The primary source of funds for The Columbia Foundation’s strategic grantmaking is our endowment income. Income from our donors’ unrestricted and field of interest funds goes directly to grantees in the form of grants. Donor-advised and scholarship and award funds provide support for those organizations recommended by donors and approved by our Board of Trustees.
2010 Operational Grants
Human Services
The sixteen human service grants total $95,000 and will help support groups addressing some of the more critical concerns of the community.
Alianza de la Comunidad - $5,000
Alianza de la Comunidad educates the Hispanic Community on various issues with the goal of improving their living and working conditions in Howard County. They seek operational support for their helpline, workshops, support groups, and classes.
Community Action Council of Howard County - $5,000
The Community Action Council provides programs to low-income residents of Howard County to alleviate the effects of poverty; to promote self-sufficiency as means of interrupting the cycle of poverty; and to stimulate increased awareness of, and responsiveness to, the needs of the low income population on the part of the larger community. They seek funding to continue their Head Start Summer Enrichment Program.
Bridges to Housing Stability (formerly Congregations Concerned for the Homeless) - $8,000
Bridges to Housing Stability's mission is to empower Howard County families to
maintain stability in their homes, and through community partnerships to end homelessness in Howard County.” They seek operating funds to support their housing and prevention programs.
Domestic Violence Center of Howard County - $15,000
The Domestic Violence Center is dedicated to reducing the harm and effects of domestic violence in Howard County while working towards its elimination. They are seeking operating support to serve the families impacted by domestic violence.
Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland - $4,000
Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland is a non-profit, nonsectarian agency
committed to providing targeted services to vulnerable families and individuals in all stages of life who are experiencing problems related to social and personal adjustment, thereby enhancing their quality of life. They seek operational support to continue providing counseling, case management, family support, parent education, and in-home services to Howard County residents.
FIRN - $5,000
FIRN’s mission is to help ensure access to community resources and opportunities for all foreignborn individuals. They seek operational support for their information and referral, immigration and citizenship counseling, employment, interpreting/translating, and English tutoring services.
FISH of Howard County - $10,000
FISH’s mission is to assist deserving individuals, on a quick-response short-term basis, when they are faced with problems that are beyond their immediate ability to find a resolution. They seek operational funding to enhance their capabilities to provide additional financial assistance to individuals and families with legitimate needs.
Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center - $10,000
Grassroots is a comprehensive crisis intervention center providing 24-hour telephone, walk-in and outreach crisis services, and a comprehensive shelter provider for homeless families and individuals. They seek operational funding to continue meeting the needs of people in crisis.
Howard County General Hospital - Healthy Families - $1,500
Healthy Families’ mission is to offer all new first time parents who live in Howard County the opportunity to access resources and support to promote an optimal level of health and wellness. They seek operational funding to continue their programs and visitations.
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland - $5,000
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland enhances quality of life for homebound, frail, and elderly Howard County residents through the provision of nutritious meals, personal contact and related services. They are seeking funding to support their home-delivered meal program in Howard County.
NAMI Howard County - $2,500
NAMI is dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life for all individuals and families affected by mental illness through support, education, and advocacy. They seek operating support to continue to expand their outreach and offer education and support to individuals and families who are affected by mental illness.
National Family Resiliency Center - $4,000
The National Family Resiliency Center helps children and adults preserve a sense of family, foster healthy relationships regardless of family configuration and constructively adjust to change, especially during times of family transitions. They seek operational funding to support their clinical services and educational programs.
Neighbor Ride - $5,000
Neighbor Ride’s mission is to decrease isolation and improve the quality of life for Howard
County’s older residents by providing a reasonably priced, reliable, supplemental transportation service utilizing community volunteers and resources. They seek operating funds to continue serving the older members Howard County.
The Salvation Army Howard County Family Service Center - $7,500
The Salvation Army Howard County Family Service Center provides crisis intervention services for Howard County residents in need of food and clothing, medications, eviction or utility turn-off. They seek operational funding to continue serving the county’s neediest population.
The Serenity Center - $5,000
The Serenity Center provides a safe meeting place in a caring environment that supports and encourages the discovery of physical, emotional, and spiritual growth through 12-step fellowships. They seek funding to continue providing various resources to serve the recovery community.
Voices for Children - $2,500
Voices for Children serves children who have been abused, neglected, and declared children in need of assistance by ensuring that their best interests are represented in the Howard County court system. They seek operational support to continue addressing the needs of these children.
Arts and Cultural
Ten arts and cultural organizations were awarded a total of $68,000.
African Art Museum of Maryland - $1,000
The African Art Museum of Maryland is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and preserving for the public the art of Africa. The Museum is further dedicated to increasing the awareness of African art and culture while encouraging a broader understanding and deeper appreciation of the diverse art and culture of the continent of Africa. They seek operational funds for their exhibits and outreach programs.
Candlelight Concert Society - $10,000
The Candlelight Concert Society fosters appreciation and enthusiasm for classical chamber music, in both children and adults, by presenting the finest professional musical artists at an affordable price and in an accessible venue. They seek operating support for their Chamber and Family Music Series, Outreach programs, and Master classes.
Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts - $5,000
The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts’ mission is to educate through the arts by creating
theatrical experiences that inspire thought, action, creativity, and change. They seek operational funding to continue their theatrical arts classes, theatrical arts productions and outreach programs.
Columbia Festival of the Arts - $16,000
The Columbia Festival of the Arts presents an annual event that builds community through shared participation and celebration, engages participants in a broad spectrum of art forms and cultures, and encourages interaction among artists and audiences. They seek operational funds to continue offering their various programs and events.
The Columbia Orchestra - $9,000
The Columbia Orchestra fosters lifelong appreciation of, enthusiasm for, and participation in music by serving local audiences, musicians and students. They seek operating funds to support their concerts and programs.
Columbia Pro Cantare - $9,000
The Columbia Pro Cantare seeks to present the finest choral music through consistently high quality performances to a growing regional audience. They seek operating funds for their concerts and programs.
HCC Educational Foundation - Rep Stage - $5,000
Rep Stage, the only professional theatre in Howard County, bridges the gap between the
Baltimore/Washington communities and produces works that transports, transforms and inspires audiences and artists by using a variety of voices in an intimate environment. They seek operational funding for their shows.
HoCoPoLitSo - $5,000
HoCoPoLitSo’s mission is to promote excellence in the literary arts and to build community by enlarging the audience for contemporary poetry and literature and the world literary heritage. They seek operating support to continue their live programs.
Howard County Arts Council - $7,000
The Howard County Arts Council serves the citizens of Howard County by fostering the arts, artists and arts organizations. They seek operating funds to support their programs, classes, exhibits, and outreach.
Sundays at Three - $2,000
Sundays At Three’s mission is to offer public performances of chamber music, and to do so in a manner that seeks to recreate the informal atmosphere in which chamber music was created; that offers performance opportunities to local professional musicians, including women and minority performers; that encourages the attendance of children and young adults; and that advances public understandingand appreciation of the history, characteristics, and possibilities of chamber music. They seek operational support to continue their concerts.
Education and Community Services
Eleven grants in this category totaled $32,000.
B&O Railroad Museum Ellicott City Station - $1,500
The B&O Railroad Museum’s mission is to preserve and present the legacy and experience of American railroading and develop programs which explain the significance of the railroad industry. They seek operating funding to support their programs and educational resources.
Best Buddies Maryland - $2,500
Best Buddies’ mission is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They seek funding for their Howard County Middle School, High School and Citizens programs.
CONEXIONES of Howard County - $3,500
The mission of CONEXIONES is to ensure that every Hispanic student in Howard County will complete high school and will continue in productive and satisfying directions; and to develop partnerships with schools, community organizations, businesses, community leaders and parents to provide comprehensive programs to advance the leadership capabilities and educational achievement of Howard County Hispanic youth. They seek operational funds to continue their work on behalf of Hispanic students in Howard County.
The First Tee of Howard County - $5,000
The First Tee of Howard County’s mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and lifeenhancing values through the game of golf. They seek operational funding for their golf and life skills programs.
HC DrugFree - $4,000
HC DrugFree’s mission is to empower the Howard County community to raise drug-free teens. They focus on substance abuse prevention and also provide resources for parents for early intervention, drug evaluations and counseling. They are seeking operating support to continue their free programs for parents and teens.
Helping Hands Enrichment and Leadership Foundation - $2,000
The Helping Hands Foundation provides supplemental learning programs for elementary school students, including the academically at-risk population, to assist them in reaching, maintaining, and exceeding grade level expectations. They seek operational funds to continue their programs currently held in three Howard County schools.
Howard County Autism Soceity - $5,000
The Howard County Autism Society serves individuals on the autism spectrum, their families and their communities by: providing information, support, and advocacy; promoting awareness of autism that values the dignity and uniqueness of each individual; and working to improve the quality and access to services and to educational opportunities. They seek funding to purchase technology, assistive items, books, DVDS, and other resources for their resource library.
Howard County Center of African American Culture - $2,500
The Howard County Center of African American Culture serves as a community resource for acquisition, preservation, interpretation, and promotion of African American history, education and culture from a local, regional, and national perspective. They seek operational funding for their archival materials, office supplies, and library equipment.
Howard County Foundation for Black Educational and Cultural Achievement - $2,000
The Howard County Foundation for Black Educational and Cultural Achievement raises
scholarship funds for African-American high school graduates who reside in Howard County and plan to pursue post-secondary education or training. They seek operating support to continue offering scholarships to Howard County students.
Howard County Historical Society - $1,000
The Howard County Historical Society’s mission is to investigate and study the history of Howard County; promote programs that educate our members and the community; provide library research and museum facilities; collect, preserve and display records and artifacts; encourage research and writing on the part of their members and students; and to cooperate with all historical and preservation groups having a common interest. They seek operational funding to support the growth of the organization.
St. John Baptist Church Mentoring Program - $3,000
The St. John Baptist Church Mentoring Program’s mission is to enhance moral development, improve academic performance and school attendance, build strong self-confidence and inspire positive behavior in young African-American youth and help them achieve their fullest potential. They seek operational funding to continue their mentoring program.
2010 Project Grants
Human Service Grants
The nine human service grants total $60,000 and will help support groups addressing some of the more critical concerns of the community.
The Arc of Howard County - $6,500 to support an additional five or six families of those who have developmental or cognitive disabilities at their Respite Care House.
AT:LAST - $8,400 for assistive technology resources for students with learning disabilities.
Camp Attaway - $3,000 towards their summer camp Vocational Transition Program for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Cradlerock Children's Center - $12,800 in funding for their "Immersion Program" that fosters emotional, cognitive, spiritual and social growth among preschool children.
Girls on the Run of Howard County, Inc. - $5,000 for their "Girls on Track" after-school program for girls in grades 3 through 8.
Howard Community College Education Foundation - $1,300 to their Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center for a "16-Hour Restorative Dialogue Training" program.
Loyola University Maryland, Clinical Center - $9,000 to their Columbia Speech and Language Center for their "Expanding Horizons: Broadways Kids in the School" program that helps students with communication delays.
Tau Pi Foundation - $5,000 in funding for their "Gospel Extravaganza" event to benefit youth and senior citizen programs.
Y of Central Maryland - $9,000 to support their Teen and Senior Center at the Dancel Y.
Arts and Cultural Grants
Five arts and cultural organizations were awarded a total of $15,000.
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company - $3,000 for their Chesapeake Shakespeare in the Ruins" productions held in Ellicott City.
Columbia Concert Band - $2,000 in funding for their "Maryland Community Band Day 2011."
Kinetics Dance Theatre - $3,000 to support their "Arts in Education Series: Trash Suite Performance Workshop."
Orchestra of St. John's - $2,000 towards the costs of a concert featuring local classical musicians.
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University - $5,000 in scholarship funds for Howard County students to participate in the Peabody Children's Chorus of Peabody Preparatory.
Education and Community Service Grants
Six grants in this category totaled $10,000.
The Alpha Foundation of Howard County - $2,250 for their "Alpha Achievers Program" that encourages academic and personal excellence among African American high school males.
Bright Minds Foundation - $2,000 in funding for their campaign to Bridge the Digital Divide, the Computers for Students project provides Internet ready desktop computers and printers to middle school students from Howard County public schools who do not have access to computer technology at home.
Green Building Institute - $1,500 for their virtual classroom in their online program to provide education about sustainable building practices.
Howard County Conservancy - $1,500 towards their "Howard County Schools Go Green" program.
The Howard County Local Brain Bee - $750 to support the Brain Bee Neuroscience Competition for High School students in Howard County to encourage the pursuit of careers in biomedical research.
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland - $2,000 in matching funds to sponsor a Title One Elementary School fifth grade class in Howard County to receive the JA BizTown Program.