Standing Firm in Truth

Dear community partners,

Never is leadership, and clarity of purpose, more necessary than when our core values are threatened. At times when many are understandably scared to speak out, those of us with more privilege to do so are held to a higher standard, and rightfully so. Philanthropy’s relative access to resources and independence lends us that precious freedom.

That's why the board and staff at HealthSpark Foundation believe that now is the time to lean into our guiding principle of Courage, to speak up and stand firm in our mission and values.

We stand firm in truth. Truth is that our nonprofit and government peers provide essential services that enrich our communities and grow our economy. Truth is that government benefit programs like Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance, and others are critical lifelines to thousands of Montgomery County residents and provide them with the basic needs for accessing healthy food, medical care, and other resources essential to wellbeing. Truth is that our immigrant communities make Montgomery County a wonderful place to live in, enriching our lives through stories, traditions, resilience, and hard work. Truth is that our transgender neighbors and our entire LGBTQIA community have the right to live with safety, respect, and dignity; and will not be dehumanized. Truth is that Montgomery County is stronger when we uplift the beautiful diversity of our county and create meaningful opportunities for people of all backgrounds and walks of life to achieve their own potential.

Truth is that we have the power to fight for what we believe in and what we stand for.

Truth is that by standing firm in our beliefs, we support others in doing the same.

At HealthSpark, we believe that another of our guiding principles- Integrity- lies in how we show up when times are tough. In addition to our commitment to continue standing firm in our work centered on racial and social justice, our team is actively putting resources- funding, advocacy, and convening power- into our community. Below is a snapshot of how we are putting our words into action:

Funding Community Power:

• This month, we approved a multiyear grant for the Collaborative Advocacy Network, a membership coalition under the Bucks-Mont Collaborative, to expand on its work of mobilizing nonprofit organizations to advocate and educate policymakers on issues impacting the health and wellbeing of our neighbors.
• We have released $16,000 since January to four organizations under our Rapid Response Fund for Community Power, supporting projects that are meeting the urgent need for resources, legal services, and wellness for immigrants, and to support Black-led businesses in collectively advocating for equitable access to capital.
• We expect to award up to $150,000 in grant funds this month under our Building Community Power Fund to support organizations in building their capacity to advocate for healthy, equitable, and hopeful communities.
• Next month, we’ll open another two grant programs that will explicitly support organizations working to mitigate systemic health inequities through power building, positive storytelling, and leadership development under the Dr. Frank E. Boston Black Justice Fund and our new Justice Fund, which will expand our impact to include organizations working on broader racial and social justice goals.

Uplifting Community Leadership:

• On Friday, March 28th, we are hosting our next Community of Practice, “Building Community Leadership,” where we’ll be uplifting the work of local leaders from the nonprofit sector, government, faith community, businesses, and philanthropy, to speak about how they’re responding to the challenges of this moment and inviting new connections between attendees across sectors.

Supporting Community Solutions:

• We’re continuing our commitment to educating policymakers on the unique strengths and needs of immigrants through our partnership with the Asian American Coalition for Health and Human Services by sharing the findings of the Asian American Strengths and Needs Assessment on Wednesday, March 19th. You can join the webinar here.

Over the last several years, we at HealthSpark have recognized the importance of creating spaces for coming together, building connections across organizations and sectors. With all of you, we have built a deeply connected community of leaders and advocates. Now is the time for us to tap into our relationships, shared knowledge, and collective power to courageously stand firm in our truth.

In partnership,

Emma Hertz, President, CEO

Dr. Natasha Patterson, Chair of the Board of Directors

On behalf of the HealthSpark Foundation Board of Directors and staff