Foundation’s 4 Point Agenda

The needs of the community we serve are constantly changing.  While our mission is to improve the health and wellness of those who live and work in Howard County, we cannot achieve this alone.  We are increasingly dependent upon others who influence community health opportunities and outcomes.  The Horizon Foundation responds to these challenges with a 4 point agenda.  These four points address one over-arching health objective, one strategic initiative and two operational approaches. The overall performance of The Horizon Foundation will be measured by the impact of its work on improved health statistics in Howard County.

1. Improving health by reducing risk factors.

Good health is mainly achieved through lifestyle choices related to smoking, diet, exercise, stress reduction, etc.  However making good decisions is not easy in today's culture of fast foods, and sedentary jobs and classroom environments.  Horizon is committed to undertaking initiatives aimed at reducing in our community the occurrence of preventable chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Access to health promoting foods, activities and interventions should be available to all who live or work in Howard County.  The Horizon Foundation supports this principle by funding and evaluating innovative institutional capacity, community programs and its own initiatives.  Of particular interest is advocating for improving the health of varied and growing at-risk populations.

2. Harnessing research and information, and advocating for real change.

Facts, not opinions, form the basis of good decision making, setting priorities and determining strategy.  In conjunction with leading experts, Horizon gathers objective data regarding health statistics, health policy and effective programming from around the world to guide our activities.  The Foundation is willing to take controversial public stances to protect the health and wellness of its people.

3. Strengthening partnerships

The Horizon Foundation carries out its work with the support and collaboration of many partners including county government and educational institutions, other foundations, philanthropists, not-for-profit charitable organizations, the faith community and the private sector.  Our goal is to have decision makers in all sectors think about the health implications of what they do.  Horizon uses the strategic power of evidence, its commitment to establishing and addressing high priority issues and a strong evaluation discipline, to leverage its assets and those of others to achieve measurable results.

The Horizon Foundation establishes and implements ongoing reforms aimed at improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations, governance, grantmaking and strategic programs, and those of its grantees. The Foundation develops its budget and program of work based upon a strategic plan, with clear expected results to measure performance. The Foundation benchmarks its performance against other institutions around the country and the world.