Stepping Forward with Courage: Increasing Our Grantmaking to Meet Rising Needs

Sunny path in a forest.

HealthSpark Foundation is proud to share that we have committed to increasing our grant awards every year for the next three years by 45%, as a result of the federal budget cuts to basic needs programs and the attacks on vulnerable Montgomery County residents like immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people living in poverty.

Since January, the board and staff at HealthSpark Foundation have been leaning into our Guiding Principle of Courage. As we’ve reflected on how we want to show up for our community, we’ve paired deep listening with a sense of urgency and attunement to the sector’s precarity.

As economic and political landscapes shift, in particular as we prepare for drastic reductions in healthcare and basic needs access following the passage of Public Law 119-21, the people and organizations our foundation serves will take the hardest hit. Our grantmaking should not only reflect the world we aspire to- but also meet the pressing needs of nonprofits working on the front lines.

Putting Courage into Practice

In April, our board approved a mid-year increase in our grantmaking budget, increasing our grant funding by 25%, or $200,000, through the end of our fiscal year in June. We focused on issue areas and communities experiencing urgent pressure aligned with our mission and strategic plan- particularly food insecurity and housing and homelessness, the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrant-serving organizations.  We prioritized organizations demonstrating a clear commitment to justice, history with the Foundation, and a proven ability to create meaningful change in the face of systemic adversity. A list of those grantees is further below.

But looking ahead, we knew we needed to do even more.

Our board has committed to increasing our grants budget by 45% every year for the next three fiscal years, in order to ensure we’re doing our part to support our community partners whose work and lives are directly threatened by changes in federal policy.

Grant funds will be made available to support the urgent needs of nonprofits as federal budget cuts impact our communities. We’ll continue to regularly review our strategy to ensure our funding remains responsive, responsible, and aligned with community priorities. We will also continue to monitor federal policy changes, ensuring that we are aware of shifts that could affect community organizations, and making sure those efforts are seen, supported, and strengthened.

We believe that careful, thoughtful support is essential to the work we do. We’re dedicated to nurturing the success of the organizations we support, and to imagining and building what comes next for our communities, one step at a time.

The remainder of this summer, our staff will be listening, talking with our partners, and planning how to best put these additional resources to work in the community.


As we close out the previous fiscal year, we remain grounded in our guiding principles and driven by a deep belief in the power of community. Every grant we make is a reflection of trust - in the leadership, and vision of those working every day to advance opportunity and justice for all. In a time of growing challenges, we are choosing to respond with courage and action. We look forward to continuing this work together standing with our partners, resourcing bold solutions, and investing in the future our communities are already building.

HealthSpark’s End of Fiscal Year 24-25 Grantmaking

Dr. Frank E. Boston Black Justice Fund* | Total Awarded: $293,000
•    Assist of PA
•    Be ReZilient (2024 renewal)
•    Coalition for Racial & Social Justice
•    Collegiate Bridge
•    Community Hero Action Group PA (2024 renewal)
•    Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Commerce among Minority Business Enterprise
•    George Washington Carver Community Center (2024 renewal)
•    Girls First
•    I Choose to Win (2024 renewal)
•    KB Foundation, Inc. (2024 renewal)
•    Making a Difference Economically (MADE) (2024 renewal)
•    Neighbors Helping Neighbors on the Main Line
•    PA Youth Vote
•    Systematic Reformative Change Foundation
•    The Strive Initiative (2024 renewal)
•    Theatre Horizon 

Justice Fund* | Total Awarded: $90,000

  • ACLAMO
  • Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educación (CCATE)
  • Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation
  • Pottstown Community Action
  • Resilient Students Network

General Operating Grants | Total Awarded: $200,000

  • Access Services
  • ACLAMO
  • Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educación (CCATE)
  • Family Promise Montco PA
  • First Up
  • Manna on Main Street
  • Martha’s Choice Marketplace & Community Farm
  • Pottstown Beacon of Hope
  • The Welcome Project PA

Rapid Response Fund for Community Power | Total Awarded: $5,000

  • Project Libertad

*Learn more about our 2025 Dr. Frank E. Boston Black Justice Fund & Justice Fund grantmaking.