Announcing Our First Grant Recipients from the Rapid Response Fund for Community Power

February 10, 2025
A picture of a purple pink clouds over a lakeside, with the reflection of the clouds in the water.

In times of uncertainty, the values we choose to stand for today will shape the world we live in tomorrow.

It is a challenging time for our community and partners. The unprecedented actions against immigrants, the federal rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and the targeting of nonprofit organizations through funding pauses is creating harmful environments for community members that are part of the fabric that weaves our Montgomery County community together. 

In the fall, our approved strategic plan included committing fast, flexible financial resources to our nonprofit community partners when opportunities for advocacy or threats to health and wellbeing arose. Our commitment resulted in the formation of our Rapid Response Fund for Community Power. This fund provides one-time, fast, flexible funding support to Montgomery County organizations responding to critical and unexpected, urgent events or external challenges, while strengthening the voice and power of community members. 

We’re proud to firmly uphold our guiding principles of Courage, Justice, Integrity, and Hope as we announce the first two grants awarded from this fund:

ACLAMO for their “Health & Wellness Programs in the Latino Community”

  • The fear of a broken home is affecting the mental health of the Latino families ACLAMO serves.  ACLAMO will continue to advocate for just, fair practices, and policies for their community.  The organization will provide staff with new training to help support their program goals and empower the community overall by quelling their fears. In addition, ACLAMO will continue to provide events for support and create educational materials for staff to use when facing any disruption of services.

Be ReZilient, Healing Through the Arts for their “FORCE Community Mobilizing Event”

  • FORCE stands for Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Commerce among Minority Business Enterprise. A newly formed Southeastern PA initiative with a focus on Western Montgomery County, FORCE is launching as efforts toward DEI face increasing resistance. Minority-owned businesses have an increasingly tough landscape ahead. Through strategic collaboration, advocacy, and innovative solutions, FORCE will build inclusive pathways to success, nurture future leaders, and ensure the long-term prosperity of minority-owned businesses. FORCE is supported by a fiscal sponsor partnership with the TriCounty Community Network (TCN).

HealthSpark will continue to stand on the side of progress over resistance. We welcome applications to our Rapid Response Fund for Community Power, which is currently open on a rolling basis. The Rapid Response Fund for Community Power is one of many grant programs that HealthSpark offers. To learn more about this and others, click here.