By now, you’ve heard that Susan G Komen For the Cure, which at first announced that it would withdraw its funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening programs, now appears to (but may not actually) have reversed that decision after an enormous public outcry.
Komen is not new to controversy. Many have criticized their “pink-washing” campaign, which has promoted some very unhealthy products and brands in return for donations (Pink buckets of fried chicken? Really?…) But with this latest political move, they’ve gone too far for many of their supporters, some of whom say they will stop supporting Komen. Planned Parenthood, in the meantime, has raised record dollars since Komen’s initial announcement, topped off by a $250,000 matching grant from Michael Bloomberg.
I could go on and on about the controversy, but that’s not the point of this post, which is simply to answer the question I found myself asking – what should Komen’s former supporters do now? How can they channel their efforts to fight breast cancer if they are not going to give to Komen?
One option, of course, is to give to Planned Parenthood, The other option is to donate to one of the other charities on the front lines in the battle against breast cancer. Komen, after all, is not the only game in town.
Here are a few other places where your dollars will be put to good use fighting breast cancer. All of the following groups get high ratings from the American Institute of Philanthroy and/or Charity Navigator–
- The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The only breast cancer charity with an A+ from AIP.
- Breast Cancer Fund – Advocates for elimination of environmental & other preventable causes of breast cancer.
- National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund (NBCC) – “Our mission is to end breast cancer by January 1, 2020”
- The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) – Funds breast cancer research and free mammograms for women who could otherwise not afford them.
- BreastCancer.org – A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer.
- Cancer Research Institute – Funds fellowships & grants for cancer research
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – Funds Cancer research and patient care
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute – Advancing cancer research & patient care.
- The Rose – Houston area charity providing screening & access to treatment regardless of ability to pay.
- Breast Cancer Connections – San Francisco-based organization providing “free programs and services for those touched by breast cancer and the people who care about them”.
- Living Beyond Breast Cancer – Specialized programs and services for the newly diagnosed, young women, women with advanced breast cancer, women at high risk for developing the disease, and African-American and Latina women.
- Young Survivor Coalition – For younger women with breast cancer.
And if you’re not already donating to the fight against breast cancer? Well, maybe it’s time to start.
My mom strongly recommends Living Beyond Breast Cancer. They helped her enormously when she was diagnosed and going through treatment.
Excellent and reasoned post. Thanks for listing the options — I will take the one of donating to Planned Parenthood — you know the attacks on them will keep coming!~!
oh, thank you! i’ve not been a fan of the pink for a long time, and am a stalwart supporter of PP, but this is a great list for those wanting to donate to research and/or patient care.
As an ovarian cancer survivor whose sister had breast cancer may I suggest
FORCE- Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
http://www.facingourrisk.org/
Raising funds for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
Great post. I am linking to you on EverythingHealth. This is an important message.
How about BreastFest?! http://breastfest.org.
Founded by five sisters who lost their mother to breast cancer, it is a music festival fundraiser in five cities raising money that stays local for diagnostic and imaging and breast health programs, with 10% going to the Tyanna Foundation, names for the sisters’ mother.
I work on the one in Athens, GA. It is pro-woman, local- focused, and raises money for a Free Mammogram Day for local women!
We’d LOVE your donation! (Also one in New Jersey, Boone, North Carolina, Philly and Baltimore, and they’d love your donation, too!)
As a BRCA 1 carrier I would also suggest listing FORCE to the list.
Am I missing something here?? You want people to give to Planned Parenthood instead of Komen…because Komen supports Planned Parenthood?? Can I be the only person reading this who gets that?!
J Schrick –
This post was written in response to Komen’s plan to cut its funding to planned parenthood. They since reinstated that funding after the public response against it. Hope this clears things up for you.
Peggy
Oh. Thanks for shedding light on it then for me. Only seven of Komen’s 125 national chapters actually support Planned Parenthood, I have since learned (from a lengthly conversation with a Komen rep). The National chapter doesn’t, either. The outcry against Komen for going back on it’s decision to withdraw all Planned Parenthood support seems a little silly given that fact. What IS justification for withdrawal of support for Komen is the fact that they support stem cell research, and they refuse to acknowledge the scientifically proven link between abortion and breast cancer. In my recent research I’ve learned additional facts that have surprised and disappointed me regarding Komen’s ethics. I have supported Komen for years but cannot going forward. Until/unless they make a few serious changes- and stand by them this time. So there’s one woman’s opinion.
Ms Schrick – Afraid you still have it wrong – as I stated before, this post was written earlier this year, when Koman planned to pull its support from planned parenthood. What they are doing now is not relevant to this post. Here read this – it may answer your questions –
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/01/146243896/q-a-the-rift-between-komen-planned-parenthood
You are also unfortunately misinformed about breast cancer and abortion – There is no link between abortion and breast cancer. Here is a post that may shed some light on this as well for you –
http://www.tbtam.com/2007/04/abortion-and-breast-cancer-once-again-there-is-no-link.html
As for your opinion on stem cell research, that I must grant you as it is your right to oppose it if you want to.
All the best,
Peggy