Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton ─ Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Award
Project ID (if applicable): FY23_IWDS
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Normal Anomaly Initiative
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item. N/A
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by Public Health Services that the County Judge execute a subrecipient agreement with Normal Anomaly Initiative in the amount of $100,000 for the Harris County Public Health Capacity Strengthening Program.
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Background and Discussion:
On January 31, 2023, the court approved the acceptance of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on behalf of Harris County Public Health (HCPH). A portion of these funds was used to develop and implement HCPH’s Capacity Strengthening Program (CSP), an initiative to invest in the development of healthy and sustainable community-based organizations whose work complements essential public health services. This unique partnership model equips local organizations with resources to enhance their capacity to address the needs of Harris County community members.
The CSP supports a cohort of 10 nonprofit organizations over a period of performance, during which each organization is eligible to receive $100,000 by completing program deliverables: creating a customized capacity strengthening plan, engaging in specialized technical assistance and monthly learning sessions, participating in evaluation activities, and others. The first cohort of the CSP concluded in January 2026, providing HCPH with an initial foundation for implementing and refining the program. Building on the experience and lessons learned from Cohort 1, Cohort 2 launched in March 2026 and is set to conclude in April 2027. This subrecipient agreement is part of the onboarding for CSP Cohort 3, comprising 10 new organizations.
Expected Impact:
Approval of Cohort 3 CSP contracts will support efforts to build organizational capacity of nonprofits to improve their ability to deliver services to community members, resulting in improved health outcomes across Harris County. Through the CSP, HCPH expects each organization to review its organizational policies and practices to implement services and increase impact, plan for operational and funding sustainability, and build new external relationships and leverage existing partnerships.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court could choose not to approve the proposed Cohort 3 subrecipient agreements, preventing HCPH from onboarding the 10 organizations selected for Cohort 3. This would delay or reduce the planned utilization and spend-down of PHIG funds allocated to support the Capacity Strengthening Program, with the period of performance ending in Fall 2027. Not approving the agreements may limit HCPH’s ability to fully implement the planned CSP activities and utilize available grant funding within the established grant period. Additionally, without these contracts, HCPH’s ability to support organizations, strengthen capacity, and expand community partnerships would be limited, impacting efforts aligned with the County Strategic Plan.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
County Strategic Plan Objective: O: Increase access to quality health care, including preventive and behavioral health.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): O4: Increase community health care capacity.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Public Health Services |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Non-Labor |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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Grant |
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$100,000 |
$100,000 |
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$ |
$ |
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$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
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$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
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Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
$ |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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No. of Grant Years |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
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$ |
$ |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Personnel(Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 9/22/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Brandon Maddox, Chief of Staff, Public Health Services
Attachments (if applicable): Subrecipient agreement