Our Work, Updates
Kerry McHugh
Articulating Our Strategic Framework, and What ...

As we near the end of 2023, we are excited to step back into our strategic visioning work and share with you all, in the spirit of transparency, what that’s looked like and what it might mean for our work going forward.

Articulating Our Strategic Framework, and What It Means for 2024 and Beyond...
Grants, Updates
Kerry McHugh
2022 Major Grants Program: Prioritizing Renewal ...

Our 2021 grant process is now open and accepting LOIs through April 15th. As always, our mission-oriented funding supports innovative interventions that remove or address the root causes of systemic barriers to health, safety, shelter and opportunity in the communities where we work and live. We envision a world in which all individuals, regardless of means or identity, are treated equitably and provided opportunities to thrive.

2022 Major Grants Program: Prioritizing Renewal Requests
Grants, Updates
Kerry McHugh
2021 Major Grants Program: Priorities & ...

Our 2021 grant process is now open and accepting LOIs through April 15th. As always, our mission-oriented funding supports innovative interventions that remove or address the root causes of systemic barriers to health, safety, shelter and opportunity in the communities where we work and live. We envision a world in which all individuals, regardless of means or identity, are treated equitably and provided opportunities to thrive.

2021 Major Grants Program: Priorities & Application Process
Updates
Kerry McHugh
Year-End Wishes & Six-Word Memoirs

After a year like none other, it’s hard to know quite what to say. “Have a happy holiday season” feels insufficient; “thanks for fighting through a global pandemic to serve the community while also engaging in a continued racial reckoning” feels closer to sufficient, but an email newsletter also doesn’t seem like quite the right vehicle to deliver that message.

Rather than using more words to try to express everything this year has meant, both individually and as a collective, we’ve taken inspiration from this New York Times op-ed* and instead offer you just six words each to summarize our experiences of 2020:

Year-End Wishes & Six-Word Memoirs
Updates
Kerry McHugh
An Update on 2021 Grantmaking & Priorities

In “normal” years, we’re usually announcing our grant priorities and programs for the upcoming year right around this time. But, as we all know, 2020 has been anything but “normal,” and so this year’s update looks a little different.

An Update on 2021 Grantmaking & Priorities

2019 Grants Processes Now Open, Plus an Explanation of Our Philosophy and Priorities

2019 Grants Processes Now Open, Plus an Explanation of Our Philosophy and Priorities

Our 2019 Major Grants Processes are now open! We are looking for organizations who bring an excitement and passion to their work, and who are working to break the cycle of poverty by addressing or removing the root causes of systemic barriers to health, safety, shelter and opportunity in the communities where we work and live

If that sounds like you, we'd encourage you to submit an LOI for our Spring 2018 Grant Cycle. We are offering grants for general operating support, program-specific support, and capacity building initiatives specifically.

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January 2019 "Open House" Events

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January 2019 "Open House" Events

Because we don’t have an actual office (our two employees work 100% remotely), we can’t host a typical “Open House” event to welcome you all to our space. So instead, we’re going to come to you. We’ll be hosting informal gatherings at coffee shops in each of our three main geographic areas of focus throughout the month of January. These are large chunks of time, intended to give past grantees, current grant partners, grantseekers, or any others interested in our work the opportunity to come by and meet with our Program Office, ask questions, and learn more about our work. No agendas. Nothing formal. Just a chance to meet in person and talk.

Grant Partner Survey Results & Key Takeaways

As part of our commitment to learning from our grant partners and continuing to grow and adapt as an organization, we recently distributed a survey to all of our past grant partners asking for feedback about our process and approach. Twenty-five partners responded, completely anonymously, and in the interest of full transparency, we’re capturing the response summaries below and sharing them here. In addition to responses, we’ve highlighted throughout where we have concrete plans to make changes, and where we acknowledge we need to make such plans (but have yet to finalize anything).

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Educational Opportunity: Summit of Intersections

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Heartly House, Inc., Mental Health Association of Frederick County, Wells House, Inc., and the Frederick County Health Department are presenting the second annual “Summit of Intersections” later this month. This one-day conference, sponsored by Precision Diagnostics, Inc., United Way of Frederick County, and Whitesell’s Pharmacy, will focus on the intersection of adverse childhood experiences, mental health disorders, sexual abuse and substance use disorders. These topic areas are ones that separate conferences are held often to address but very few seek to bring content experts together.  

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Educational Opportunities: ABAG Events for Grantseekers

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The Association of Baltimore-Area Grantmakers (ABAG) has announced its 2018 line-up of educational events for grantseekers. The first three are listed here, and additional announcements will be made throughout the year as events draw closer. For more information, or to register, visit ABAG's website.

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What You Should -- and Shouldn't -- Do When Meeting with Our Foundation for the First Time (or Any Time)

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What You Should -- and Shouldn't -- Do When Meeting with Our Foundation for the First Time (or Any Time)

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently ran an Op-Ed offering fundraisers advice for first-time meetings with a potential donor. While every funder operates somewhat differently, much of the advice offered there would not apply to a meeting with the staff or board of The Helen J. Serini Foundation. Our Program Officer wrote a response adjusting these "expectations" for funders entering into first-time meetings, but we thought it could be helpful to expand upon the response to give current (or prospective) nonprofits an idea of what to expect when meeting with any of our team, be it staff or board.

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Educational Opportunity: GuideStar Profile Training for Frederick County Nonprofits

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Educational Opportunity: GuideStar Profile Training for Frederick County Nonprofits

We are excited to be co-hosting a GuideStar Nonprofit Profile training for Frederick County nonprofits with the Ausherman Family Foundation! This will be a hands-on workshop, led by GuideStar team members, for nonprofits interested in elevating their public GuideStar profiles. 

The Helen J. Serini Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Determination letter.

EIN# 46-1353961