From the President and CEO

Richard Krieg introduces his monthly television show which examines health and community issues with a variety of guests. 'On the Horizon' has aired on Comast Channel 70 (GTV) for the past five years, with over 200 guests from the county and region.

Foundations are often characterized in two ways – by their financial holdings and by how reactive or proactive they are.

The Horizon Foundation does have considerable financial assets. But our Trustees understand that no single foundation has the financial means to address all of a community’s health and wellness needs.

The Foundation is somewhat more difficult to pin down on the proactive–reactive scale. While highly proactive on a number of fronts, we’re also responsive to the needs of nonprofit organizations. Rather than “proactive” or “reactive,” I like to think that our brand of philanthropy is “interactive.” That’s because Horizon’s partnerships are often based on joint planning carried out with others.

So when it comes to leading, we believe in collaborative leadership – working directly with trusted partners to achieve change. To this end, we’ve funded strategic planning grants, initiatives involving multiple community sectors and action programs at the county scale. Our strategies have included cluster grants supporting two or more nonprofits, developing intermediary organizations such as the Community Emergency Response Network, building civic infrastructure through our local Horizon Councils and increasing the capacity of partner organizations.

In the latter area, our staff takes an active part in developing the capacity building plan, often recommending consultants, raising and critiquing ideas and meeting regularly with the grantee. The default is to be an active participant. In fact, each of our 25 Board members site visits one grantee every year. By participating firsthand, we come to know the style and strengths of local organizations, and we sometimes discover strengths of our own that are useful to them. Our posture is not to control or to influence, but rather to maximize return on investment.

Our Trustees often comment on synergies they observe across programs out in the community. The local networks affiliated with our Horizon Councils flow into the Foundation’s Connections Initiative, which now incorporates thirty schools and many local congregations. These networks, in turn, hook up with other Foundation initiatives. Some of these relationships are intentional and others are serendipitous. However, in the composite, they will contribute significantly to community wellness.