The FY27 grant year
Grant Guidelines and Priorities
The Healthcare Initiative Foundation considers grants to 501(c)(3) healthcare nonprofits that are based in Montgomery County, Maryland, or to nonprofits that have county-based health programs activities.
We make grants that
- Start or grow well-conceived programs/organizations
- Offer innovative solutions to improve the quality, accessibility and/or delivery of health and wellness services
- Replicate and scale successful programs and services from our own or other jurisdictions
- Serve HIF's strategic priority areas and provide healthcare and improve accessibility to health services for under-insured, uninsured, and low-income
- Build organizational capacity to enhance sustainability and/or improve service delivery (e.g., commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion)
- Leverage resources, whether human or financial (e.g., revenue, partnerships, matching, or aligned funds)
We do not
- Give to endowment funds or annual campaigns
- Fund lobbying or political activities
- Make grants to individuals
- Provide funds to private foundations unless for a particular grant purpose
- Fund a nonprofit system or organization, including its affiliate(s) that owns or operates an acute care hospital in Montgomery County, Maryland
- Provide funds to cover bricks and mortar capital expenses
- Replace government funding
- Fund religious activities, although secular health programs provided by a religious institution or its affiliate(s) may qualify
How HIF reads an application
We take a comprehensive view of each application
- Full compliance and in good standing with relevant state, federal, and county regulations
- Financial sustainability of the organization (i.e., regular independent audits, Directors and Officers [D&O] insurance)
- The quality, completeness, and comprehensiveness of the application
- Compliance with grant guidelines and agreement in current and previous cycles
- Feasibility of planned program, project, and organization to implement the request
- Attended a HIF grantee training and hosted a HIF site visit
- Amount requested and allocation of funds aligns with HIF guidelines
- Geographic area of the county to be served (i.e., historically under-invested communities)
New to HIF? A site visit comes first
We generally consider new grants only after we make a site visit. To be considered for a possible site visit, send a brief, informal email (2 paragraphs or less) about your organization, its mission, programs, and clientele to: Communication@hifmc.org.
FY26 and FY27 strategic alignment
Three strategic priorities
- 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.
What the Foundation believes
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.