Susan G. Komen Northern Indiana will soon be accepting grant applications for its upcoming community-based grant awards cycle, which runs April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015.

Komen Northern Indiana’s community grants program supports local hospitals and community organizations in its 27-county service area that provide breast health education and breast cancer screening, treatment, and support programs for all women. Komen Northern Indiana’s service area includes the counties of Adams, Allen, Benton, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Jasper, Kosciusko, La Porte, LaGrange, Lake, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White and Whitley.

All grant applicants must meet eligibility requirements and attend a mandatory training meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Michiana Hematology Oncology located at 5340 Holy Cross Parkway, Mishawaka, prior to submitting their application. The application will become available Sept. 18 through www.komennorthernindiana.org and remain open until Oct. 23.

All applications must be submitted by Nov. 6 in order to be considered for grant funding. Grant awards are for one year April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015. Organizations receiving Komen Northern Indiana grant awards must re-apply each year.

Komen Northern Indiana grant funding is limited and awarded through a competitive process. All grant applications meeting the eligibility process are subjected to rigorous review by an independent panel.

Findings from the 2011 Komen Northern Indiana Community Profile Report drive grant funding priorities. Drawing from this community-needs assessment, Komen Northern Indiana has identified four grant funding priorities:

• Increasing mammogram participation rates for all women throughout the 27-county service area
• Increasing women’s access to breast health and breast cancer resources in rural communities
• Increasing mammogram participation rates among African American, Hispanic, and other minority women
• Developing supportive programs for breast cancer survivors

Komen Northern Indiana’s community grants program is made possible through the community’s generous support of the Komen Northern Indiana Race for the Cure, other events held throughout the year, individual donations, and the support of corporate sponsors. In 2013, Komen Northern Indiana awarded more than $109,000 to 11 local organizations that share Komen’s promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

Since its founding in August 2006, Komen Northern Indiana has invested nearly $1.2 million in the fight against breast cancer, awarding more than $880,000 in grants to local organizations that deliver lifesaving breast health services to all women and contributing $304,000 to global breast cancer research.

For more information about community grants, eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit www.komennorthernindiana.org or call 574-289-9828.