Despite all the strengths of the community in Howard County, we recognize that pressing problems continue to persist. Fortunately, our community has a long history of tireless work by many individuals and organizations that brought forward creative solutions. With the Changemaker Challenge, the Horizon Foundation and United Way of Central Maryland are partnering to spark and celebrate new and continued innovation in our community.

The 2019 Changemaker Challenge awarded a total of $60,000 to four winning teams. The four winners include Orlando Goncalves and Alfred Striano for their Upcycled Structures from Recycled Goods big idea ($25,000 grant), Liz Burrage, Colette Jackson and Bryan Sorrentino of The Arc of Howard County for their Community Accessibility with Dignity big idea ($15,000 grant), Drs. Leah Katherine Saal and Lisa Schoenbrodt for their STEER – Strategic Training for Empathic Emergency Response big idea ($10,000 grant) and Pamela Woolford for her Spreading the Word about Columbia’s Black Freedom Visionaries big idea ($10,000 grant).

In 2017, three local residents were named as winners of the first-ever Changemaker Challenge and received $10,000 in seed funding and project consultation to launch their ideas. The 2017 winners included Erin Cassell for her idea Safe and Beautiful Bus Stops, Beth Sandbower Harbinson for establishing SOBAR and Danielle Staton for her idea College Readiness Communities.