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The 5th Annual

Shauna M. Sorrells Program

Voting has Now Closed!

Stay tuned for the announcement of the Grand Prize winner on November 13th

About Shauna

Shauna M. Sorrells

Shauna dedicated her life to making a difference, primarily in affordable housing and found creative ways to address the holistic needs of families and children through the provision of stable housing in a supportive community setting. By addressing health, education, employment and housing needs, Shauna's leadership helped tens of thousands of people for years to come. Shauna’s career included working for the American Academy of Family Physicians, the United Way and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As the Director of the Office of Public Housing Programs for HUD, she received several awards, including four Secretarial Awards from Secretaries Jackson, Preston and Donovan, as well as an Assistant Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award for exceptional efforts. Most recently, she served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County. She served on several boards, including the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and Homes for America. Most important of all, she was a proud mom to her son, Isaiah. During her short time with us from 1972-2019, she made a significant impact. The purpose of this award is to honor her legacy and continue her work by making a difference within communities most in need.

In 2020, we launched the Shauna M. Sorrells Program to provide a $10,000 grant to a nonprofit that dedicates meaningful services and programs to women and children, especially women of color.

Award winners have provided programming in breast cancer prevention services, STEM education programs, adult literacy workshops, domestic violence shelter, and career advancement services.

How it Works:

Grants are for small nonprofits providing services to women and children and communities of color. All applicants must be a nonprofit with an annual budget of $3 million or less. Preference is granted to organizations serving women and children, especially people of color. If you have been awarded grants twice before, you are not eligible for funding. Once three finalists are selected, the voting begins to select the Grand Prize Winner.

Be sure to vote as the finalist with the most online votes wins the grand prize!

SMS Hearts & Name

2024 Timeline

September 16

Applications opened for 2024 candidates. 

October 14 @ Midnight

Application submissions closed

November 4

Finalists announced

November 4 - 11 @ Midnight

Online voting occurs - only one vote per device

November 13 @ 5pm ET

Winner announced in online forum that provides platform for nonprofits to share area of expertise, raise their profile and raise money. Register here.

January 15 @ 12PM ET

Webinar for Nonprofits on How to Win Shauna M. Sorrells Grants & Government Funding. Register here.

2024 Finalists

Click to visit finalist websites

2024 Semi-Finalists

Congratulations to the semi-finalists

Click to visit SEMI-finalist websites

2023 Finalists

Click to visit finalist websites

2023 Semi-Finalists

Click to visit finalist websites

Our 2020 Finalists

You can make a difference and donate today to any of these organizations and continue Shauna’s work to make a difference in the world. Any amount makes a difference!

Click to visit finalist websites

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Words are just the start.

Action is what is needed.

Shauna M. Sorrells | 4/15/18