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Houston hospital system grants $6.8M to community nonprofits

This year, 32 nonprofits providing essential services to Houstonians will receive grant funding from Houston Methodist. Photo courtesy of Houston Methodist

A Houston-area hospital system has announced the latest recipients of its grant program, benefiting nonprofits that are providing essential services to Houstonians.

Houston Methodist announced this month the 32 local nonprofit organizations receiving more than $6.8 million in community grants as a part of the Community Benefits Grant Program. This year, these nonprofits will give access to health care services to more than 188,000 individuals in underserved communities in the Greater Houston area.

“For three decades, the Houston Methodist Community Benefits Grant Program has helped create pathways to care for some of the most vulnerable in the Greater Houston community who often are struggling to afford basic necessities,” says Ryane Jackson, vice president of community benefits at Houston Methodist, in a news release.

Since the program's inception, it's provided $168 million to 82 local charities.

“Access to high quality health care is one of many issues that our community faces, and this grant helps makes much-needed health care resources affordable and accessible," she continues. "I’m proud that we can continue to partner with local organizations focused on expanding the health and well-being of all Houstonians.”

Houston Methodist announced the full list of this year’s Community Benefits grant awardees online.

Last year, Houston Methodist announced grants to 59 Houston-area nonprofit organizations totalling more than $4.6 million thanks to the Houston Methodist Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant Program.

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Building Houston

 
 

Cemvita has some news regarding its C-level execs. Photo courtesy of Cemvita

An innovative Houston startup that's working with energy companies to decarbonize their operations has made changes to its C-suite.

Tara Karimi, who co-founded Cemvita with her brother Moji, has transition to the company's chief science officer. Liz Dennett has been hired to Karimi's previous role of CTO. The changes enable Karimi to focus on leading Cemvita's scientific research and development efforts as well as participating in driving innovation within the biotech industry as a whole, according to the company's press release.

"I'm excited to take on the role of chief science officer at Cemvita and what it represents for our company's growth," says Karimi in the release. "As chief science officer, I look forward to shaping policy and driving the conversation around the role of biotechnology in the energy transition."

As CTO, Dennett will lead the development of Cemvita's unique biotech products that tap into microbes to decarbonize operations on energy plants. Most recently, Dennett was vice president of data architecture and data engineering at Wood Mackenzie. She previously worked in tech and sustainability-focused roles at Hess Corp., Biota Technology, and Amazon Web Services.

“Working with biological systems presents a unique challenge but also a unique opportunity," says Dennett in the release. "It’s uniquely difficult to go from benchtop to in-situ reactors or oil wells with microbes and to achieve the kind of incredible results that we’re seeing in the lab. You need to build teams with deep specializations in chemistry, biology, energy systems, and geology.”

Dennett, who has her PhD and Master's from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has served on Cemvita's advisory board for about a year, will report to CEO Moji Karimi directly.

“I know that Tara and Liz are going to make history at Cemvita,” says Moji Karimi in the release. “With 15 years of experience using data-driven approaches to solve pressing energy challenges, Liz brings to bear the kind of creativity and expertise that can quickly and meaningfully advance Cemvita’s impact on the Energy Transition.”

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