Since 1973
About HIF
We envision a community where all residents of Montgomery County, Maryland have access to high-quality, comprehensive health and wellness services delivered in a culturally responsive, equitable manner.
Our guiding principles
- We support both innovative and traditional solutions to health and wellness challenges.
- We believe behavioral health is an integral part of health and wellness.
- We recognize the importance of social determinants of health on people's well-being.
- We are committed to advancing health equity in our grant-making.
Our history
From Suburban Hospital to Montgomery County
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation was established as a 509(a)(3) grantmaking organization in 1973 as the Suburban Hospital Association (Md.) Foundation. In 1980 the scope of giving broadened and accordingly the name changed to the Suburban Maryland Health Foundation. The Foundation operated anonymously until 2007, when the board hired the Foundation's first staff person to facilitate the grantmaking and begin to build a public presence. On July 1, 2012, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation transitioned from a 509(a)(3) charitable support organization to a 501(c)(3) private foundation.
Benefiting from a generally robust economy and exercising careful stewardship, the board of trustees progressively grew the Foundation's endowment distributing over $86 million since its inception. The Foundation has funded an array of organizations each year, while retaining an exclusive focus on improving health and wellness for those who reside in Montgomery County, Maryland.
As part of our transition and continuing commitment to health and wellness in Montgomery County, HIF provided Suburban Hospital with a major capital campaign gift. Since 2012, the Foundation has continued to support 501(c)(3) nonprofits that offer solutions to improve the equitable delivery of high-quality and accessible health and wellness programs and services that protect the safety-net for all those who reside in Montgomery County, MD.
- 1973 Established as the Suburban Hospital Association (Md.) Foundation. The first grant, $2,000, went to Bethesda-Chevy Chase Fire and Rescue toward an ambulance.
- 1980 The scope of giving broadens, and the name changes to the Suburban Maryland Health Foundation.
- 2007 The board hires the Foundation's first staff person and begins to build a public presence.
- 2012 On July 1, the Healthcare Initiative Foundation becomes a 501(c)(3) private foundation, with a major capital campaign gift to Suburban Hospital.
- 2024 The 50th Anniversary Celebration at BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, on September 27.
- 2025 From March to June, the Board and staff realign the Foundation's strategic priorities.
- 2026 In FY26, 41 grants to thirty-nine organizations, more than $1.15 million.
FY26 and FY27 strategic alignment
A realigned strategy
How can the Foundation best continue to advance its mission at this time of uncertainty?
From March 2025 to June 2025 the strategic planning team held one-on-one interviews, intense board discussions, meetings with grantees and industry leaders. The Board came to full consensus on the strategic alignment.
- Identify initiatives which address health disparities in Montgomery County, current and anticipated.
- Fund those initiatives that show promise to succeed in addressing health disparities.
- Facilitate opportunities for collective discussions among community and grant partners that encourage collaborations for improved and expanded healthcare services.
Commitment to community
Working alongside community partners
Healthcare Initiative Foundation (HIF) is committed to improving health and wellness outcomes with our community partners by supporting systemic and sectoral integration, developing innovative strategies, and addressing the social determinants of health. Our engagement with community partners enables the Foundation to identify best practices, emerging trends, and advance community-centered solutions.
Thank you to Montgomery County-focused organizations that have allowed Foundation staff to be a part of their coalition building activities. We appreciate the opportunities to connect and learn.
- Leadership Montgomery
- Children's Opportunity Alliance
- Montgomery Moving Forward
- Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
- Regional Primary Care Coalition
- Montgomery Women
- Thriving Germantown
- Poolesville Collaborative
- Montgomery Cares Advisory Board
- Grantmakers In Health
- Committee for Montgomery
