CancerLINC

What CancerLINC does

CancerLINC (legal name: Legal Information Network for Cancer) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 200 South 3rd Street in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 1996 by breast cancer survivors and attorneys Phyllis Katz and Ann Hodges, the organization provides free legal assistance, financial counseling, and community resource referrals to cancer patients and their families throughout Central Virginia, including the City of Richmond and counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Louisa, New Kent, and Powhatan.

The core service offering is individualized case management that connects patients to pro bono volunteer attorneys and financial professionals for help with medical debt, life planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives), insurance denials, employment issues, housing insecurity, and community resource navigation. CancerLINC supplements direct services with downloadable resource guides covering community resources, medication financing, and estate planning basics, and offers bilingual intake and materials in Spanish. In FY25 the organization reported engaging 180 volunteer professionals who donated nearly 4,000 hours of services valued at $978,335 to serve 709 patients and families; a separate disclosure cites 745 patients helped with 979 legal and financial challenges, with approximately 90% of clients living below the federally-defined poverty level.

The operating model is not technology-driven: services are delivered through a small staff of nine (including an Executive Director, staff attorney, program manager, advancement officers, and client services coordinators) supported by the volunteer professional network. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (e.g., Virginia Law Foundation), event fundraising (Pack Your Bags, The LINC Awards, Birdies for Charity), and community giving programs. The organization's reach is institutionally reinforced by board-level representation from the region's three principal oncology providers — VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, and HCA Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute — plus Virginia Cancer Institute.

Name

CancerLINC

Legal name

Legal Information Network for Cancer

Website

https://cancerlinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CancerLINC is a Richmond, Virginia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects cancer patients and families in Central Virginia to free legal, financial, and community resources via a network of pro bono volunteer attorneys and financial professionals, operating through individualized case management and healthcare-partner referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Patient Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM)

Keywords

• Cancer support services
• Legal assistance nonprofit
• Financial counseling services
• Patient resource referrals
• Community case management

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, stock donations, and legacy society planned gifts. Donations can be made online, by mail, or through workplace giving programs like United Way.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: CancerLINC receives grant funding from organizations like the Virginia Law Foundation to support specific programs including Hispanic community outreach. The organization also receives matching gift donations from employers.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual signature events including Pack Your Bags auctions, The LINC Awards luncheon, and Birdies for Charity generate revenue. Events feature auctions of designer handbags, sponsorships, and ticket sales.
4. Community Giving Programs: Revenue from Kroger Community Rewards, Walmart Spark Good, and employer matching gift programs. Donors can designate CancerLINC as their charity of choice through various retail reward programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CancerLINC provides free legal assistance, financial counseling, and community resource referrals to cancer patients and families in Central Virginia. Services address non-medical obstacles including medical debt, life planning documents (wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives), employment issues, insurance denials, and housing insecurity. All professional services delivered by 160+ volunteer attorneys and financial professionals are free of charge to patients living below the federally-defined poverty level (approximately 90% of clients).

Product overview

CancerLINC is a nonprofit service organization offering a unified suite of free support services for cancer patients and families in Central Virginia. The core offerings include legal assistance (addressing medical debt, estate planning, insurance denials, employment issues, housing), financial counseling (budgeting, debt management), and community resource referrals. These services are delivered through individual case management, with supplementary resource guides covering community resources, medication financing, and life planning documents. All professional services are provided free of charge to patients below the federal poverty level, supported by a network of over 160 volunteer attorneys and financial professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Assistance Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 745 patients helped with 979 legal and financial challenges in one year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HCA - Sarah Cannon Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCA Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute is represented on CancerLINC's Board of Directors through Natalie Ahmed, facilitating partnership and referral pathways for cancer patients needing non-medical support services.
• Bon Secours Richmond Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBon Secours is represented on CancerLINC's Board of Directors through Beth Brew, MBA, supporting coordination of care for cancer patients with legal and financial needs.
• VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCU Massey Cancer Center is represented on CancerLINC's Board through Dr. Paula Fracasso. The organizations work together on medical-legal partnerships meeting oncology patients' needs.
• TowneBank - Birdies for CharityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTowneBank presents Birdies for Charity, a fundraising program connected to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. CancerLINC receives a 10% bonus on charitable contributions up to $10,000 per charity.
• WTVR CBS 6minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television station featuring CancerLINC programming on Virginia This Morning and news coverage of events and patient stories, helping expand community awareness.
• Henrico Police and FireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSecond Annual Dodgeball Tournament hosted by Henrico Police and Fire in support of CancerLINC, generating community engagement and fundraising.
• Virginia Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirginia Cancer Institute is represented on CancerLINC's Board of Directors through Sam Attalla, CPA (Treasurer), supporting financial partnership and patient referral pathways.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Triage Cancer: National nonprofit providing free education and resources on the legal, financial, and insurance issues that arise with a cancer diagnosis. Most directly comparable organization on the legal-financial navigation side of cancer support.
• Patient Advocate Foundation: National nonprofit offering case management, insurance navigation, and financial assistance for patients with chronic and life-threatening illnesses including cancer. Closely matches CancerLINC's holistic case management and insurance denial support.
• CancerCare: National nonprofit providing free support services to people affected by cancer, including financial assistance, counseling, and resource navigation. Comparable in offering free, multi-disciplinary cancer support with financial components.
• Cancer + Careers: National nonprofit dedicated to supporting people diagnosed with cancer through employment, including education on legal rights at work. Comparable to CancerLINC's employment-law and benefits support for cancer patients.
• Family Reach: National nonprofit providing financial support, education, and outreach to families facing a cancer diagnosis, with focus on financial toxicity. Comparable mission addressing non-medical financial obstacles for cancer families.
• Lazarex Cancer Foundation: Nonprofit providing financial assistance to cancer patients for costs related to clinical trial participation and treatment. Comparable free-of-charge financial navigation and resource-matching model.
• The Samfund: Nonprofit providing financial assistance and education to young adult cancer survivors through grants and tools for navigating post-treatment financial challenges. Comparable legal/financial support focus for a cancer demographic.
• National Cancer Legal Services Network: Network supporting the development of cancer-specific legal services programs at law schools, law firms, and legal aid organizations nationally. Comparable focus on the legal dimensions of cancer care that defines CancerLINC's offering.

Emerging players

• Gilda's Club: Network of local clubhouses providing free social, emotional, and educational support for people living with cancer and their families. Overlaps with CancerLINC's community-resource and emotional support dimension though delivered through a different (community gathering) model.

Broad incumbents

• Livestrong: Large established nonprofit supporting cancer survivors through navigation, financial assistance, and survivorship programs. Broader and more national in scope than CancerLINC, but covers overlapping case management and financial navigation services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cancerlincrva
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancerlinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/cancerlinc/?hl=en
• Xx.com/Cancerlinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CancerLINC