2017 Grants

Grants Awarded in 2017 include:

Bicycling Advocates of Howard County: $9,983 for consultant assistance to increase organizational effectiveness, enhance advocacy agenda and strategy and assist with communications and branding.

Bridgeway Community Church, Chase Brexton Health Services, Humanim and St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church: $15,800 total to promote the Speak(easy) Howard campaign and encourage residents to take two critical steps in advance care planning—to have a conversation about their health care wishes with loved ones and identify a health care agent who can communicate those wishes.

Chase Brexton Health Services: $25,000 for a planning grant to support increasing access to behavioral health services for Howard County’s Latino community.

Changemaker Challenge Projects: $30,000 to launch three innovative social change projects in Howard County, including the creation of safe, environmentally friendly and community arts-integrating bus stops in Elkridge, the establishment of an organization to promote alcohol-free social environments and the creation of a college-readiness program for middle schoolers.

Columbia 50th Celebration: $5,000 to support events and activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of Columbia’s founding.

Community Services Foundation: $25,000 for a planning grant to promote healthy lifestyles in Howard County, through implementation of a health and wellness program known as “Know Better, Live Better.”  Students will participate in a year-long, out-of-school-time program that provides youth health education, promotion and training to decrease the risk of chronic disease and disabilities.

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center: $30,000 to expand mental health education by offering three types of trainings that will help individuals learn how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. 

Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center: $10,000 to hire a consulting and CPA firm to conduct an initial analysis of the potential for billing and collecting revenue from third-party payers for certain services provided by Grassroots.

Foreign-born Information and Referral Network (FIRN): $25,000 for a planning grant to improve the mental health and well-being of immigrant residents in the county.

Howard County General Hospital: $200,000 to support the hospital’s physical plan expansion.

Howard County General Hospital: $119,720 to actively engage in the Speak(easy) Howard initiative and ensure the hospital is able to receive and utilize information provided by patients on their health care agents and advance directives.

Howard County Government: $200,000 to provide multi-year funding to support Howard County Bikeshare in Downtown Columbia, which provides an affordable, accessible transportation option that promotes physical activity.

Howard County Office of Environmental Sustainability: $40,000 to support The Roving Radish, a low-cost meal kit program that provides fresh, regionally produced and locally prepared ingredients for residents to easily cook at home.

Howard County Sponsoring Committee/People Acting Together in Howard (PATH): $150,000 to support multi-year advocacy programs related to school food, afterschool activities and mental health programs.

Korean American Senior Association: $70,200 to strengthen culturally-appropriate services and materials to help older Korean adults complete advance care planning and identify health care agents.

Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc: $5,000 to support a Howard County public forum on Medicaid.

Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi): $234,632 as part of a multi-year American Heart Association/Voices for Healthy Kids grant to support Sugar Free Kids Maryland, a diverse state advocacy coalition working to reduce sugary drink consumption and protect Maryland children from type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Howard County: $5,000 to complete a comprehensive strategic planning process that includes an analysis of strengths, needs and anticipated challenges.

Way Station Inc.: $73,000 for the continuation of rapid access behavioral health services that provide urgent, outpatient, crisis stabilization services within 24-48 hours of referral for Howard County adults in need of immediate access to short term, psychiatric, problem-focused intervention, regardless of ability to pay.