ThinkBIG Pediatric Cancer Fund
Family Financial Assistance · About this organization
What you get
Payments toward rent or mortgage, utilities, phone bills, hospital meals, medical costs, travel, car payments and other approved everyday expenses. The amount isn't published. Ask.
How to start
Ask your hospital social worker to help with the ThinkBIG portal request, and attach invoices for the expenses you want paid.
Good to know
- Requests are reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
- Attach invoices for the bills you want paid.
The details, as published
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
What help you may get
Childcare
Family Financial Assistance — childcare
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Cell-phone bills
- Everyday household and family expenses approved through the program
- Meals during hospital stays
- Medical bills or expenses not covered by insurance
- Other approved everyday or out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care
- Rent or mortgage
- Transportation and car payments
- Utilities and electric bills
- The official page does not publish a universal maximum award.
- Requests are reviewed through the monthly allocation process; repeat rules are not fully published.
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Family Financial Assistance — household bills and cash assistance
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Cell-phone bills
- Everyday household and family expenses approved through the program
- Meals during hospital stays
- Medical bills or expenses not covered by insurance
- Other approved everyday or out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care
- Rent or mortgage
- Transportation and car payments
- Utilities and electric bills
- The official page does not publish a universal maximum award.
- Requests are reviewed through the monthly allocation process; repeat rules are not fully published.
Meals And Food
Family Financial Assistance — meals and food
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Cell-phone bills
- Everyday household and family expenses approved through the program
- Meals during hospital stays
- Medical bills or expenses not covered by insurance
- Other approved everyday or out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care
- Rent or mortgage
- Transportation and car payments
- Utilities and electric bills
- The official page does not publish a universal maximum award.
- Requests are reviewed through the monthly allocation process; repeat rules are not fully published.
Medical And Insurance Costs
Family Financial Assistance — medical and insurance costs
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Cell-phone bills
- Everyday household and family expenses approved through the program
- Meals during hospital stays
- Medical bills or expenses not covered by insurance
- Other approved everyday or out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care
- Rent or mortgage
- Transportation and car payments
- Utilities and electric bills
- The official page does not publish a universal maximum award.
- Requests are reviewed through the monthly allocation process; repeat rules are not fully published.
Travel And Transportation
Family Financial Assistance — travel and transportation
ThinkBIG accepts invoice-supported requests for rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation, meals during hospital stays, cell-phone bills, uncovered medical costs, and other approved everyday expenses. The child must be age 21 or younger and connected to the published Pennsylvania footprint; official pages conflict on whether treatment location alone qualifies a nonresident, so families should confirm through their hospital social worker. Applications are submitted through the public portal and reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Cell-phone bills
- Everyday household and family expenses approved through the program
- Meals during hospital stays
- Medical bills or expenses not covered by insurance
- Other approved everyday or out-of-pocket expenses related to the child's care
- Rent or mortgage
- Transportation and car payments
- Utilities and electric bills
- The official page does not publish a universal maximum award.
- Requests are reviewed through the monthly allocation process; repeat rules are not fully published.
Why this may help
Childcare: Other everyday costs can be reviewed; ask whether your childcare expense can be included with invoices.
Meals And Food: Meals during hospital stays can be paid as part of the broader financial help.
Medical And Insurance Costs: Medical bills and care expenses left unpaid by insurance can be considered.
Travel And Transportation: Transportation costs and car payments can be paid alongside household expenses.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. The official program serves children with cancer or children with serious medical conditions that include cancer; pediatric B-ALL is within that scope.
Age
Age 0 to age 21, measured at application.
Treatment status
Active Treatment, Newly Diagnosed
- The family is instructed to begin with the hospital social worker.
Financial need is required.
- No numerical income rule is published on the reviewed official page.
- Requests must concern everyday financial expenses arising while the family is battling pediatric cancer.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
You must live in: Blair County; Bradford County; Cameron County; Carbon County; Centre County; Clinton County; Columbia County; Elk County; Huntingdon County; Lackawanna County; Lehigh County; Luzerne County; Lycoming County; Mifflin County; Monroe County; Montour County; Northampton County; Northumberland County; Pike County; Potter County; Schuylkill County; Snyder County; Sullivan County; Susquehanna County; Tioga County; Union County; Wayne County; Wyoming County.
- The child must reside within the published county footprint; the official page also describes families being treated in those counties and should be confirmed for nonresident cases.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be in: Published treatment-location area.
- A resident child may receive treatment at a Pennsylvania children's hospital or outside the state.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? Yes. Ask your child’s social worker or care team to begin the request.
Who can start: Parent Or Guardian, Social Worker
- Contact the hospital social worker for an explanation of the current ThinkBIG application process.
- Create or sign in to the family portal and complete the monthly application.
- Upload invoices supporting every requested expense and submit through the portal.
- Review and process the request during the allocation team's second-Tuesday monthly review.
Ways to apply or ask
- Email · info@thinkbigpa.org — Program inquiry address.
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Online Portal · Open form or page
- Phone · 570-437-0341 — Program phone number.
Documents to prepare
- Invoices supporting each requested expense
- Approved assistance is applied to the submitted invoices or creditors.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Open |
| Funding or space | Fund Dependent |
| Application window | Monthly Days |
| Last checked | Aug 27, 2026 |
- The official site presented the program as active on the verification date.
- Applications may be submitted on a rolling basis, but the allocation team reviews requests on the second Tuesday of each month.
- Requests are reviewed on the second Tuesday of each month.
Limitations and things to confirm
- The family must meet the published county or treatment-location rule.
- The official page does not publish a standard award cap or complete repeat-award policy.
- Do Clearfield, Juniata, and McKean currently qualify despite omission from the assistance page?
- Does treatment in a listed county independently qualify a nonresident family?
- Is funeral-expense assistance a current formal benefit with separate rules?
- What award, repeat-request, income, asset, payment-method, and funding limits currently apply?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 27, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- ThinkBIG application portal · checked Aug 27, 2026
- How To Request Assistance — ThinkBIG · checked Aug 24, 2026
- How To Request Assistance — ThinkBIG · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Who We Support — ThinkBIG · checked Aug 24, 2026