NeighborCare Health serves a population of American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific and Black/African American patients. This population is at risk of missing critical colorectal cancer screenings, tests that can detect cancer earlier and potentially lead to better health outcomes. The project aims to increase colorectal screening in this population through a combination of targeted outreach phone calls, bi-directional texting campaigns and outreach letters by NeighborCare’s Patient Outreach and Engagement Team. The goal is to increase colorectal screenings by 10% over the number of patients screened in 2024. - Southeast Seattle Senior Center (SESSC): Addressing Cancer Awareness Disparities
The Addressing Cancer Awareness Disparities project will increase awareness of cancer risks, prevention strategies and available screenings among older Black/African descent adults. SESSC serves a community of older adults, of which approximately 42% identify as Black/African Descent. The overarching goal of the project is to increase awareness of cancer risks, prevention strategies and available screenings among older Black/African Descent adults through community events and a tailored video series. - Wellness House: Assessment to Inform Wellness House Support Services for Spanish Speakers
Wellness House is a Yakima-based nonprofit dedicated to providing free, compassionate support to individuals and families affected by life-altering illnesses. The organization aims to better serve its Spanish-speaking population, which has increased recently in part due to other area health organizations discontinuing cancer support groups, by conducting an assessment in the Yakima Valley to understand patient education and supportive care needs for Spanish speakers. Information will be used to expand Wellness House support services for Spanish-speaking clients.
Several grantees from this year’s cohort have been recognized in previous funding cycles, including Cancer Lifeline, Lahai Health and Northeast Tri-County Health District. Nass notes that while overall funding across health care has declined this year due to changes in federal support, the Community Grants Program has been fully funded for the upcoming grant cycle and will continue to fund projects across Washington state at its current level in 2026.
Sign up for the OCOE newsletter to receive updates on the 2026 schedule for the 2026 Community Grants Program, including information sessions and application deadlines. Information on the 2026 Community Grants Program will be available in late 2025.
