The Horizon Foundation of Howard County Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522119011
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Columbia, MD, USA
Phone
4107150311
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,650,191
Expenses
$5,071,556
Assets
$98,806,463
Liabilities
$2,428,862

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NICOLETTE HIGHSMITH VERNICK (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • NICOLETTE HIGHSMITH VERNICK (PRESIDENT & CEO): $548,536 total reported compensation
  • GLENN SCHNEIDER (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $246,087 total reported compensation
  • ANNE BRINKER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $222,952 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The horizon foundation works side-by-side with community to build power, advocate for policy change, and dismantle structural racism to achieve better health for everyone in howard county and greater Maryland.

What it reported doing in 2024

Grant making-since 1998, horizon foundation has invested $81 million in public health, funding over 415 community organizations and working with partners on issues such as mental health, chronic disease prevention, health care access, healthy aging and more. As of 2024, the foundation is providing grants in alignment with its three new strategic priority areas: demand an equitable health care system, increase affordability and build wealth and dismantle structural racism through community building. Though our strategic priority areas and tactics have evolved over the years, our focus has always been to improve public health in our howard county community, especially for those who face the most significant barriers to achieving good health. The horizon foundation is committed to improving health through innovative initiatives, collaborative partnerships, strategic grantmaking and thoughtful advocacy. The foundation is also committed to practicing trust-centered philanthropy a holistic approach to grantmaking that is rooted in shared values and true partnership with grantees, where grantees not only provide input but co-create programs and policy solutions that achieve our joint vision of social change. We fund community nonprofits who can improve health outcomes and work towards health equity. In addition, we strengthen the capacity of community organizations to dismantle longstanding barriers to good health for communities of color and improve their ability to advance movements for social change.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 66% for direct work, and 34% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.1%; rating input score 97; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 23.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 19.48; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.2%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 71.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $549K · 20 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $777K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 28 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 24 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 26/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.