Our new grantee experience
What’s the deliverable? It’s the process. Last month, we were thrilled to host our first convening of our “New Grantee Experience” – a series of gatherings where our grantees across various issue areas will come together to build relationships and learn from one another, as well as receive training and other capacity-building support. The goal of this experience is not only to help them achieve the outcomes they want to see from their grant, but to strengthen community with and among each other so we can collectively build the change we want to see in Howard County and beyond. Check out this month’s blog to learn more about our first convening and where we hope it will go in a conversation with our program director and grants extraordinaire, Kenitra Fokwa.
Reminder: First Thursday – July 10
Due to the Independence Day holiday, our next First Thursdays community discussion has been rescheduled for July 10 at 10 a.m. at the Horizon Foundation’s office. See more below about our agenda and future topics of discussion.
To join this next gathering, please RSVP to our Policy & Community Engagement Director, Jennifer Holland, by Monday, July 7.
Upcoming First Thursdays
Thank you to everyone who has been participating in our First Thursdays community conversations! We have been hosting these gatherings of Howard County residents for well over a year now, and the conversations have been full of rich discussions around many important community issues as well as an opportunity for residents to connect with one another. We are grateful to all of you for being so willing to engage and build community!
These discussions are driven by participants based on what they feel are important issues facing Howard County. Stemming from our most recent conversations, here is a draft schedule of topics for the next few months:
- July 10: A mini-session of Know Your Rights resources
- August 7: Community supports and safety net programs
- September 4: Joy and self-care
As always, please reach out to our Policy and Community Engagement Director, Jennifer Holland, to RSVP to upcoming discussions. And, please let her know if you or someone in your organization is interested in guest hosting a First Thursdays discussion in the future. We are always open to ideas about important community topics to discuss!
Thank you for standing up for students’ mental health!
Thank you to all of you who acted swiftly earlier this month to stand up for school-based mental health services at HCPSS. Facing a $15 million budget gap, the Board of Education was considering eliminating two school social workers that were previously grant-supported from the school budget. Within hours, hundreds of community members sent messages to the Board of Education members urging them to protect funding for these positions, especially at a time when we see youth mental health needs skyrocketing. As a result of your advocacy, these positions were fully funded for the next school year.
At the same time, we know that several other important school employee positions and programs were cut due to federal and state budget funding reductions. And with the federal government preparing further drastic cuts to many other institutions and social programs that will affect our community, we will need your voice and engagement to help ensure everyone in Howard County can to live a healthy and abundant life. Stay tuned in the coming months for more ways to get involved.
Welcome Gerardo Benavides to our team!
The Horizon Foundation is thrilled to welcome a brand new (as of today!) member to our team – Gerardo Benavides! Gerardo is joining the Foundation as our Senior Power and Movement Building Officer and will help lead our community organizing and grassroots advocacy campaigns. He will work closely with other Foundation staff, outside vendors, contractors, grantees and partners to build relationships, work within coalitions and help organize our community to remove structural barriers to good health. Please join us in welcoming Gerardo!
Invitation: BLK Women Leading Collective
The BLK Women Leading Collective is a targeted leadership initiative designed and led by the Black Executive Directors Network (BLK ED Network), a Foundation grantee. Rooted in the findings of Horizon’s Elevating to Evolve report, this program responds directly to the expressed needs, lived realities and aspirations of Black women nonprofit leaders in Howard County.
This 10-month experience is grounded in the leadership realities Black women face in Howard County. It combines structured learning, healing-centered leadership development, and space for candid conversations about the pressures of leading with limited institutional support. Through a mix of practical tools, peer connection and wellness practices, participants will strengthen their leadership, build meaningful relationships and develop strategies to sustain themselves and their work within the nonprofit sector.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are now being accepted! The application can be accessed here. The cohort is open to Black women holding nonprofit leadership positions in Howard County – including current or former executive directors, current or former board members, founders and senior staff. Applications are due July 5, 2025, with a kickoff event happening in late July.
Learn more about the Collective and access materials here from the June 16 informational session.
Staff picks & resources: what we’re reading, watching and learning
- Americans’ Trust in One Another (Pew Research Center)
- If you haven’t been worrying about AI, it’s time to start preparing (The Washington Post – Opinions)
- What Your Comfort Costs Us: How Women of Color Reimagine Leadership to Transform Workplace Culture by M. Gabriela Alcalde
- Buying a house in Howard County? You may be waiting a while (The Baltimore Banner)
- The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
