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quality of life grants

The Peter Hort Quality of Life Cancer Grants (PHQOL) are dedicated to supporting cancer patients by ensuring they are not alone during treatment. Our goal is to strengthen patients’ emotional support networks and financial resources, enabling them to face cancer with the added resilience that comes from the presence of their loved ones.

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peter hort quality of life grants

Grants are specifically intended to connect patients with loved ones for emotional support during treatment.
Patients must reside in the greater New York Metropolitan area or 90 miles from the RHMF office.
Applicants must be currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Priority is given to patients with limited emotional support networks and financial resources.
Due to limited resources, grants are generally reserved for the travel of a single person.
Grants do not cover medical expenses or living expenses such as rent or food.
Grants are not awarded retrospectively.

Grant applications must be submitted by pre-registered social workers on behalf of patients.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
A Social Security number is required to process payment.
Only one application per patient may be submitted.

Applications are reviewed by our internal review panel, composed of board members Jamie Hort, and Doctor David Biro.
If there are questions or clarification needed, RHMF staff work with social workers to better understand the patient's situation and how RHMF can support them.

Funds are transferred electronically within a week of the approval of the application.
RHMF uses Bill.com to ensure funds reach patients quickly.

David Biro and Peter Hort

“In the midst of my cancer battle, the generosity of the grant to bring my sister from Ontario was a beacon of hope. Her presence by my side during treatment reminded me that I am not alone in this fight.”

Arnovio, age 32,

diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

“We cannot thank you enough for helping to bring our family together during this difficult time. We are very grateful. The grant brought us so much hope. Thank you so much for your support.”

Ana, age 76

diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer

Our Partners

Our partners

Guardian Angel Project

The Guardian Angel Project is an artist-led initiative imagined by Peter Hort during his own cancer treatment as a way to counter isolation through art and connection. Inspired by Rema’s love of angels and her belief in art’s transformative power, contemporary artists create original guardian angel designs that are transformed into charms and pins and hand-delivered to patients during hospital visits.

More than a keepsake, each guardian angel is a portable work of art and a gesture of solidarity and strength—chosen by patients and shared with donors to sustain the ongoing series.

artists living with cancer grants

The RHMF Artists Living with Cancer Grant provides direct financial support up to $10,000 to New York City–based visual artists undergoing active cancer treatment.

The program addresses urgent, treatment-related financial instability at moments when uninterrupted care is critical. The program is one-time grant assistance.

The program recognizes the urgency of caring for and helping one another and, while artists are famously self-sufficient, it encourages artists to ask for support when needed.

This initiative builds on the legacy of the Rema Hort Mann Fund’s rapid-response cancer grants, adapting the model to the specific economic vulnerabilities of contemporary artists.

The Artists Living with Cancer program builds on RHMF’s legacy of rapid-response Peter Hort Quality of Life cancer grants, addressing the urgent financial and emotional challenges artists face during active treatment, and reinforcing care as a core equity issue within the arts.

The program provides one-time grants of up to $10,000 to NYC-based visual artists, helping cover essential expenses—from medical bills and housing to caregiving and studio costs—so recipients can remain in treatment.

The initiative will officially launch at RHMF’s 30th Anniversary Gala on October 28, 2026, anchored by honoring Jacolby Satterwhite, aligning the program with a powerful narrative of resilience, artistic excellence, and community care.

Rooted in compassion, dignity, and urgency, the program affirms that no artist should have to choose between treatment and survival, preserving not only individual well-being but also the broader cultural contributions of artists.

To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Be an artist working in visual arts.
Be 21 years of age or older by the application deadline.
Reside in the New York Metropolitan area.
Have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of: $80,000 or less for individual filers, or $180,000 or less for joint filers, averaged over the two most recent federal tax returns if you do not have a tax return please contact us for an alternative method.
Be undergoing active cancer treatment occurring within the NYC area.
Demonstrate recent and sustained professional activity in their artistic discipline
Not be enrolled in any degree-seeking academic program at the time of application

Application Portal Opens: November 1, 2026
Application Deadline: January 3, 2027
Notification of Decisions: By March 1, 2027