The Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation is proud to announce the official launch of the Sustainable Financing for Cancer Navigation (SFN) initiative, a demonstration project aimed at transforming cancer care for Black women in Washington, D.C. ‘s Wards 7 and 8. Through an innovative, community-based patient navigation model that is designed from the outset to be sustainable, SFN will strengthen cancer support systems by focusing on equity, access, and essential infrastructure.
In partnership with Whitman-Walker Health (WWH), QV Health Solutions (QV), Black Women Thriving East of the River (BWTEotR), and the Sustainable Financing Advisory Board, this initiative will co-design and implement a cancer patient navigation model rooted in community trust, health equity, and impact.
This work builds on over two years of listening, research, and visioning, including extensive engagement with community members, health and human service stakeholders, and other local experts. In May 2025, the Foundation selected Whitman-Walker Health as the demonstration host site. Subsequently, a six-month grant was awarded to support the co-design of the program at WWH’s new Max Robinson Center located in Ward 8.
The SFN demonstration is a direct response to the glaring disparities in cancer outcomes for Black women in D.C., especially those living East of the Anacostia River. While advancements in screening and treatment have improved survival rates for some, Black women continue to experience disproportionate barriers to care — from limited access to services in Wards 7 and 8 to persistent structural challenges like transportation, childcare, and insurance.
These systemic inequities show up in the data: across the District, cancer mortality rates for Black residents are 93% higher than for white residents.
For breast cancer, Black women face death rates more than twice as high (36.2 vs. 15.1 per 100,000), and longer delays before treatment begins — nearly two weeks more, on average. In Wards 7 and 8, breast cancer mortality is the highest in the city.
SFN was built to help confront these realities, informed by the lived experiences of Black women who’ve named the gaps and barriers they face every day.
While this initiative is new, the shared mission and history of collaboration is now; Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) proudly partnered with the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation and Black Women Thriving East of the River in 2022 to identify the breadth and depth of patient navigation services for DC residents coping with cancer through a critical landscape analysis. The shared goal of this project was reducing cancer mortality of Black women in Wards 7 and 8 by transforming the culture of racially unjust and inequitable healthcare systems through intentional community outreach and engagement.
“Whitman-Walker Health is excited to continue our vital work with JBRF in 2025 and beyond by collaborating to co-design and launch a pilot cancer patient navigation model for Black women living East of the River at our new Max Robinson Center located in Ward 8,” shares Amie Krautwurst, Director of Grants & Programs at Whitman-Walker Health. “Together, WWH and JBRF are successfully removing structural and social barriers to comprehensive,
community-centered medical care and essential support for long-underserved communities in the District.”
The Max Robinson Center, situated on the historic St. Elizabeths campus in the heart of Congress Heights, provides a powerful and intentional setting to bring this pilot to life. As a state-of-the-art facility rooted in compassion and equity, it reflects the legacy of its namesake while serving as a vital access point for whole-person care. Its location in Ward 8, where healthcare inequities have persisted for generations, makes it an ideal home for
advancing the goals of the SFN initiative and ensuring that Black women receive the support they need throughout their cancer journey.
The SFN initiative seeks to address these inequities head-on by building a sustainable, culturally grounded, community-based navigation model. During the co-design phase, Whitman-Walker Health will help refine the model’s core elements, including eligibility, staffing, clinical integration, data systems, and long-term financing. Five WWH staff members are participating in this process, bringing critical clinical and operational insight to shape a program that is both responsive and sustainable.
At the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation, we believe that health equity starts with listening and investing deeply in community knowledge. By anchoring this work East of the River, we are helping to reimagine what cancer care can look like when it’s designed for the people most impacted.
The long-term goal of SFN is to create a sustainable and scalable evidence-based model for cancer navigation that can expand across the District and beyond. As the demonstration progresses, JBRF has committed to providing additional support for implementation — including navigator staffing, training, patient engagement, and impact evaluation.
More than a program, SFN is a promise to build systems that truly work for Black women. We look forward to sharing updates as this groundbreaking initiative continues to unfold.