The Healthcare Initiative Foundation Awards $75,000 in the FY19 Small Grant Cycle to 17 Nonprofit Organizations, Projected to Impact 4,014 Individuals

Montgomery County, MD – June 27, 2019 – The Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) is honored to be partnering with 17 local nonprofits through our FY19 Small Grant cycle.  These nonprofits exemplify the strategic priorities of our mission through their community-based programming.  Seventeen nonprofits received $75,000 worth of program support with a potential impact of serving 4,014 unduplicated individuals in Montgomery County (MC).  The variety of programs receiving support represent behavioral health services to children and families, healthy food access, integrated health services, trauma-informed training to Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) educators, administrators, and support staff, mental health services to our Veterans, and training and supports to increase workplace cultural competencies in the healthcare field.

HIF’s grants support behavioral health access across the lifespan; access to quality and comprehensive health and wellness services; sustainable business models and integrated service delivery for systemic transformation; and the growth of a highly skilled and culturally competent healthcare workforce.

Behavioral Health Across the Lifespan: $37,500 Granted; An Estimated 706 Individuals to be Impacted

  • Ayuda – $5,000 –Provides increased access to behavioral health services for 24 immigrant victims of crime (domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking) residing in MC. Therapists will utilize Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
  • Boys Town Washington, DC – $7,500 – Establishes a Behavioral Health Clinic partnership in MC to serve 120 youth through an Integrated Care Model with a Pediatrician and Psychologist. 
  • Caring Matters – $5,000 –Provides social supports and community education so that no one dies or grieves alone. Program will serve 57 Up County individuals that includes education and training to professionals to increase program referrals and expanding service delivery of their Good Grief Club and Adult Peer Support Groups. 2019 Brooks Saltsman Award recipient.
  • Family Services, Inc – $5,000 –Offers 6-week parent trauma training series at Gaithersburg Elementary School on: what is trauma; its effect on children and families; adverse childhood experiences; trauma and the developing brain; strategies for managing stress; self-care and resiliency; positive discipline; and identifying when professional help is needed and how to obtain it. 20 parents and 70 individuals will be impacted by the training.
  • People Animals Love (PAL) – $5,000 – Uses human-animal bond to brighten lives, ease pain, and enrich the world of at-risk children.  Program plans to increase human-animal volunteer teams to 100 so they can provide therapeutic support at local events and participate in group therapy sessions with partners to 300 individuals.
  • Vikara Village – $5,000 –Expands ‘Body Love Yoga’ program to 60 MC middle school girls. The program intents to build a healthy sense of self, community, and belonging through yoga and art among these young women.
  • Warrior Canine Connection – $5,000 –Offers Mission Based Trauma Recovery to 75 MC Veterans at their Boyds location.  Program expands hospital-based behavioral health services to a community setting with intent to reduce pain and stress and improve overall mood. 

Access to Quality and Comprehensive Health and Wellness Services: $24,000 Granted; An Estimated 2,647 Individuals to be Impacted

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington – Germantown Branch- $5,000 –Provides direct program, Triple Play, to 100 youth to help combat lack of access to health programs. Triple Play strives to improve the overall health of members, ages 6-18, by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition, and helping them develop healthy relationships.
  • Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind – $12,000 — Conducts follow-up eye exams for 95 students at Gaithersburg Elementary School over 5 screening dates. Program will offer eye exams utilizing the fully equipped Mobile Eye Care Van and licensed Optometrist.  At the conclusion of each exam, students in need of glasses will receive them.
  • Shared Horizons – $2,000 –Manages Pooled Special Needs Trusts (PSNT) for people with disabilities. 2 MC residents, through the Charitable Fund, will receive needed medical or dental care up to $1,000. 
  • Women Who Care Ministries – $5,000 –Offers nutritious weekend meals to low-income MCPS students at Up County elementary and middle schools. Program will impact 2,450 students with a goal to increase 30 more Germantown students served per month. 

Sustainable Business Models and Integrated Service Delivery to Stimulate Systemic Transformation in the Health and Wellness Sector: $4,750 Granted; An Estimated 565 Individuals to be Impacted

  • Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER) – $2,500 –Conducts healthy food deliveries to low-income individuals based in Southeast MC.  Program will increase food access to 170 individuals. 
  • Gaithersburg HELP – $1,000 –Offers prescription assistance program to assist a minimum of 20 unduplicated low-income adults and children in the Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village area who are uninsured or under-insured to obtain the prescriptions their doctors have prescribed for them and are required to maintain their health.
  • Germantown HELP – $1,250 –Provides emergency assistance for food delivery to Germantown residents.  375 residents will receive perishable and non-perishable food through this program.    

Grow a Highly Skilled, Culturally Competent Healthcare Workforce: $8,750 Granted; An Estimated 96 Individuals to be Served

  • Generation Hope – $2,500 –Surrounds motivated teen parents and their children with the mentors, emotional support, and financial resources that they need to thrive in college and kindergarten. 19 participants will receive supplies for career-readiness trainings, career advising, and two field trips to MC-based healthcare focused employers.
  • Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy – $5,000 –Offers workplace-based English literacy classes to newly arrived immigrants that will serve high-growth industries such as health care, childcare, and/or the service industry at their job sites so they can improve their English to better serve clients, increase productivity, reduce workplace accidents, and access healthcare services that are available through their employers’ health plans. Program anticipates engaging 75 adult learners.
  • Universidad Ana G. Mendez – Capital Area Campus – $1,250—Develops Hispanic nursing students’ BSN-acquired skills through mentored clinical externships.  Two students participating in Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center externship will receive stipend for transportation, uniforms, and necessary supplies.

HIF supports organizations that offer solutions to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland. Within our geographic and focus area, we consider efforts to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare, expand the availability of comprehensive healthcare, build appropriate capacity in the healthcare network, and grow the healthcare workforce. To learn more, please visit our website at www.hifmc.org and like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/hifmc.

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If you would like more information about this topic or the Healthcare Initiative Foundation’s grant priorities, please contact Jess Fuchs at [email protected] or 240-499-2827.