Summit, NJ – January 2026 – Since we launched our grants program in 2022, we are excited to announce that we have awarded $1.2 million dollars in grants. In 2025, the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation proudly awarded $280,000 in new grants—each one focused on expanding access to mammograms, diagnostic services, and breast health care for underserved and uninsured women across our state.

Thanks to your generosity, our Board approved nine impactful grants totaling $150,000 for the fall grant cycle, supporting organizations that are on the front lines of women’s healthcare.

We are also thrilled to share a $100,000 grant to the Overlook Foundation, funding new MRI-guided breast biopsy technology—a major advancement in early detection. This transformative gift was made possible by funds raised at our Embrace Hope Gala in October.

Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative Inc. (BVMI)

Expanding Access to Lifesaving Mammograms

Your support will provide annual mammograms for 390 women over age 40 and younger women at increased risk for breast cancer. In addition, 120 women will receive follow-up diagnostic services and procedures, with guidance from clinical volunteers and staff as they navigate every step of care. This funding ensures that no woman delays screening or diagnosis because of cost — improving early detection and saving lives.

Cancer Hope Network

Culturally Responsive Support for Hispanic & Latino Women

This grant funds a targeted recruitment and training initiative to grow Cancer Hope Network’s Spanish-speaking TACT Peer Mentor program. These trained breast cancer survivors will provide linguistically and culturally accessible emotional support to Hispanic and Latino women facing breast cancer.

Expanded outreach will help reach underprivileged women who might otherwise feel isolated, unheard, or unable to access peer support.

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center

Removing Financial Barriers to Care

CDBCF is supporting the Patient Assistance Fund, which helps uninsured and underinsured patients receive vital breast health services — including mammograms, diagnostic imaging, and lymphedema compression garments.

This funding ensures that women do not have to choose between their health and basic necessities like rent, food, or utilities.

Crossroads4Hope

Bilingual Support for Patients and Families

This grant expands access to bilingual cancer support services, including:

• Two Spanish-language virtual support groups
• Expanded MyGo2Support patient navigation
• Stronger referral pipelines and outreach
• Enhanced family support through Support4Families

These services ensure women and families can access emotional, educational, and practical help — regardless of language or income. Crossroads4Hope also distributed 300 breast cancer comfort kits to breast centers across NJ including Trinitas and University Hospital. To learn more visit their cancer resources page.

University Hospital

Protecting Dignity During Chemotherapy

Your support is helping to fund:

• Scalp-cooling kits to help prevent hair loss
• Cooling gloves and socks to reduce nerve damage

These therapies help women undergoing chemotherapy maintain their dignity, comfort, and confidence during treatment — improving both emotional and physical outcomes.

Medina Health Center

Reaching Underserved Women in Trenton

This funding provides:

• Breast screenings
• Mammogram referrals
• Follow-up diagnostic appointments
• Transportation assistance

For many uninsured women, transportation is as much a barrier as cost. This grant removes both.

Monmouth Medical Center

Diagnostic Testing and Treatment Access

This grant will fund:

• 3D diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds for women with abnormal breast findings
• Transportation assistance for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation

No woman should miss lifesaving care because she cannot afford testing or a ride to treatment.

Trinitas Regional Medical Center

Expanding Treatment Capacity for Women in Active Care

This grant will support the expansion of the injection room at the Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center (TCCC), allowing the center to reduce wait times, increase patient capacity, and improve the overall experience for women receiving breast cancer treatment.

By increasing the number of patients who can be treated at one time, this investment ensures that women undergoing chemotherapy.

For women balancing treatment with work, family, and financial stress, shorter wait times and improved access make a meaningful difference in both health outcomes and quality of life.

Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ)

Expanding Free Mammograms and Patient Navigation

This grant will expand the capacity of VNACJ’s New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) program, providing free mammograms, diagnostic follow-up, and comprehensive patient navigation for women who otherwise could not afford care.

Through this support, more women will be guided seamlessly from screening to diagnosis to treatment, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks after an abnormal result.

Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation

The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that all women have access to breast health care, particularly those in underserved communities. Through partnerships with hospitals and community organizations, CDBCF provides funding for state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, patient care, and community health programs. For more information, visit www.cdbcf.org.

Media Contact

Sarah Roberts, Director
Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation
973-525-8076
Sarahroberts@cdbcf.org
www.cdbcf.org

Summit, NJ – February 6, 2025 – We’re thrilled to share our latest grant report, highlighting almost $100,000 in funding distributed to eight exceptional organizations working to fight breast cancer. Each grant plays a crucial role in supporting more than 7,000 patients and their families.

Sister to Sister

Sister to Sister (S2S) provides financial assistance to women fighting breast cancer to help with medical bills and treatment costs. Patients are referred to S2S from underserved communities throughout New Jersey. The grant aims to help 2,200 women fighting breast cancer over the next year. This crucial assistance helps alleviate the financial burden of cancer treatment.

Crossroads4Hope

The program offers a comprehensive psychosocial support network, recognizing that cancer care extends beyond medical treatments. They address the emotional, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions of the disease. The grant funds a part-time bilingual social worker and a public health educator expanding outreach in Essex and Union Counties. They leverage technology and partnerships with community organizations and medical facilities to improve health equity across the cancer continuum.

The grant will reach approximately 4,000 people annually by providing vital emotional, social, and practical support, breaking down barriers to care.

Trinitas Foundation

The Transportation Assistance program provides Uber vouchers for transportation to and from mammograms, treatment appointments, and follow-up care. This addresses a critical barrier to care for underserved breast cancer patients who may lack reliable transportation.

The grant will ensure more than 60 patients per year can access vital medical services without the added stress and expense of transportation.

The Connections for Women and Families

The Pathways program offers two vital initiatives: Pathways Cooks (provides free meals to women with cancer and their families) and Pathways Financial Assistance Fund (provides financial assistance).

Pathways Cooks has served over 15,000 meals since 2011. Anticipates serving over 80 women with cancer and their family members over the next year.

Summit Area YMCA

The grant supports the LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA program in Summit, providing free access to this cancer-recovery program. It ultimately provides a supportive community and physical activity program for cancer survivors.

The grant aims to help 20-30 patients in this year in our local community.

The Mo Hair Foundation

Mo Hair Foundation provides free hair replacements (wigs) to individuals experiencing hair loss due to breast cancer treatment. Wigs are provided at the Connie Dwyer Breast Center at the Trinitas Regional Medical Center.

The grant will help at least 50 wigs to patients over the next year, addressing a significant physical and emotional side effect of cancer treatment.

Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative

The breast health services program provides referrals for breast health screenings, diagnoses, treatment, and follow-up care to women over 40 or at risk. They also offer patient navigation, ensuring patients receive necessary care and overcome barriers to access.

The program will serve an estimated 617 patients in 2025. While aiming for 100% mammogram completion rate, their realistic outcome surpasses the national benchmark.

Jersey City Medical Center Foundation

The holistic care for infusion patients pilot program integrates holistic approaches – somatic healing, meditation, and massage therapy – into the clinical setting for breast cancer patients undergoing infusion treatments. The goal is to improve patient-reported outcomes, focusing on emotional well-being, physical comfort, and overall quality of life.

The program will serve 100 patients over six months. Researchers will assess the impact of holistic care on anxiety reduction, pain management, fatigue alleviation, patient satisfaction, and overall treatment experience. This program aims to establish a foundation for broader application of holistic care practices in oncology settings.

Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation

The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that all women have access to breast health care, particularly those in underserved communities. Through partnerships with hospitals and community organizations, CDBCF provides funding for state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, patient care, and community health programs. For more information, visit www.cdbcf.org.

Media Contact

Sarah Roberts, Director
Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation
973-525-8076
Sarahroberts@cdbcf.org
www.cdbcf.org

U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), along with Representatives Joe Morelle (D-NY-25) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-08), led their colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a lifesaving program that provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for women who are low-income, uninsured, and underinsured who do not qualify for Medicaid. Since 1991, NBCCEDP has served more than 6.1 million women, detecting nearly 77,000 breast cancers and over 24,000 premalignant breast lesions.

Read the full press release

Today is the day we have all been working toward. University Hospital is thrilled to launch our new Mobile Mammography Unit, made possible by the generous support of the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation!

This incredible mobile unit will be hitting the roads of Newark and Essex County, bringing life-saving breast cancer screenings directly to our communities. With 40 weeks per year dedicated to screenings, we aim to reach and screen 4,000 patients annually. Early detection is key, and together, we’re on a mission to catch breast cancer sooner and provide timely, life-saving treatments. Together, we’re making a difference and saving lives.

Media coverage:
ABC7NY
NJ Spotlight News
Tap Into Summit

Media Contact:
Sarah Roberts
sarahroberts@cdbcf.org
973-525-8076

Download PDF of University Hospital Press Release

Summit, NJ, July 13, 2023 – The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation (CDBCF) is pleased to announce the awarding of $12,000 in grants during the most recent grant cycle. Since 2022, CDBCF has provided over $600,000 in grants to organizations dedicated to ensuring women receive the necessary breast health care regardless of their ability to pay. The recipients of the third grant cycle are Mo Hair and Sister2Sister Breast Cancer Assistance Program.

Mo Hair works closely with cancer patients experiencing hair loss, offering custom wigs to help them feel and look their best. They will use the grant to purchase wigs made from 100% human hair for individuals suffering from breast cancer, providing personalized consultations and fittings.

Sister2Sister grant supports the Breast Cancer Assistance Program, providing unrestricted emergency financial assistance to underserved and minority breast cancer survivors. The program also includes monthly support group meetings, exercise programs, and referrals to resources for a proper diet, benefiting minority and underserved breast cancer survivors. Sister2Sister offers a unique assistance program that improves the quality of life for underserved and minority breast cancer patients.

” These grants have significantly impacted breast cancer patients and survivors, improving their access to care, treatment outcomes, emotional well-being, and quality of life. CDBCF grants program has helped thousands of women and expands our reach to several counties in New Jersey,” explains Connie Dwyer, Founder of the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation.

The next grant cycle will accept applications from August 15 to October 15, 2023. To be eligible, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in New Jersey. Detailed grant guidelines and the application process can be found at www.cdbcf.org/grants. The CDBCF grants program supports breast cancer nonprofit organizations and initiatives that assist underinsured and uninsured women in several New Jersey counties, including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.

Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation

Through sponsored facilities and a grants program, the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation serves underprivileged and vulnerable women by ensuring access to high-quality breast health services, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. Additionally, CDBCF provides financial support for programs that offer resources, education, advocacy, and empowerment for the women it serves.