Grant applications open on the first Mondays of November–July, allowing us to dedicate August–October to fundraising, ensuring continued support of future grant recipients. Grants close each month once funding is fully allocated for that cycle.

Patients must be under a physician-directed treatment plan for an active cancer diagnosis, including:

• Chemotherapy

• Radiation

• Immunotherapy

• Cancer-related surgery (pre/post within treatment window)

• Targeted or infusion therapies

• Required diagnostic scans tied to active treatment decisions

• Prescribed medications directly related to treatment

Key qualifier:
The patient is actively fighting cancer under the direction of an oncologist, and the financial need is happening right now because of that treatment.

What We Can Help With

SabesWings provides direct-to-vendor payments for essential, stability-based needs during treatment:

• Rent or mortgage

• Utilities (electric, gas, propane, water)

• Medical bills directly tied to active treatment

• Critical diagnostics or scans denied by insurance but deemed necessary

• Treatment-related prescriptions

What Falls Outside Our Scope

While these needs are real and valid, they are not typically covered under SabesWings guidelines:

Post-Treatment / Maintenance Care

• Patients in remission, surveillance, or survivorship

• Long-term hormone therapy or maintenance-only treatment

• Follow-up scans not tied to active treatment decisions

• Rehabilitation or general recovery care

General Living & Non-Medical Expenses

• Gas, groceries, or daily living expenses

• Credit card debt or bills in collections

• Non-essential or elective treatments

How We Define the Line

If the patient is no longer in active, physician-directed cancer treatment, the request generally falls outside our scope.

To prepare for grants to reopen, you may consider collecting the documents you will attach to your application:

⏺ Treatment plan from your care provider.

⏺ Letter of recommendation from your doctor, nurse navigator, or social worker.

⏺ Billing statements associated with your ask. SabesWings cannot accept screenshots of emails from billing sources. Uploaded documents must be billing statements or rental agreements (for housing grants).

⏺ Patient Photo (to be used for fundraising purposes so SabesWings can continue to provide support to patients across the nation).

⏺ Valid ID

The amount of assistance you receive from SabesWings Nonprofit Grant Assistance can vary based on several specific factors related to your situation. Here’s a detailed explanation:

If these criteria are not met, grant assistance will be denied.

Factors Influencing Grant Amounts from SabesWings

Nature of the Need: SabesWings grants are designed to help families who are facing the difficult decision between funding medical necessities and life necessities. The nature and urgency of your needs - whether they are related to housing, utilities, or medical - will significantly influence the amount of assistance provided.

Eligibility Criteria: Your eligibility is determined by the specific circumstances detailed in your application. This includes medical, demographic, and parental or guardian information. Ensuring that you meet the criteria set out by SabesWings is crucial for determining the grant amount.

Resource Availability: The total amount of funding available to SabesWings at any given time can affect the grant amounts. When resources permit, SabesWings aims to extend grants that alleviate non-medical financial burdens effectively.

Application Completeness: The thoroughness and accuracy of your application can impact the grant amount. A complete application that clearly outlines your needs and situation helps SabesWings to allocate the appropriate amount of assistance more efficiently.

Extent of Non-Medical Financial Burdens: The specific non-medical expenses you are facing, such as housing payments, utilities, and medical bills, will be considered. The more comprehensive and well-documented your financial burdens are, the better SabesWings can tailor their assistance to meet your needs. Please be sure to include complete billing statements.

Financial History: List of incoming financial support including but not limited to company payroll, government and social security assistance, other grant receipts, income from spousal support, spousal income, child support, GoFundMe or like-minded campaigns, and in general other funding being paid through multiple resources from foundations. SabesWings reserves the right to request accurate and up to date income history before granting assistance.

Examples of Grant Variations

Housing Payments: Assistance for housing may vary depending on your rent or mortgage costs. SabesWings may provide a grant that covers a portion or the entirety of your housing payments for a specific period.

Utilities: Utility assistance can include covering essential services such as electricity, water, and heating. The grant amount will depend on your monthly utility billing statements and the duration of assistance required.

To determine the exact amount of assistance you can receive from SabesWings, it’s essential to complete the application thoroughly, providing detailed information about your medical and non-medical financial needs. By doing so, SabesWings can effectively assess your situation and provide tailored support that addresses your specific burdens, ensuring you do not have to choose between essential living expenses and critical medical care. Submit your application via the links provided below to begin the process of receiving support from SabesWings.

Our grant team looks specifically at the cancer diagnosis with time-stamped documents of any current or past treatments, doctor notes, and any outstanding expenses. We may ask for income statements and proof of unemployment in the direct cause of medical needs, and or care. We also require billing statements, with account information visible.

⏺ Treatment plan from your care provider.

⏺ Letter of recommendation from your doctor, nurse navigator, or social worker.

⏺ Billing statements associated with your ask. SabesWings cannot accept screenshots of emails from billing sources. Uploaded documents must be billing statements or rental agreements (for housing grants).

⏺ Patient Photo (to be used for fundraising purposes so SabesWings can continue to provide support to patients across the nation).

⏺ Valid ID

SabesWings covers, but is not limited to, paying: rent/mortgage, medical bills, electricity bills, propane/gas. As of July 2024 SabesWings will no longer be paying costs for transportation, hotel, VRBO, and AirBnb bills.

Once both your application with supporting documents and the HIPAA form has been submitted, our team will contact you within 15 business days for an interview and the next steps. All billing statements must be verified before grant assistance can be provided. If you meet the necessary criteria, grant allocation can be provided as early as 15 days after approval.

Please note: if approved for a grant, it can take up to 10-12 business days for a check to be processed through our accounting department and mailed out to the billing source.

No. We pay the billing source directly.

Although credit statements show debt, we do not reimburse the patient or credit card service. We pay only to the original collector (medical groups, utility company, loan company…etc ) or third-party collection group associated with the original bill.

No. At this point, SabesWings does not lift the need for vehicle payments, repairs, or transportation needs.

SabesWings is committed to supporting cancer patients who are in the most critical phase of their journey—active treatment, when financial pressure is often immediate and overwhelming.

Duration of Support

SabesWings assistance is temporary in nature and is not designed to provide ongoing or long-term financial support.

• Assistance may be provided for up to three (3) months, if approved

• Not all applicants will receive the full duration of support

• Each request is evaluated independently based on current funding availability

Limited Funding & Allocation

SabesWings operates with finite resources and must make careful, responsible decisions to ensure we are helping as many patients as possible during active treatment.

• Submission of an application does not guarantee funding

• Reapplying for assistance does not ensure continued or additional support

• Assistance is generally distributed on a first come, first serve basis, while funds are available

• Priority is given to patients facing the most immediate and treatment-impacting financial hardship

Review Process

Every application is thoughtfully reviewed with care and intention.

Final decisions are made by the SabesWings Board based on:

• Verified financial need

• The patient’s current treatment status and urgency

• The overall impact and burden of the disease on the patient and family

SabesWings does not distribute funds lightly. Each grant represents a deliberate decision to step in where support is most critical.

Temporary Nature of Support

SabesWings assistance is meant to provide short-term relief during a time of acute need, not to serve as a guaranteed or ongoing source of financial support.

Our goal is to help stabilize patients during treatment so they can focus on care—not to replace long-term financial solutions.

Advocacy & Sharing Your Story

A core part of SabesWings’ mission is to create systemic change around Medical Financial Toxicity. 

Patients are strongly encouraged to share their experiences, as these stories:

• Help bring awareness to the real financial impact of cancer

• Support legislative efforts aimed at long-term change

• Give a voice to patients navigating this journey

While sharing your story is always voluntary, it plays a meaningful role in helping SabesWings advocate for broader solutions that can impact future patients. Not sharing your story does not eliminate you from the grant pool, however, the impact of hearing and sharing it does increase your chances for approval. 

Our Commitment

SabesWings exists to meet patients in the thick of treatment, when the weight is heaviest and decisions cannot wait.

We take this responsibility seriously. Every dollar distributed is done with intention, care, and a commitment to making the greatest possible impact.

We are so grateful for the valuable work that navigators and social workers do in supporting their patients. We welcome their assistance during the application process, but please note that the patient needs to begin the form and then they can invite the patient navigator to collaborate. Patients must also sign all consents on the form.