Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation and Pfizer Global Medical Grants are collaborating to offer a Quality Improvement grant funding opportunity to improve the quality of care and to help build capacity to address the needs of breast cancer (BC) patients in Sub-Saharan Africa. This grant program will support innovative projects to improve the quality of BC patient care in the select geographies in the region (please review eligibility section below).

This grant program was purposefully developed with the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council of ASCO expressly for the patients of the Sub-Saharan region.

Successful applicants to this RFP will be expected to share the initial results of their project with ASCO’s Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Council at a future grantee meeting to be convened by Conquer Cancer. In addition, awardees will be invited to participate in career development, education, and networking opportunities provided by Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance (https://globalbridges.org). 

Conquer Cancer is the lead organization for the review and evaluation of applications. Grant funding will be provided directly from Pfizer.  

Purpose

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, breast cancer is the leading diagnosed cancer and second most common cause of cancer mortality. Despite significant advances in the detection, management, and treatment of breast cancer, patients in Sub-Saharan Africa face significant challenges. These challenges include a shortage of oncologists, insufficient training of health care providers, and lack of access to the latest therapies.

The goal of this program is to improve the quality of BC patient care by understanding and addressing gaps in the care that impact BC patient outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. These may include:

  • Gaps in clinical practice, such as the education or competencies of the health care professionals themselves, infrastructure to promote or allow proper management, or other factors related to the external environment or patient population.
  • Gaps impacting the patient experience and contribute to delays in care, including education, treatment delivery, and follow-up.
  • Gaps in the detection, diagnosis, and screening of breast cancer, including the application of WHO early detection models.
  • Gaps in the local literature and localized or adapted treatment guidelines.
  • Gaps in the coordination of BC patient care across the healthcare system, including primary care, appropriate referral of patients at and the utilization of patient navigation.
  • Gaps in access and utilization of supportive care and palliative care or social programs in the management of breast cancer.

This RFP seeks to provide funding to projects that are aimed at addressing these and other relevant gaps, ultimately helping to deliver the best treatment and care to each patient at the optimal time.

Funding Available

Collectively, up to $1,000,000 USD is available to fund Quality Improvement projects under this RFP. Individual projects requesting up to $80,000 USD over 24 months will be considered.

French RFP available here 

Portuguese RFP available here 

Eligibility

  • The institution, principal investigator (PI) and focus of the submission must be based in the following geographies: Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mali.
  • While applications must be submitted from the geographies noted above, collaborations with institutions outside of the region are permitted. Please note all partners must have a relevant role and the requesting organization must have a key role in the project.
  • Only organizations are eligible to receive grants, not individuals or physician-owned medical group practices.
  • The applicant must be the Project Lead/Principal Investigator (PI) or an authorized designee of such individual (e.g., Project Lead/PI’s grant/research coordinator)
  • The Project Lead/PI must be an employee or independent contractor of the requesting organization.
  • Requesting organization must be legally able to receive award funding directly from Pfizer Inc. We strongly recommend that applicants confirm this with their organization or institution prior to submitting an application. Grants awarded to organizations that are subsequently found to be unable to accept funding directly from Pfizer Inc. may be subject to rescission.
  • Eligible institutions include Academic Cancer Centers, Healthcare Delivery Networks, large and small hospitals, academic medical centers, community hospitals, ambulatory care settings, and other facilities engaged in the continuum of care.
  • The applicant (PI) must have a medical or postdoctoral degree (MD, PhD, or equivalent), an advanced nursing degree (BSN with a MS/PhD), or a degree in Pharmacy, Pathology, Physiotherapy, Psychology, or Social Work. Additional advanced degrees may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact staff noted below with any eligibility inquiries.

Application Instructions

The application must be submitted in accordance with the requirements and instructions of the  Request for Proposal (RFP)  by the application deadline.

This application requires a two-step application process and a Letter of Intent (LOI) is required. All application materials must be in English and must be submitted through the Pfizer Application Portal under Competitive Grant Program Name: 2024 ONC SSA ASCO CCF BC QI. If you have questions regarding this RFP, please direct them in writing to Conquer Cancer Scientific Review Officer, Andrew L. Smith, PhD.

Key Dates

  • RFP release date: January 10, 2024
  • Letter of Intent due date: March 11, 2024, 11:59 EST
  • Invitations for Full Application: May 1, 2024
  • Full Application due date:  July 8, 2024, 11:59 EST
  • Anticipated Full Proposal Notification Date: September 30, 2024
  • Anticipated Project Start and End Dates: January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026

EveryGrant®

This grant is administered in collaboration with EveryGrant®, Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation’s, end-to-end, white label solution. EveryGrant®  helps organizations develop and deliver grants programs that attract the brightest researchers and make a difference for people with cancer everywhere. 

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