The Challenge
Queen Anne’s County faced a fragmented approach to grant activity across departments, resulting in duplicated efforts, missed opportunities, and compliance risks. Leadership needed a coordinated strategy to align resources with county priorities.

Our Role
Eleventh House Solutions designed and implemented a countywide grants management system. We created policies, prospectus templates, and review processes, enabling leadership to make informed go/no-go decisions and manage cross-departmental collaboration.

The Results
The system was formally adopted as official county policy and continues to be administered by EHS. The County has since secured millions in state and federal funding, improved compliance across departments, and built a replicable framework for future grant pursuits.

The Challenge
Tompkins County’s 30 departments each pursued grants independently, creating inefficiencies and missed opportunities for large-scale federal awards. Leaders needed a unified system to prioritize investments and manage compliance.

Our Role
EHS developed a centralized grants management strategy, codifying policies and building a countywide content library. We also provided decision briefs for executives, allowing leadership to assess feasibility, risks, and alignment before pursuing major federal opportunities.

The Results
The County gained its first comprehensive grants management system. Departments now collaborate on funding strategy, duplication has been eliminated, and leaders report faster, more confident decision-making. The County is positioned to pursue larger federal awards with reduced risk.

The Challenge
Caroline County faced a tight deadline for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application, with limited internal capacity and risk of missing the opportunity.

Our Role
EHS provided hands-on coaching, accountability, and technical assistance under compressed timelines. We organized application materials, kept staff focused with structured follow-ups, and provided compliance-ready templates.

The Results
The County submitted a complete, competitive application under deadline pressure and successfully obtained the award. Leadership noted that EHS’s balance of expertise and coaching made the process manageable, cost-effective, and replicable for future pursuits.

The Challenge
Kent County needed to submit a critical CDBG application on a sudden deadline after last-minute changes. With just days to prepare, the County risked losing vital funding.

Our Role
EHS mobilized quickly, drafting the application in a matter of days — including weekend hours — while ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements.

The Results
The County secured the grant, demonstrating EHS’s ability to deliver under pressure. Leadership highlighted the team’s responsiveness, reliability, and effectiveness in obtaining resources even under extreme timelines.

The Challenge
Easton Utilities and Habitat Choptank sought to expand energy efficiency and housing repair programs but needed a strategy to braid funding across multiple sources while managing compliance and stakeholder coordination.

Our Role
EHS designed the PowerUp initiative, integrating MEA funding, utility dollars, and nonprofit resources into a single program. We developed intake systems, created compliance frameworks, and aligned stakeholders to deliver services more efficiently.

The Results
PowerUp became a model of cross-sector collaboration, scaling to serve hundreds of households with energy efficiency upgrades and home repairs. By braiding multiple funding streams, EHS helped maximize impact per dollar while strengthening both the utility’s and Habitat’s ability to deliver services long-term.

The Challenge
Maryland legislators and education leaders faced rising concerns about school bus driver shortages, wage inequities, and retention challenges. There was no comprehensive, statewide data to guide policy or funding decisions.

Our Role
Eleventh House Solutions designed and managed a statewide study, collecting wage and benefit data from school systems and contractors across Maryland. We developed predictive models and comparative analyses to highlight gaps, forecast shortages, and assess the fiscal impact of wage adjustments.

The Results
The study produced Maryland’s first baseline of school bus driver wages, equipping policymakers with actionable insights to support recruitment, retention, and equitable pay. Findings are being used to shape budgetary and legislative decisions affecting transportation and education systems statewide.

The Challenge
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) workforce in Maryland faced staffing shortages and uneven pay structures. Without clear data, state leaders risked underfunding essential energy programs for vulnerable households.

Our Role
EHS conducted a comprehensive workforce compensation study, gathering data on wages, benefits, and job structures. We benchmarked findings against comparable programs and applied predictive modeling to identify long-term workforce needs.

The Results
The study delivered the first statewide baseline for LIHEAP workforce compensation. Maryland’s Department of Human Services gained a data-driven foundation to adjust pay scales, guide recruitment strategies, and allocate resources to ensure consistent delivery of critical energy assistance services.

The Challenge
REACH Medical, a nonprofit health provider, had managed grants in-house for years but lacked a partner who could align funding strategy with its mission and long-term goals. Leadership needed evaluation and grant support to secure competitive resources and strengthen program delivery.

Our Role
EHS provided grant strategy, program design, and evaluation expertise. We aligned proposals with REACH’s mission, strengthened internal systems, and ensured data collection and reporting frameworks were funder-ready.

The Results
REACH secured new funding streams and implemented programs that directly improved health outcomes for underserved populations. Leadership credited EHS with elevating the quality and strategic alignment of their funding portfolio, calling us their first trusted external partner for evaluation and grant support.

The Challenge
Baltimore County’s Local Management Board (LMB) needed to monitor and evaluate a portfolio of youth and family programs funded through federal and state sources. Leadership required clear, evidence-based reporting to guide resource allocation, demonstrate accountability, and meet funder requirements.

Our Role
Eleventh House Solutions provided grant evaluation and technical assistance, building systems to track outcomes against goals and ensure compliance. We translated complex program data into executive-ready dashboards and reports, enabling decision-makers to see progress and identify areas for adjustment.

The Results
Baltimore County strengthened accountability across its system of care for children, youth, and families. The evaluation findings informed county budget and program planning decisions, supported continued funding, and positioned the LMB as a leader in performance-based management.

The Challenge
Queen Anne’s County needed to understand whether compensation for public employees and contracted staff was competitive, equitable, and sustainable. Leadership lacked reliable data to guide pay policies and workforce planning.

Our Role
EHS conducted a comprehensive compensation and workforce study, collecting and analyzing local salary, benefits, and staffing data. We benchmarked results against comparable counties and developed clear recommendations for policy adjustments.

The Results
The study gave Queen Anne’s County leadership actionable evidence to address pay equity and retention issues. Findings were used to guide county workforce policy, strengthen budget planning, and improve recruitment and retention of critical staff positions.

The Challenge
MRDC’s Housing Rehab program started with a single $50,000 grant — far too small to meet the widespread needs for weatherization and home repair in rural Maryland. Without stronger systems, MRDC could not access or manage larger funding sources.

Our Role
Eleventh House Solutions redesigned the program into the Health, Housing, and Energy (HeHE) initiative. We braided DOE, HUD, MEA, and philanthropic resources, built contractor and intake systems, and established compliance protocols. We also guided MRDC through the process of becoming a designated Local Weatherization Agency (LWA).

The Results
The program expanded into a $3M+ regional initiative spanning multiple counties. MRDC gained direct access to federal funding streams and built lasting capacity to serve hundreds of households annually with energy efficiency upgrades, emergency repairs, and aging-in-place services.

The Challenge
Choptank Electric wanted to help its members reduce energy costs through weatherization and efficiency measures but lacked in-house infrastructure to manage grants, contractors, and compliance.

Our Role
Since 2016, EHS has administered the Chop-a-Watt program. We secure and manage MEA and ODEC grants, coordinate contractors, oversee applicant intake, and handle compliance reporting. We also connected Choptank to additional housing and health resources, expanding services beyond energy savings.

The Results
Choptank has leveraged $1.8M+ in partner resources and delivered weatherization and home repair services to dozens of households each year. The program has become a replicable model for utility-led community energy efficiency, combining cost savings with broader community health benefits.

The Challenge
Easton Utilities and Habitat Choptank wanted to combine resources to deliver integrated energy efficiency and housing repair services but needed a strategy to braid funding streams and manage compliance.

Our Role
EHS designed and launched PowerUp, aligning MEA funding, utility dollars, and nonprofit resources. We developed intake and tracking systems, created compliance-ready protocols, and built partnerships across agencies to deliver services seamlessly.

The Results
PowerUp became a model of cross-sector collaboration. The initiative scaled to serve hundreds of households with upgrades that lowered energy burdens, improved housing safety, and supported aging in place. The program demonstrated how utilities and nonprofits can work together to achieve greater impact per dollar.

The Challenge
The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) sought to pilot a weatherization program for member cooperatives but needed a scalable model that balanced compliance with community impact.

Our Role
EHS designed and administered the pilot, integrating MEA and utility funds with local contractors and intake systems. We tested streamlined application and compliance processes, ensuring services were delivered efficiently and documented rigorously.

The Results
The pilot proved successful and replicable, delivering measurable energy savings and improved housing conditions for participating households. The framework has since informed weatherization efforts for other cooperatives in the region, showing how utilities can partner with local organizations to expand community benefits.