Maine Cancer Foundation has awarded eleven Cancer Prevention grants totaling $707,527 to support evidence-based initiatives aimed at reducing cancer risk for Mainers.

Cancer remains a leading cause of death in Maine, impacting thousands of residents annually. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce cancer risk and even prevent certain types of cancer, ultimately reducing the overall burden of the disease statewide.

Over the past decade, MCF has invested more than $5.9 million in cancer prevention efforts, a commitment that continues with this latest round of funding. For this 2025 round of grants, funded projects will reduce tobacco use, implement obesity prevention strategies, address environmental concerns including radon and arsenic, and improve sun safety efforts to prevent skin cancer.

Grant Recipients and Initiatives:

Aroostook County Action Program, Food is Medicine, $80,000

Bath Area Family YMCA, Tobacco-Free Teens: Empowering Youth for a Healthier Future, $54,940

Hand in Hand - Mano en Mano, Community Health Advocate, $80,000

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, It’s Worth the Try: A Pilot of the LGBTQ+ Youth Tobacco Quit Curriculum, $80,000

Maine Community Integration, OWN IT: Reclaiming Health Through Culture, Nutrition, and Movement, $80,000

MaineGeneral Medical Center, Preventing Secondary Cancers Related to Tobacco Use, $40,000

MaineHealth - Maine Medical Center, Clinical Interventions to Promote Lifestyle and Behavior Change for Cancer Prevention, $80,000

Mount Desert Island Hospital, Refining and Improving the Tobacco Treatment and Prevention Program at MDI Hospital, $16,049

New England Arab American Organization, Multi-prong Approaches to Address Cancer for Maine’s Most Vulnerable Community Members, $76,538

Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, Woli bamowusuwakon (To walk in a good way), $40,000

Western Maine Community Action, Homes Against Harm: Cancer Risk Reduction, $80,000

“We are proud to work with these eleven organizations to reduce cancer risk throughout our state,” said Ray Ruby, MCF’s Executive Director. “This year’s investment is more than double our 2024 cancer prevention funding, which really speaks to the current needs in our communities and the understanding of how significant a return on investment prevention efforts can have on the health of our state.”

In 2025, MCF is projected to invest over $2 million in grants to organizations across Maine, supporting cancer prevention, early detection, and improved outcomes statewide.

Maine Cancer Foundation leads a statewide effort to reduce the impact of cancer in Maine. We invest in the most promising and effective programs that advance cancer prevention, increase screening, and improve access to care for all Maine people.For more information, please visit www.mainecancer.org