Horizon Community Foundation of Northern Kentucky has awarded its 2026 Community Impact Fund grant of $115,000 to the Northern Kentucky Social Services Transformation Project, a regional collaboration led by the Safety Net Alliance of Northern Kentucky, with the Northern Kentucky Area Development District serving as fiscal agent.
The investment will help Northern Kentucky social service organizations move from disconnected systems toward a more coordinated regional network, one designed to make it easier for residents to connect with help, reduce repetitive intake processes and give nonprofit leaders and funders better information about community needs and outcomes.
Across Northern Kentucky, nonprofit agencies currently use different client management systems that often cannot communicate with one another. That can make it difficult for organizations serving the same individuals and families to coordinate care, securely share information and understand whether a referral ultimately resulted in someone receiving help. It can also require residents to provide the same information or complete similar intake processes at multiple organizations
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This year, Horizon shifted its Community Impact Fund grantmaking strategy to encourage nonprofits to work together on bold, large-scale solutions. Rather than awarding several smaller grants, as in previous years, the Foundation selected one collaborative initiative to receive the full $115,000 award.
“By making one significant grant this year, we wanted to support a project with the potential to create lasting, region-wide change,” said Nancy Grayson, President and CEO of Horizon Community Foundation. “This collaboration brings organizations together around shared tools, better data and a more coordinated approach to serving Northern Kentucky residents. It is exactly the kind of innovative and collaborative work the Community Impact Fund was designed to advance.”
The grant will support development of Northern Kentucky’s first interoperable Community Information Exchange, designed to connect participating social service organizations through shared technology and common processes. The project will expand the use of CareSuite, a shared client management platform being piloted in partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and will create a Community Resource Impact Dashboard to help nonprofit leaders, funders and policymakers better understand regional needs, identify service gaps and measure outcomes.
CareSuite is currently being piloted by five organizations: Brighton Center, Faith Community Health Network, FIESTA NKY, Gateway Community and Technical College, and Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District. The project plans to grow participation from five to 20 organizations, creating a broader network for referrals, coordinated care and shared data.
“The Safety Net Alliance of Northern Kentucky is honored for the opportunity to lead this transformative project that modernizes how social service agencies work together to uplift individuals and families experiencing hardship. By equipping organizations with new tools to collaborate and coordinate client services, we are building a stronger and more interconnected social safety net in our region. Through this collaborative effort, we are removing barriers for families in crisis, streamlining care, and ensuring that when our community members reach out for help, they are immediately connected to a comprehensive network of support,” said Jared Mueller, Safety Net Alliance Program Implementation and Operations Manager at the NKY Area Development District.
One of the project’s central goals is to make referrals more reliable. Through CareSuite, participating agencies will be able to use “closed-loop” referrals, allowing an organization to see whether a client successfully connected with the service to which they were referred. Shared intake information and standardized processes are also intended to reduce duplicated paperwork and allow staff to spend more time supporting clients.
The project is expected to reach approximately 49,000 Northern Kentucky residents annually through participating organizations. As participation grows, the Community Resource Impact Dashboard will use anonymized data to help regional partners better understand who is being served, evaluate outcomes and make more informed decisions about where resources are needed most.
“This collaborative effort will make it easier for individuals and families across Northern Kentucky to access the resources and services they need, while giving community partners better tools to coordinate care, measure impact and identify unmet needs,” said Moira Weir, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cincinnati. “Together, we’re building a more connected, responsive network that helps our entire region thrive.”
The $115,000 grant will support partner training and capacity building, data integration, development of the Community Resource Impact Dashboard and project management.
Beyond the initial technology investment, the project is designed to create long-term regional infrastructure for social services. The application describes the goal as moving away from fragmented, siloed systems toward a more interoperable model that reduces administrative burden, improves coordination and gives community leaders a clearer view of where the social safety net is working and where gaps remain.
The Community Impact Fund is supported by donors who entrust Horizon Community Foundation to respond to Northern Kentucky’s most pressing needs and invest in opportunities that can strengthen the region for years to come. You can learn more and donate here.
Horizon Community Foundation