Agenda Item Wording:
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Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards - Review and Approval of the Citizens Advisory Committee and Staff recommendations for the 2025 Youth Non-Profit Grant Awards.
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Deadline for Action: 1/21/2025
Submitting Department: Finance and Technology Services
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Alana Johnson, CAC Non-Profit Grant Subcommittee Chair
Ruth Pena, Financial Analyst, 559-713-4327, ruth.pena@visalia.city <mailto:ruth.pena@visalia.city>
Department Recommendation:
It is recommended that the City Council review and approve the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) and Staff recommendation to award a distribution of $72,500 among 12 non-profit organizations for the 2025 calendar year.
City Staff also recommends that the organizations that are receiving awards be asked to provide the dates, times, locations and registration information 30 days prior to the opening registration for their 2025 programs, so that the City can make residents aware of these free opportunities, and that a list of participants be provided at the conclusion of the grant that denotes Visalia students participating that had not previously been active or registered in one or more of the organization’s programs.
In addition, it is recommended that City Staff be directed to reach out to organizations that did not apply for funding for this funding cycle, but had been awarded funds in the last three years, to determine if they would like to apply for some or all of the remaining $2,500 in funding, with an emphasis on programs that would be provided at no cost to the participating youth, and that the City Manager be authorized to award the final funding to one or more of the organizations that apply and meet the guidelines.
Background Discussion:
On June 17, 2024, the City Council authorized the allocation of $75,000 in non-profit grants from the fiscal year 2024-25 budget. The process for awarding these funds is administered by the CAC, which brings recommendations to Council annually for approval. The CAC received 12 applications from non-profit organizations for grant amounts ranging from $1,500 to $6,500 for a total of $69,000. The CAC recommends awarding 12 grants ranging from $1,500 to $6,500 for a total of $72,500.
A work session was held on September 16, 2024, to propose changes to the grant application and receive feedback from the City Council on the administration of the Nonprofit Grant Program. As a result of that meeting, the following changes to the application were implemented.
1. Clarification on Travel Teams - Non-profits that offer traveling team opportunities as part of their mission may apply for funding for activities that are free or low-cost, widely advertised, and designed to engage new youth participants who are not currently involved with the team such as skills clinics or camps. However, funding cannot be requested for expenses related to team activities such as space rentals, coaching, ongoing fees, clothing or equipment, scholarships, travel, and similar costs.
2. Question added - Fiscal Year start and end dates used by applicant agency.
3. Question added - Will the program have sufficient resources to operate if the desired grant amount is only partially funded? How would a partially funded award affect your program outcomes?
The grant announcement was posted on the city’s Facebook page and advertised via the City’s website and newsletter. The deadline for proposals to be submitted via email or in person was November 14, 2024. The grant period of performance is January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
The CAC established a Non-Profit Grant Subcommittee of three regular CAC committee members to review and recommend grant awards. The Subcommittee conducted two workshops on October 15 and 16, 2024, to explain the application process to interested applicants. The CAC received 12 grant applications and reviewed 12. The total amount of grant funds requested was $69,000. Of the 12 applications submitted, 12 are recommended for funding.
The CAC Subcommittee reviewed the applications and came to a consensus recommendation to award 12 grants between $1,500 and $6,500 for a total of $72,500. The recommendation was presented to and reviewed by the full CAC committee at its December 4, 2024, meeting. At that time, the CAC unanimously adopted the subcommittee’s recommendation.
Table 1 compares grant application statistics from the last two cycles with the current cycle:
As shown in Table 1 above, the number of applications received decreased from last year. While this allowed all the programs to be funded, the CAC Youth Grants subcommittee still discussed how to achieve the most good with the grant money. In some cases, this meant focusing on programs that affected larger numbers of youth. In other cases, it was based on the potential to significantly impact the lives of a smaller group of youth. Some of the programs even have the potential to improve the lives of youth as well as their families. The CAC also noted the importance of using grant money to reach a variety of different youth in Visalia by funding programs that would target youth from different backgrounds and different places of need as well as groups with various interests. Even with all the applications fully funded, grant money remains. Two applicants did not request the full amount, and the CAC recommends they receive more funding than requested to assist more youth.
Table 2 lists the Non-Profit funding recommendations and program descriptions.
Fiscal Impact:
The 2024-25 General Fund appropriation of $75,000 is already in the budget, and no additional funding is requested.
Prior Council Action: Adoption of FY 2024-25 Budget - June 17, 2024; Report by the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Nonprofit Grant Program and recommendations for modifications to the program for the 2025 Grant Program Year - September 16, 2024.
Other: Committee/Commission Review and Action - CAC Review and Adoption of Subcommittee Recommendations - December 4, 2024.
Alternatives: Redirect awards within the $75,000 amount allocated by the City Council.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to award the non-profit grants as recommended by the Citizens Advisory Committee as shown in Table 2, require the organizations to allow the City to promote their programs as appropriate, as well as a list of new participants, and approve the recommended process for awarding the outstanding funding.
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Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments: Attachment 1 - Grant Applications