In April 2001, after several years of research and input from the community, AIDS Emergency Fund (AEF) launched a new initiative: Breast Cancer Emergency Fund (BCEF). Modeled on the successful work of AEF in providing direct financial assistance to low-income San Franciscans fighting HIV and AIDS, the new breast cancer initiative honored the compassionate commitment of the caregivers within the women’s community who came to the aid of many gay men in the early years of the AIDS pandemic.

In developing BCEF, the board of directors of AIDS Emergency Fund relied on expertise and input from a distinguished Advisory Board comprised of the leading breast cancer advocates and experts in the city. They welcomed the initiative being taken by AEF to expand its financial assistance expertise to serve low-income women suffering from breast cancer.

Just as in the early days of AEF in 1982, board members working to launch BCEF were guided by both a general sense of community need and their own personal experience of illness. Board members and volunteers at AEF were eager to befriend and support breast cancer patient Rebecca LePere, the domestic partner of Leslie Ewing, who herself had served on the AEF Board and was a past Board President. Rebecca lived to see the launch of BCEF, but succumbed to breast cancer on January 4, 2002.

Early and ongoing support from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Junior League of San Francisco and others enabled AEF to launch the new initiative in 2001. Their support also helped open doors of many other breast cancer care organizations who embraced AEF’s efforts. Over its first several years, BCEF received funds from Universal Care, Kendall-Jackson Winery, Castro Lions Club, and others (including a large gift via the Tides Foundation from an anonymous donor).

Each year, BCEF has been able to serve more clients than the year before. Community support has been crucial to BCEF’s success and is a key factor in its ability to continue to fully fund all client needs as its case load increases. In 2004, BCEF provided emergency financial assistance to 107 low-income women and men disabled by breast cancer or its often debilitating treatments.

In 2005, AIDS Emergency Fund established BCEF as a separate legal entity, with its own tax exempt status. The two agencies continue to share office space and staff resources in order to keep overhead costs low and maximize the benefit of community donations.