NBCCF 'Best Practices in Breast Cancer Advocacy' Award

About the 2008 Best Practices in Breast Cancer Advocacy Awards®

THESE AWARDS ARE INTENDED FOR ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE LEADERSHIP, STAFF AND BOARD, ARE GRASSROOTS, AND PRIMARILY BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AND ADVOCATES. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MAINLY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER-FOCUSED OR LED. THESE AWARDS ARE INTENDED FOR PROGRAMS OR PROJECTS THAT ARE INNOVATIVE, DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM OTHER PROGRAMS IN THE SAME AREA, AND HAVE DEMONSTRATED A MEASURABLE CHANGE AT THE SYSTEMS LEVEL OF RESEARCH, HEALTH CARE ACCESS OR PUBLIC POLICY. "CHANGE AT THE SYSTEMS LEVEL" MEANS THE PROGRAMS OR PROJECTS HAVE IDENTIFIED A SPECIFIC PROBLEM WITHIN RESEARCH, HEALTH CARE ACCESS OR PUBLIC POLICY AND HAVE DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED A NEW APPROACH TO THAT PROBLEM. THE NEW APPROACH MUST HAVE SUCCEEDED IN CHANGING THE SYSTEM TO AFFECT ALL OR MOST WITHIN IT. THE AWARDED PROGRAM OR PROJECT MUST BE ONE THAT SETS A STANDARD THAT SHOULD BE REPLICATED BY OTHERS.

Background
NBCCF is the nation's leading grassrootsOrganization that reflects the voices of the people most affected by the issue being addressed and that is responsive to and largely led by these constituents advocacy organization dedicated to ending breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy. Our advocacy involves hundreds of member organizations and tens of thousands of individual members who represent the diversity of breast cancer. Since our founding in 1991, we've empowered and trained advocates to be effective in every aspect of the fight to end breast cancer. Using NBCCF tools, our advocates make informed decisions and take leadership roles with legislative, scientific and clinical decision makers.

To achieve our mission of ending breast cancer, we focus on the following three main goals:

Research - to increase federal funding for breast cancer research, collaborate with the scientific community on new models of research and improve accountability.
Access - to improve access to quality breast cancer care for all women, from screening through diagnosis, treatment and care, particularly for the underserved and underinsured, through legislation and change in the systems of delivery of breast health care.
Influence - to educate and empower women and men as advocates, increasing the involvement and influence of those living with breast cancer and other breast cancer activists wherever and whenever breast cancer decisions are made.

Goals
The goal of the Best Practices in Breast Cancer Advocacy Awards® program is to recognize and support consumerA consumer advocate is someone personally affected by breast cancer who acts on behalf of a defined constituency in the fight to end this disease-led grassroots advocacy organizations whose strategic, high-impact programs are addressing critical issues in systems of research, access to quality care and public policy. As the nation's leading grassrootsOrganization that reflects the voices of the people most affected by the issue being addressed and that is responsive to and largely led by these constituents breast cancer advocacy organization, NBCCF is uniquely positioned both to identify noteworthy organizations and to disseminate their model programs with other groups eager for new ideas and successful strategies. Through the Awards, NBCCF is not only increasing organizations' impact in the fight to end breast cancer, but also raising the bar and transforming best practices into standard practice.

Importance of Systems Change
NBCCF is particularly interested in efforts that are effective in improving systems. This involves changing the structure, function and policies of the health care, research and public policy systems so that improvement occurs for all patients in the system and not just one patient at a time. NBCCF supports system change that is consumer advocate-centered, evidence-based and grounded in its values and principles described in NBCCF policy statements.

Online Nomination Process
The 2008 nomination process is divided into two phases:

Phase I - Deadline: July 15, 2008
To help determine your organization’s eligibility for the awards, we will ask you to answer a series of questions and submit a short abstract summarizing the organization’s best practices. The Awards Committee will invite qualified organizations to continue to Phase II.

Phase II - Deadline: NEW DEADLINE September 12, 2008!
If you are eligible to continue to Phase II, we will ask you to provide more detailed information about your organization and its best practices. The nomination requires you to submit some materials in Adobe PDF format, including financial documents, letters of reference, and supporting materials.

NBCCF seeks a wide range of nominations, including from organizations that serve diverse populations and the medically underserved. We will distribute up to seven Awards, in the amount of either $25K or $50K each. Award winners will be announced October 2008.

Organizations can submit only one application in any given award cycle. Organizations that received an award in 2006 or 2007 are not eligible to apply for subsequent awards for the same (previously awarded) area of work.

Submission Details

Only current, dues-paying organizational members of NBCCF are eligible
Faxed applications will not be accepted
The Awards Committee will only review requested information. All other materials will be discarded
NBCCF will not provide specific feedback to those organizations that do not receive an Award

Award Recipient Requirements

If selected as an award-winner, your organization must agree to:

Present its best practices during the NBCCF 2009 Annual Advocacy Training Conference (NBCCF will cover one organizational representative's travel to the conference)
Submit brief project report(s) describing how the organization used the Award
Share the best practices for possible use in NBCCF materials

Questions?
If you need further assistance, call NBCCF's Field Department at (800) 622-2838, e-mail your questions to bestpractices@stopbreastcancer.org or fax your questions to (202) 265-6854, attn: Field Department. Please visit our website at www.stopbreastcancer.org to learn more about NBCCF.

The Best Practices in Breast Cancer Advocacy Awards® are made possible by a generous grant from the Breast Cancer Fund of the National Philanthropic Trust.