Women's Giving Circle of Harford County Awards $62,500, Bringing Total Giving to More Than $774,000

The Women’s Giving Circle of Harford County has awarded$62,515 in grants in 2026 to 14 nonprofits in the county, bringing its cumulative giving to $774,462 since 2010.

Over the past 16 years, the Women's Giving Circle has provided 207 grants to 69 nonprofits that serve women, families and children in Harford County. Five new grantees received funding in 2026: Bailey’s Heart and Soul Foundation, Change the Conversation, Inc., New-Service Training Employment Program, Inc., Shifting Gears and Voices of Hope, Inc. The 2026 Grant Committee was chaired by Courtney Brust.

“For 16 years, the generous women of the Women’s Giving Circle of Harford County have had an incredible impact on our community. Together we have contributed nearly three quarters of a million dollars to nonprofits who assist women, children and families,” said Liz Tutino, chair of the Women’s Giving Circle of Harford County. “It’s a significant achievement that provides momentum for the future. Give. Guide. Grow. We want to make community generosity contagious!”

Grants of $5,000 each were awarded to Arrow Child and Family Ministries for Illumination Station, an educational tool to enhance students’ development at the Mountain Road; Ashley, Inc., to expand availability of food in the Clubhouse Pantry, which provides meals for members of its program; Bailey’s Heart and Soul Foundation, to expand availability for the Heart-Safe Families Initiative, a prevention-focused program designed to reduce sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) risk among youth; and Change the Conversation, Inc., to support Turn the Talk, a multi-tiered, school-based prevention and early intervention program designed to address both the immediate needs of child sexual abuse survivors and the prevention of further incidents of abuse.

Additional grants of $5,000 have been awarded to Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding, for Girls in the Barn, a program designed specifically for girls in foster care who participate weekly in basic horsemanship lessons tailored to their individual needs for instruction, encouragement and emotional safety; Harford Community Action Agency, for the Harford County Homeless Solutions Program, which expedites placement of female heads of household with children to stable, safe housing; Mason-Dixon Community Services, to expand on a program that provides eligible children in northern Harford County with bags of food to help ease the financial burden when free school lunches are not available; and Shifting Gears, for its Transitional Housing + Independence Initiative, which is designed to serve three young adult women ages 18-25, who are aging out or who have recently exited the foster care system in Harford County, to help them get back on their feet and support themselves independently.

Grants of $3,903.19 have been awarded to Fresh Start Furnishings, to help provide 180 hours of dedicated donation pickup services in Harford County to help ensure the Fresh Start Furnishings showroom at ICO remains fully stocked, reducing donor wait times and accelerating the flow of furniture donations to families in need; and New-Service Training Employment Program, Inc., for support of Girl Power: Inspiring Future Technology Leaders in Artificial Intelligence, a pilot program targeting 10 female middle school students in the sixth and seventh grades at Aberdeen Middle School to explore the fundamentals of AI through an after-school program.

Additional grants of $3,903.19 have been presented to SARC, Inc., to support the Client Stability Initiative, aiming to help provide essential resources for women and children in Harford County to move safely from crisis to long-term stability; Taste Wise Kids, to support a discovery-based program that introduces fourth graders to chefs, farmers, food professionals and community volunteers, with the goal of helping children recognize and enjoy good, fresh food and to encourage them to make better food choices; and Voices of Hope, Inc., to furnish and equip a Family Reunification Room in the newly expanded Harford 24/7 Recovery Center in Edgewood, a dedicated, trauma‑informed space where parents in recovery, especially mothers, can safely reconnect with their children and begin rebuilding relationships disrupted by substance use disorder.

A grant of $3,000 was provided to Getting There Ride Share – Wilson Ministry Center, to support the Silver Lunch Bunch which provides door-to-door transportation for seniors over age 60, primarily low-income women, to attend a quarterly luncheon in Northern Harford County.

The Members' Choice Award, established in 2020 and presented on Giving Tuesday, invites Women's Giving Circle members to nominate a nonprofit serving women, families and children in Harford County to receive a grant. Each nominator is featured in a video, explaining why their nonprofit should receive the award. The amount awarded each year is based on the Women’s Giving Circle’s endowment fund. The 2025 Members’ Choice Award, in the amount of $5,988.73, was presented to Fresh Start Furnishings. The 2026 winner will be announced on December 1.

Founded in 2010, the Women's Giving Circle of Harford County is dedicated to engaging women of all generations in the power of community philanthropy to address the needs of women and families. More information may be found at harfordwomengiving.org.