Responsive Grants

Responsive grant making has always been part our history and it's one of the ways we continue to be responsible and responsive to the changing needs of our community. The program is guided by our mission and vision to improve the health and wellness of those who live and work in Howard County.

Responsive grants are awarded for a wide array of activities in the areas of health and help support many kinds of projects, to include pilot projects. Our grants program has evolved over the years, with many improvements made along the way. During the fall of 2011, we launched a new streamlined grants program and our cycles are now based on funding amounts:

Level I – Grants up to $9,999
Level II - Grants $10,000 - $49,999
Level III - Grants $10,000 - $50,000

Level I grants are accepted anytime throughout the year and a response is typically given within 2-3 weeks from date of submission.

There are two stages of consideration before Level II and Level III Responsive Grants are awarded. Initial inquiries are accepted through an online Letter of Intent. Applicants that pass initial approval are invited to submit a full proposal. The full two-step proposal process usually takes 4-5 months.

Please note that The Horizon Foundation only awards grants to organizations that:

•     are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code,
•     are public entities,
•     or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit.
  

In addition, the nonprofit must be serving the people of Howard County.

Below you will find more detailed information:

Responsive Grants Timeline

Level I – Grants up to $9,999

Level I funding was previously known as our President's Discretionary Grant Fund
Recurring grant, is open year-round. There is a 2-3 week turnaround for this grant program.

The Foundation accepts unsolicited online applications for Level I funding throughout the year in the following priority areas:

• Improve community health and wellness in Howard County by promoting physical activity, healthful eating and other positive lifestyle changes.
• Improve health and wellness by addressing the needs of "at risk" or specific populations
• Increase the efficiency and/or effectiveness of human service organizations
• Improve an organization's service delivery or capacity

Level II - Grants $10,000-$49,999

The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for Level II funding.

Timeline:

• Organization must be able to evaluate proposals through SMART objectives.
• Meet BBB Charity Standards or Maryland Nonprofit's Seal of Excellence or other similar standards.

Priority Areas:

• To be determined prior to cycle

Level II Funding Cycle is not currently open

Level III - Grants $50,000-$150,000

The Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for Level III funding outside of the grant cycle dates. You MUST submit a Letter of Intent to be considered for funding. The Request for Proposal phase is by invitation-only.

Timeline:

• Organization must be able to evaluate proposal through SMART objectives
• Meet BBB Charity Standards or Maryland Nonprofit's Seal of Excellence or other similar standards

Priority Areas to be addressed:

• Reduce the consumption of sugary drinks by Howard County families (e.g., regular sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, flavored waters, etc.) through organizational policy change, education of parents/children/health care providers, and social marketing strategies
  
• Improve community health and wellness in Howard County by promoting physical activity, healthful eating, and other positive lifestyle changes
  
• Expanding the capacity of human service delivery through joint agency planning and services integration

Projects may include organizational sustainability improvement, larger pilot programs, capacity building, program development, planning grants, strategic collaboration, or infrastructure.  At present, the Foundation does not support capital campaigns, endowments, individuals, or bricks and mortar projects.

Projects should be planned for a specific timeframe (e.g., one year, eighteen months, etc.).  Multi-year grants will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  If submitting a multi-year grant, detailed line-item budgets for the entire multi-year grant period must be submitted.  The budget should present each year of the project separately.

The Foundation is most interested in supporting organizations with a track record of collaboration and collaborative groups of agencies working together to address significant community needs. Nonprofits that are part of a collaborative effort funded by the Foundation may also seek funding for their individual operations or projects. However, their work and the funding they receive as part of the collaborative effort will be an important part of our consideration of additional support.

The Foundation places a high priority on organizations that are able to clearly articulate organizational goals, present a clear plan for achieving results, and track outcomes and impact on the people and communities served. In fact, grants will only be made to those organizations that can demonstrate their potential to achieve a measurable impact on the outcomes that the Foundation seeks.

If your organization is invited to submit a full proposal, a site visit to the organization will be required for Board consideration.

Level III Funding Cycle is not currently open.