HealthSpark foundation offering ‘rapid response’ aid amid shutdown

A Montgomery County nonprofit foundation has opened applications for “rapid response” funding for organizations amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

As the stalemate approaches the one-month mark, HealthSpark Foundation President and CEO Emma Hertz expressed serious concern over the financial impacts area residents could face as U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lapses, with a post on the government website indicating “there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1” as the shutdown drags on.

“This is a terrible self-imposed situation that we’re sitting in right now,” Hertz said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s clearly a choice not to use emergency funding available to fully fund the SNAP program as we’re heading into day 29 of the federal government shutdown and at a time when the cost of living is extremely high for families, and we’re seeing cuts in food security programs already impacting local food banks. This is a really terrible time for families to be having to make choices … when the government has the ability to fund this program.

“I think it’s a really sad day for Montgomery County residents to see their government failing them in this way, and we are taking as much action as possible from our perspective as a philanthropic foundation to support them, while we also advocate for our government partners to take the necessary action to restore that funding,” Hertz continued.

The Colmar-based nonprofit authorized a strategic plan last fall that led to the creation of the Rapid Response Fund for Community Power, according to a HealthSpark spokesperson, which “provides one-time, fast, flexible funding support to Montgomery County organizations responding to critical and unexpected, urgent events or external challenges.”

Around $50,000 was allotted last year and another $50,000 this year, Hertz said, noting that roughly $28,000 has been designated since July 1. Participating organizations can receive between $500 and $5,000 in “one-time” assistance.

Hertz noted program applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, emphasizing an obligation to “support really urgent topical needs as they’re coming up.” She added that selected recipients could anticipate receiving monies within two weeks.

The nonprofit focused on organizations “mobilizing to defend food justice” as Hertz noted “between 62,000 and 65,000 individuals are benefiting from SNAP programs in Montgomery County alone.” Feeding America also reported around 85,000 people in 2023 Montgomery County experiencing food insecurity.

“I think the reality is that we’re going to see kids go hungry, and that we’re going to see women go hungry, and pregnant women go hungry, and people with disabilities and seniors go hungry, and so the impact that that has on their personal lives, their daily lives,” Hertz said.

“In particular, I think when we think about kids in school showing up hungry to class and trying to learn in that situation, it’s just a really horrible thing to think about. I hope that our elected officials take action quickly to tap into the available benefit that we have so that families don’t have to experience that,” she continued.

Beyond direct consumer impacts, Hertz said she anticipated the losses could have a “ripple effect” related to agriculture, grocery stores and other food retail industries.

“In addition to the families themselves, it’s just a huge impact that we’re going to see, and I don’t think that people fully appreciate that. We hope that nonprofits are using this funding to really spread the word and help us to recognize how interconnected we all are,” Hertz said.

Other nonprofits working to “advocate for impacted community members or uphold the values that sustain our communities” were also encouraged to seek funding.

“We hope that nonprofit organizations are using the funding to educate their lawmakers and the general public and their donors about the impact that this will have on our communities,” Hertz said.

At least 10 applications have been submitted since Monday, according to Hertz, with interest expressed from organizations in the social services, housing, legal, literary, and faith-based sectors.

“We wanted to make sure that folks who were advocating on the issue of SNAP knew that this was a resource that they could tap into, but we support a lot of different kinds of issue-focused advocacy through it,” she said.

Three governors, as well as attorney generals from 22 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit to permit the use of emergency federal funds to cover the SNAP benefit lapse, according to the Associated Press. A federal contingency fund contained roughly $5 billion. A “shutdown plan” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under President Donald Trump’s administration, noted the use of funds to “keep SNAP running,” the Associated Press reported. However, a memo issued last week “said that it couldn’t legally use it last week.”

Besides the federal shutdown, the Pennsylvania General Assembly still hasn’t authorized a budget nearly four months past the scheduled June 30 deadline. The state impasse has left more than $25 million in aid bound for food pantries in limbo, according to reporting from the Associated Press. State legislators urged $60 million be directed in emergency support for food banks and Meals on Wheels initiatives.

“The state budget impact is also impacting our local partners. Many of our nonprofit organizations rely on state funding to provide basic human services programs like mental health services, housing services, food services, services for children and youth, and those funds are not able to be paid out to nonprofit organizations while the state budget impasse continues. Organizations are laying off staff as a result,” Hertz said.

“They’re dipping into their own reserves. They’re taking out expensive lines of credit. They’re halting programming or not allowing new people to come into their programs because they just can’t serve them,” she continued. “So again, these are choices that our elected officials are making to not provide necessary services to organizations, and put the brunt either on county government, or on nonprofits, or on philanthropy.”

Interested organization representatives can apply through the HealthSpark Foundation’s online grant management portal. Anyone with questions can email [email protected] and visit healthspark.org for more information.