The Caterpillar Foundation last week announced its three-year partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, committing $2 million to increase breast cancer awareness and improve screening and early detection outcomes in low-resource communities in Latin America. This is the largest gift from a single foundation ever awarded to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the organization’s three-decade history.

The partnership will award grants to local non-governmental organizations to establish and further develop comprehensive early detection programs with the goal of increasing breast cancer screening rates in Monterrey, Mexico; Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Panama City, Panama. The Caterpillar Foundation partnership will span three years with two grant cycles of at least 12 months each. The first round of grant recipients will be announced this summer.

“The Caterpillar Foundation’s generous support gives us a unique opportunity to truly make a life-saving impact for thousands of women and men in communities throughout Latin America,” said Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “In Latin America, more than 70 percent of cancers are diagnosed when the disease is very advanced, and in most countries of the region, cancer is stigmatized and viewed as a ‘death sentence.’ The generosity of the Caterpillar Foundation is of vital importance and will help fund critical programs that will ultimately save lives.”

"We welcome the opportunity to join forces with Susan G. Komen at the grassroots level in Brazil, Mexico and Panama,” said Kim Hauer, Caterpillar chief HR officer and vice president of the Human Services Division. “Through its Human Sustainability mission, the Caterpillar Foundation promotes access to basic human needs around the world. With Susan G. Komen we will raise the awareness of breast cancer and promote the importance of early screenings.”

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a nonprofit fund dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information, visit komen.org.