2021 Annual Report presented by The LiFT Network Leading the way in cancer nonprofit collaboration
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LiFT Network Status Report
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Why Nonprofit Collaboration?
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Collaborative LiFT Network Approach
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Growing LiFT Year Over Year
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LiFT Network Impact in 2021
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Reaching More Families in 2022
Cover image details from left: Dustin, 16, Ewing’s sarcoma (LiFT Member support from Tyler Robinson Foundation) Yamil, 6, leukemia (LiFT Member support from the Anthony Rizzo Foundation) Lanaisja, 15, brain cancer (LiFT Member support from Hands for Holly) Darrel, 59, leukemia (LiFT Member support from Leukemia Texas)
LiFT Network Status Report The second year of the pandemic enhanced financial hardships for families facing cancer, from a surge in late-stage diagnoses and interrupted treatment plans to the lack of basic living essentials like housing and food. The need for financial interventions soared within the cancer community. As the only national community of cancer nonprofits dedicated to removing financial barriers, The LiFT Network was ready to respond. This report shares our collective impact on people with cancer in 2021 and highlights how partnering to deliver programs works. As a Network, we nearly doubled our reach in 2021, distributing $1,004,263 in critical financial services to 1,195 families. The LiFT Network is powered by Family Reach and its Financial Treatment Program, which promotes financial health and better treatment outcomes for cancer patients of all ages. The comprehensive approach includes free education, resource navigation, financial coaching, and emergency relief funding. Rather than sourcing additional resources to create new programs or services, LiFT Members provide and expand the Financial Treatment Program to the communities they serve. Nonprofits who join The LiFT Network break the mold by choosing to deliver financial interventions together rather than independently. This results in reduced redundancies within our organizations, streamlined access to services for healthcare professionals and patients, and most critically, increased patient access to our programs. In 2021, we united on important issues pressing the healthcare system by reinforcing our shared commitment to cancer equity. We partnered with other nonprofits to better understand the needs of Black and Hispanic/Latinx cancer patients, knowing that the financial burden of cancer falls most heavily on these communities. We also launched a streamlined application system so more healthcare professionals can refer patients to our programs. Our impact to date is only possible thanks to our existing Network Members who bravely choose collaboration as well as the investors who support our growth. Thank you for believing that together, we are stronger. To the thousands of nonprofits who share our vision that no family should be forced to choose between paying for treatment or keeping a roof over their heads: We’re just getting started. We can’t wait to collaborate with you. With admiration and gratitude,
Joanna Scott Director of The LiFT Network
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
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Why Nonprofit Collaboration? LiFT Network Members choose to collaborate because we can do far more for families like Nefes’s when we combine our strengths and streamline the process of getting help to patients and caregivers.
Nefes is a sweet 10-year-old girl from Cyprus who traveled to North Carolina with her loving parents and younger brother to receive treatment for neuroblastoma. Her family is renting an apartment near the hospital and will need to stay in the area for at least 6 months. Nefes’s parents aren’t able to work while they’re living in another country, so the experience is taking an extreme financial and emotional toll on the entire family. Knowing how important secure housing is for healing, LiFT Member Hands for Holly Memorial Fund provided emergency relief to cover several weeks of rent payments. Thanks to our nonprofit collaboration, this direct support was also complemented by a free financial guidebook, which provided additional financial advice and budgeting tools to help the family manage the many costs of cancer.
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Collaborative LiFT Network Approach The LiFT Network allows cancer nonprofits to deepen their impact without re-inventing the wheel or adding headcount. Here’s how it works:
Cancer nonprofits choose collaboration by joining LiFT
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Family Reach provides the Financial Treatment Program, infrastructure, and staff
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Together, we reach more families with our programs
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Cancer nonprofits choose collaboration by joining LiFT Nonprofits join The LiFT Network to connect with like-minded organizations, add financial interventions to their program offering, and streamline the delivery of emergency relief funds to families. At the start of this collaboration, the LiFT and Family Reach team works with the nonprofit to identify shared goals and outline what success looks like on both sides of the partnership.
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
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Family Reach provides the Financial Treatment Program, infrastructure, and staff The LiFT Network is powered by Family Reach and its Financial Treatment Program, which promotes financial health and better treatment outcomes for cancer patients of all ages. The comprehensive approach includes free education, resource navigation, financial coaching, and emergency relief funding.
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Rather than sourcing additional resources to create new programs or services, LiFT Members provide the Financial Treatment Program to the communities they serve with support from Family Reach team members. The partnership includes this turn-key program delivery as well as: Program management, fulfillment, and operations support from dedicated Family Reach team members Access to a customized CRM for program management and real-time reporting Impact reporting, including family stories and annual impact reports
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Together, we reach more families with our programs Family Reach brings 25 years of experience and the proven Financial Treatment Program to every partnership. Our member organizations bring their expertise and firsthand perspectives on the needs of the communities they serve. Through this partnered program delivery, we: Make it easier for families to find and access critical resources during their cancer journey Improve processing times through increased efficiencies and streamlined program delivery Empower our organizations and programs to evolve with the needs of the cancer community
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
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Growing LiFT Year Over Year LiFT Members are our trusted allies, mentors, and partners. We’re strategically aligned on how and when we can provide the most meaningful support to the families we serve, and the Network’s centralized efforts ensure Family Reach and LiFT Members have more capacity to distribute the Financial Treatment Program. Since officially launching The LiFT Network with a few members in 2018, new organizations have joined each year to expand our visionary community and add diverse perspectives for innovating on financial interventions for cancer patients nationwide. We welcomed four new member organizations in 2021, bringing our Network total to 14 LiFT Members.
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Growth: LiFT Network Member Success
As the very first organization to join The LiFT Network, JUST TRYAN IT took a leap of faith into nonprofit collaboration and continues to be a powerful example of the benefits of partnered program delivery to both an organization and a patient.
In 2021, JUST TRYAN IT: Improved operational efficiency to process applications within 6 days
Supported 87% of families with more than 1 service
Reached 48% of families within 6 months of diagnosis so they don’t wait to receive financial interventions
Provided 4 possible interventions, as opposed to providing 1 intervention prior to joining LiFT
“Since joining LiFT we have deepened our impact on families. The distribution process gets dollars out to families faster and our families have access to the full Financial Treatment Program for critical budget and planning tools that will help them plan for the future.” — Maureen Colburn, Executive Director of JUST TRYAN IT
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
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LiFT Network Impact in 2021 In 2021, The LiFT Network served 1,195 families with the Financial Treatment Program’s critical financial services, including free financial coaching, educational resources, resource navigation, and $1,004,263 in emergency relief funding.
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Reach: Who LiFT Served in 2021 The LiFT Network uses demographic information to better understand who is receiving our services. This information allows members to identify gaps in our collective reach and collaborate on outreach strategies to serve more patients. In 2021, we also took a close look at how the pandemic and other household demographics influenced the financial impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
68% reported losing at least 50% of their income since treatment began
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
52% reported losing income due to COVID-19
34% are single-parent families
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Engagement: Needs Addressed by LiFT in 2021 The financial needs of families served by The LiFT Network in 2021 included: uncovered treatment expenses
utilities at risk of shutoff
uncovered medical expenses
phone at risk of shutoff
food insecurity
unaffordable childcare costs
risk of houselessness
behind on car payment and/or insurance
unexpected emergency expenses, long-distance travel public transportation reliance
behind on rent or mortgage funeral expenses
In 2021, The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation served 210 families with the Financial Treatment Program. With The LiFT Network program delivery model, the organization was able to reach 40% of patients within six months of their diagnosis. Thanks to the strength of nonprofit collaboration, we were also able to leverage our partnership to meet the growing needs of families facing cancer during the pandemic by providing additional assistance for housing stability.
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Impact: How The LiFT Network Impacted Families in 2021 In response to patient needs, LiFT Network Members delivered the necessary Financial Treatment Program services to reduce financial distress. With a focus on providing comprehensive financial support, 80% of families served by The LiFT Network in 2021 received more than one service. Family Reach is proud to deliver the Financial Treatment Program on behalf of LiFT Members. Each year, Family Reach surveys families to evaluate the impact of our services, and respondents include families who were supported through member organizations. Here’s what we heard in 2021:
81%
of patients reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience
84%
of families felt less financial distress after receiving the comprehensive Financial Treatment Program
87%
of families said the support increased their knowledge of available financial resources Aubriana, 9, medulloblastoma
The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
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Access: Improving Equitable Access to Cancer Resources in 2021 and Beyond In 2021, The LiFT Network prioritized increasing equitable access to financial interventions for lowincome Black and Hispanic/Latinx cancer patients. Partners like Nueva Vida led the way in bringing the Financial Treatment Program to their communities. Nueva Vida is an advocacy and support organization for Latinas affected by cancer in the Washington D.C. metro area. By providing free, comprehensive, and culturally competent services in Spanish, Nueva Vida facilitates timely access to care for their community and contributes valuable patient impact data to The LiFT Network.
83% of patients served by Nueva Vida fall below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line
Due to socioeconomic factors and language barriers, Latinx families in the Mid-Atlantic region face late-stage diagnosis, limited access to care, and increased difficulty navigating the financial journey of cancer
In 2021, The LiFT Network and Nueva Vida provided critical financial interventions to patients and streamlined program delivery for faster access to support. $24,000 in emergency relief distributed for housing, utilities, food, transportation, and other immediate needs 3 additional services provided when possible (financial coaching, resource navigation, and financial education) 12 days for families to receive resources, decreased from once per quarter
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The LiFT Network • Annual Report 2021
Reaching More Families in 2022 The LiFT Network is committed to redefining how cancer nonprofits work together to improve the patient journey. With a deepened focus on partnered program delivery, equitable solutions, and collective impact in 2022, we are grateful for the nonprofits, investors, and donors who make our work possible.
To our existing and future nonprofit partners: The LiFT Network welcomes like-minded organizations to join us in expanding our independent and collective impact on the cancer community. Together, we will work toward our common goals: Expand the reach of our proven financial interventions Improve health outcomes for cancer patients, particularly those in underserved communities Grow our community of nonprofit member organizations for scalable impact Embrace innovation and develop technology to ensure sustainability and improve the patient experience Evolve with the needs of cancer patients through continuous research, innovation, and equitable approaches
To our existing and future corporate partners: The LiFT Network proves that there’s power in collaboration. Working together directly impacts the patient experience while also supporting and uplifting the nonprofit ecosystem. Investments and sponsorships make it possible to scale our partnered program delivery, enhance our infrastructure, meet our collective Network goals, and pave the way for better cancer experiences nationwide.
AmerisourceBergen invests in nonprofit collaboration “The AmerisourceBergen Foundation is committed to encouraging and supporting collaboration in the nonprofit sector. We know that the only way of truly attacking the problem of financial toxicity of cancer is for organizations to work together to alleviate the problem.”
Let’s connect: Email liftnetwork@familyreach.org to join or sponsor The LiFT Network
POWERED BY FAMILY REACH Family Reach is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to removing the financial barriers standing between a cancer patient and their treatment. Loss of income, out-of-pocket expenses, and socioeconomic factors create disparities in the financial burdens families face. Family Reach delivers financial education, financial planning, resource navigation, and emergency relief funds to patients and caregivers facing a cancer diagnosis so no family has to choose between their health and their home.
Please email liftnetwork@familyreach.org to join or sponsor The LiFT Network. Thank you to our 2021 LiFT Network sponsors: