News

The stories we tell help us understand our world and build connections with others. Yet the stories we hear the most still disproportionately favor and represent a select few. By elevating underrepresented and unheard voices through deeper investments in arts, journalism, and storytelling in our...

“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Late last year, we shared an update on the ways in which HealthSpark Foundation has been holding itself accountable...

As a learning organization, HealthSpark is continually looking to assess the impact of our grantmaking and find ways to strengthen our programs. Recently, HealthSpark engaged Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health intern Duong Tina Nguyen to evaluate the impact of our Innovation Lab...

For seniors in Montgomery County, isolation and lack of access to technology aren’t new issues, but they certainly have been made worse by the pandemic the past year. The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County (Montco SAAC) is partnering up with tech providers and other senior centers...

Social safety net organizations often focus on addressing individual issues- providing a family with food to alleviate their hunger, providing emergency shelter after an eviction. But work must be done to address systemic issues at a policy level that allow these individual situations to occur. That...

The last year has upended life as we knew it. One year ago, it would be hard to imagine the impact that the pandemic has had on our families, our communities, our workplaces, and even our vocabulary (Zoom fatigue, anyone?). We are grateful to every person and organization that contributes to...

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you today to address the violent killings in Georgia on Tuesday. Though the motive for these attacks is still under investigation, violence in all forms, and in particular violence that appears to be racially motivated, is heartbreaking for the communities...

HealthSpark Foundation is inviting applications to the Innovation Lab Grant Program for our Spring/Summer 2021 round. The Innovation Lab Grant Program supports collaborative grant projects that will build a better safety net system in Montgomery County. Projects must align with the vision and goals...

As we edge closer to the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, I’ve been reflecting on the ways that our social safety net system is being challenged to not just return to normal, but to lead a paradigm shift in how we conceptualize a healthy community. Our country’s “normal” includes systemic...

If babies born to Black women in Montgomery County had the same infant mortality rate as babies born to white women, then 61% of Black infant deaths could be prevented. This shocking call to action is the impetus behind Montco Mamas, a public-private collaboration and 2021 HealthSpark Innovation Lab...