B-Fund Grant

The B-Fund Grant by the Brem Foundation aims to enhance early detection of breast cancer by funding crucial screening and diagnostic tests for women in need. This initiative supports entities in the DC metro area, providing financial assistance for services like mammograms and ultrasounds, while ensuring equitable access regardless of socio-economic status. However, it excludes costs related to post-diagnosis care, employee salaries, and administrative expenses, promoting targeted and effective use of funds in the fight against breast cancer.

B-Fund - Request for Proposals
Brem Foundation helps women find breast cancer early, when it is most treatable and survival rates are highest. Brem’s B-Fund has historically paid for women to get critical diagnostic tests when they cannot afford them, but since screenings were halted for a time in 2020 during the pandemic, Brem has also included screening mammograms as eligible use of B-Fund support. The inclusion of screening exams will continue for this grant cycle.
Use of Funds
Funds must only be used to pay, in part or in whole, for breast screening and diagnostic tests, including but not limited to:

• Screening mammographyDiagnostic mammographyUltrasoundMRIBreast BiopsiesMolecular Breast ImagingPathology costs associated with breast diagnoses

B-Fund-supported breast diagnostic tests and screenings and associated costs, whether fully or partially funded by Brem Foundation, must be charged at or below the grantee’s negotiated Medicaid rates.

Eligibility

Funds will primarily be designated for entities located in the DC metro area.Each eligible entity must:Exhibit that it has breast screening and diagnostic capabilities or that it officially partners with entities that have breast screening and diagnostic capabilities.Outsource tests when needed if the breast center and/or breast center partner does not have all available breast diagnostic or screening technologies.Be committed to equal access to breast care and breast diagnostic tests regardless of patients’ race, nationality, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.Demonstrate that they are providing breast care and diagnostic services to patients who are eligible under their existing financial assistance policies and cannot be enrolled in any other financial assistance program within two (2) weeks of experiencing breast symptoms requiring diagnostic tests or having an abnormal screening mammogram.Have a financial assistance policy in place.Make concerted and reasonable efforts to explain the benefits and eligibility criteria for Medicaid and other available public and private financial assistance programs to patients, or patients’ guarantors, and make available to those patients the information on programs that may provide coverage for breast screening and diagnostic services and associated costs, before providing B-Fund support.

Ineligibility

Funds may not be used for:Salaries for employees involved with breast careCosts associated with any post-diagnosis care, regardless of whether a patient is diagnosed with breast cancerTransportation to and from breast diagnostic examsAdministrative and operating costsEducational materialsEquipment, even equipment used for breast diagnosticsResearchAny other costs outside of the breast screening and diagnostic tests themselves