Breast Cancer Support Fund

What Breast Cancer Support Fund does

Breast Cancer Support Fund (BCSF) is a registered Canadian charity (registration #83661 2804 RR0001) founded in 2011 by Donna Sheehan, a four-time breast cancer survivor, and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The organization provides direct financial assistance and meal support to low-income breast cancer patients in active treatment or within two months of completion, addressing the gap between Canadian Employment Insurance sick benefits (26 weeks at reduced salary) and the average 38-week breast cancer treatment timeline. Its core programs are a Financial Support Program offering one-time grants of up to $2,000 to cover rent, groceries, utilities, medications, wigs, prosthetics, hospital parking, and child care; a Meal Support Program delivering free nutritious prepared meals to patients in Ontario and Atlantic Canada; a Neighbour Network connecting patients with community volunteers; and Breast Health Webinars for corporate wellness programs.

BCSF generates revenue through a diversified mix of individual donations (one-time and monthly recurring via the Zeffy platform), corporate sponsorships (Peach Party Gala, Support The Girls cause marketing), grants from family and community foundations (J.P. Bickell Foundation, Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation, J & W Murphy Foundation, Bras Family Foundation, Rotary Sunrisers Sudbury), planned giving (publicly listed securities, bequests, RRSP/RRIF gifts, endowments), and event-based fundraising campaigns including Move for the Boob (national yoga/pilates activation), Meagan's Triathlon, Pink The Rink, One Million Moments celebration, and a Dragons Abreast Trent-Severn Waterway paddle. The go-to-market motion combines community-led fundraising with direct-to-beneficiary grant delivery; beneficiaries apply through an oncologist- or social worker-signed application, creating a healthcare-provider-referral channel.

Cumulatively since 2011, BCSF reports supporting more than 700 women and families with over $1 million in financial assistance and serving more than 3,300 healthy meals. The organization operates with 1-10 employees (effectively a lean staff led by Donna Sheehan as Executive Director and Rony Pal as Operations Manager), is governed by a volunteer board of directors with expertise spanning marketing, law, IT, communications, and finance, and reaches an annual audience of more than 3.4 million through earned media and 2 million through social channels. 48% of patients served are under 50 years old and 80% live on household incomes under $25,000 per year, indicating the organization serves a financially vulnerable, working-age patient population. The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI capabilities, no patents, no subsidiaries, and no funding rounds; it operates as an independent nonprofit reliant on donation revenue.

Name

Breast Cancer Support Fund

Legal name

Breast Cancer Support Fund

Website

https://breastcancersupportfund.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Breast Cancer Support Fund is a Toronto-based Canadian charity founded in 2011 that provides direct financial grants up to $2,000 and meal support to low-income breast cancer patients in active treatment across Canada, having cumulatively assisted over 700 women with more than $1 million since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Patient Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Chronic Disease & Health Promotion Program Funding (HLAJALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Breast cancer charity
• Patient financial assistance
• Meal support programs
• Community fundraising events
• Nonprofit health support

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto, Ontario

HQ country

Canada

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. Donations and Fundraising: The primary revenue source comes from individual donations, both one-time and monthly recurring contributions. The organization conducts various fundraising campaigns including Move for the Boob, peer-to-peer fundraising, and event-based fundraising. Donors can contribute via the website, mail, or phone.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate partners sponsor events such as the Annual Peach Party Gala and provide ongoing support through employee giving programs where companies match or contribute to employee donations to the Financial Assistance Program or Meal Support Program.
3. Cause Marketing: Cause marketing partnerships such as the Support The Girls campaign allow businesses to associate their brand with the breast cancer cause, drive sales, build customer loyalty, and differentiate from competitors while generating funds for the organization.
4. Planned Giving and Securities: The organization accepts gifts of publicly listed shares or stocks (providing tax advantages to donors), bequests through wills, and other planned gifts such as endowment funds, RRSPs, or RRIFs.
5. Celebrations and Tributes: Donations can be made in celebration of birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, weddings, or in memory of loved ones, providing an alternative to traditional gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Breast Cancer Support Fund provides direct one-time financial assistance grants of up to CAD 2,000 to breast cancer patients in active treatment who live at or below the poverty line, covering basic living expenses, medications, prosthetics, and treatment-related costs. It also operates the Meal Support Program delivering free nutritious prepared meals to patients in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, the Neighbour Network community support program, and free Breast Health Webinars for corporate employee wellness initiatives.

Product overview

The Breast Cancer Support Fund operates as a charitable organization offering a portfolio of support programs for breast cancer patients in Canada. The core offerings include a Financial Support Program providing one-time payments up to $2,000 and a Meal Support Program delivering nutritious prepared meals to patients in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Additional programs include the Neighbour Network for community support and Breast Health Webinars for education. The organization conducts multiple fundraising campaigns and events including Move for the Boob (national yoga/pilates campaign), Meagan's Triathlon, Pink The Rink, One Million Moments celebration, and partnerships like Dragons Abreast-Trent Severn. The fund has provided over $1 million in financial support to more than 700 women across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Support Program
• Meal Support Program
• Neighbour Network
• Breast Health Webinars

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ women helped with over $1,000,000 in direct financial support since 2011
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Dragons AbreastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDragons Abreast is Toronto's first breast cancer survivor dragon boat team. For their 25th anniversary Trent-Severn Waterway fundraising adventure (125km paddle, June 16-21), they are raising $25,000 for the Breast Cancer Support Fund, with a portion supporting Indigenous communities diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Yoga and Pilates Studios (Move for the Boob)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational network of yoga and pilates studios participating in the Move for the Boob campaign (May 2-9, 2026). Studios include Bare Yoga and Athletics (Pickering), Oxygen Yoga & Fitness (Kelowna, Ottawa, Brantford, Vaughan), Luna Yoga (Montreal), MODO Yoga (Vancouver locations), ALIVE Movement (Toronto), Blue Canoe (Toronto), Power Yoga Canada (Sudbury), Kelowna Yoga Hub, Rogue Vinyasa (Winnipeg), Salti Yoga (Toronto), and others across Canada.
• Corporate Sponsors (Peach Party Gala)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors support the Annual Peach Party Gala and the Support The Girls campaign. Companies can also initiate employee giving programs where employees support the Financial Assistance Program or Meal Support Program.
• CTV (The Good Stuff with Mary Berg)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDonna Sheehan, Executive Director of BCSF, was featured as a community hero in the 'Good People' segment of CTV's The Good Stuff with Mary Berg, providing national media exposure for the organization's mission.
• Media Partners (CBC, CityNews, Toronto Star)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe organization has been featured on CBC Toronto, CityNews, and Toronto Star, highlighting the Financial Assistance and Meal Plan programs. Media coverage reached an audience of more than 3.4 million people in 2023.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BreastCancerSupportFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breast-cancer-support-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/breastcancersupportfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Breast Cancer Support Fund