Montgomery County’s Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI), a program of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services, is now accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Healthy Communities Fund grant program. The grant program offers $1.5 million in funding to support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations in providing linguistically and culturally responsive services to the County’s diverse community.
Organizations can apply for up to $150,000 in funding for FY25. Application forms are posted on the AAHI website and application submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.
“Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander community organizations through grants is vital to ensuring equity and inclusion in Montgomery County,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “These grants empower grassroots organizations to provide culturally relevant services, address unique challenges and enhance the overall well-being of our AAPI residents. Investing in these organizations strengthens the fabric of our diverse community and promotes a healthier, more inclusive County for all.”
This is the fourth year AAHI has offered grant funding to community organizations and the third year that the Health Communities Fund is being administered. The Healthy Communities Fund for AAPI aims to fund AAPI-serving organizations to deliver programs in behavioral health, senior wellness and health and social support services to meet the complex needs of their communities.
Montgomery County is one of the most diverse communities in the U.S., with more than 49 percent of the population identifying as minorities. AAPI communities account for about 15 percent of the total population. The AAPI community can be further broken down into multiple groups, each characterized by a unique mix of language, culture, religion and social norms. Because of the growing diversity and wide range of languages, cultures and socioeconomic status within AAPI communities, providing community health education, services and programs to people of AAPI descent is more complex and requires custom approaches to reach the at-need communities.
The Healthy Communities Fund is funded by the AAHI and administered by the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County Inc. (PCC).
A recording of an information session held on July 1 is available on AAHI’s website.
To ensure equitable access to funding and support AAPI-serving organizations in developing successful programs and writing compelling grants, AAHI will offer grant writing and program development consultations through Community Development Professionals LLC to 40 AAPI-serving organizations during the grant application period. This one-on-one technical assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Organizations will have two 90-minute self-paced workshops and one 60-minute consultation with a grant-writing expert. Register for the consultation here.
For questions about the Healthy Communities Fund, email AAHI@montgomerycountymd.gov.
