Ellie Fund
Supporting Patients. Funding Care. Providing Hope.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Breast cancer means physical, emotional & financial stress for the patient & family. For most of those we serve, maintaining a sense of normalcy for themselves/families is a challenge, particularly when faced with treatment side effects & the emotional & financial strain associated with cancer.
Responding to this growing need, we launched our Healing Together Program in 2005 to provide critical support services, free of charge, to patients in active treatment for breast cancer residing/receiving treatment in Massachusetts.
Of those served, 26% have metastatic breast cancer, a chronic, progressive & ultimately fatal disease, enduring lifelong treatment to control it.
Interviews with metastatic patients & oncology professionals identified metastatic patients' unique needs: long term support & maintaining a higher quality of life.
To better serve the patients enduring lifelong treatment, we expanded the Healing Together Program to include the Metastatic Program on 1/1/2018.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Healing Together Patient and Family Care Program (Healing Together Program)
Through our Healing Together Program, the Ellie Fund creates a personalized grant, consisting of critical support services for up to 3 months in duration for patients with curative breast cancer. Services include:
• Nutritional and Grocery Assistance
Gift cards to the grocery store of a patient’s choice including, but not limited to, Stop & Shop, Market Basket and Whole Foods, accompanied by healthy recipes and dietary recommendations provided by a licensed nutritionist.
• Prepared and Delivered Meals
Healthy, pre-assembled meals delivered once a month, up to 3 months.
• Transportation to/from Medical Appointments
Parking, gas gift cards, taxi vouchers and funding for MBTA transportation services, i.e. bus, train and subway.
• Light Housekeeping
Licensed and insured companies provide light housekeeping services, including dusting, vacuuming and cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms.
• Childcare Reimbursement
Funding for licensed childcare services, early childhood education tuition, summer camp and after-school learning centers.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Support Program (Metastatic Program)
Through our Metastatic Program, the Ellie Fund creates a personalized grant, consisting of critical support services for 6 months in duration for patients with metastatic breast cancer. Services include:
• Nutritional and Grocery Assistance
Gift cards to the grocery store of a patient’s choice including, but not limited to, Stop & Shop, Market Basket and Whole Foods, accompanied by healthy recipes and dietary recommendations provided by a licensed nutritionist.
• Prepared and Delivered Meals
Healthy, pre-assembled meals delivered once a month, up to 3 months.
• Transportation to/from Medical Appointments
Parking, gas gift cards, taxi vouchers and funding for MBTA transportation services, i.e. bus, train and subway.
• Light Housekeeping
Licensed and insured companies provide light housekeeping services, including dusting, vacuuming and cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms.
• Childcare Reimbursement
Funding for licensed childcare services, early childhood education tuition, summer camp and after-school learning centers.
• Integrative Therapies: Massage Therapy and/or Acupuncture
Funding for 6 to 12 sessions with a Licensed Oncology Massage Therapist or Licensed Acupuncturist to help reduce the emotional and physical side effects of ongoing treatment.
Where we work
Awards
Yoplait National Champion 2006
2006
Pink Power Mom 2008
2008
Partners of the Year 2018
Boston Business Journal
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Ellie Fund aims to relieve a breast cancer patient's burden while in treatment. By providing essential support services, the Ellie Fund can ease the stresses of everyday life, allowing the patient to focus on family, recovery and healing.
To better meet the continuous needs of patients while in treatment, the Ellie Fund increased the duration of service grants for curative patients to 3 months in 2016 and implemented the Metastatic Program with 6 month service grants in 2018. Our ultimate goal is to provide services for the entire course of a patient's treatment.
In addition, the Ellie Fund seeks to maintain its application processes, which allow for service grants to be distributed within 24 hours in emergency situations.
With the constant growth of the Healing Together and Metastatic Programs, the Ellie Fund aims to have the ability to continue say “yes" to all qualified patients, curative and metastatic, requesting our assistance.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our proximity to the best medical facilities in the world enables us to partner with renowned oncology professionals, allowing us to create the most comprehensive care team for patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The Ellie Fund works collaboratively with 40+ hospitals & medical facilities across the state with the highest level of referrals coming from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
With the input of oncology professionals, we created the Healing Together & Metastatic Programs, offering services that most enhance the quality of life for patients & their families during the treatment period.
The Ellie Fund's programs will remain sustainable through fundraising efforts by our staff & Board of Directors. In addition to the funds raised at our 3 signature events, as well as individual donors, our programs are financially supported by corporate donors and foundations.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Ellie Fund
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Mr. Scott Clifford
Lipsey & Clifford Attorneys at Law
Term: 2019 - 2021
Jeff Popkin
Boston Event Guide
Ron Lanoue
KPMG
Scott Clifford
Epstein, Clifford & Lipsey
Tom Jacob
Amy Comander
MA General Hospital Cancer Center
Marcia Boyle
Babson College
Thanda Fields Brassard
Fiduciary Trust of New England
Gail Fine
Cynthia Levine Kropp
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data