By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council recently voted unanimously to award $150,000 in grant funding to five nonprofits, while denying requests from other applicants.
The city’s Non Profit Community Support Fund received 12 applications in July and August, totaling $440,000 in requested funds from local and regional nonprofits. After review and analysis, five applicants out of the 12 were selected, with recommended allocation of funds presented during an Oct. 9 City Council meeting.
The requested funds from the five applicants totaled just over $200,000. With a $150,000 cap, staff chose to recommend smaller amounts to each, including $22,000 to Campus Life Connection for their continued support of the Sayonara Center, $40,000 to Citrus Heights HART for rental assistance programs, and $70,000 to Meals on Wheels. Staff chose to award the full requested funding amount of $10,000 to the San Juan Education Foundation for individual school site grants, and $8,000 to UCP of Sacramento for hosting sensory movie nights and roller skating events.
During the City Council meeting, Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said the Quality of Life Committee had only recommended three groups initially. Karpinski-Costa, who is part of the Quality of Life Committee, indicated it was “always the same three,” being funded, so she wanted to include some of the nonprofits that hadn’t been funded before.
“I think it’s a great allocation of the limited funding we have,” Councilmember Porsche Middleton said and commended the Quality of Life Committee for “taking a chance” on newer nonprofits.
Several nonprofits did not receive funding, including Sunrise Christian Food Ministry, who requested $25,000 for repaving of the asphalt in their parking lot, Single Mom Strong, who requested $13,000 for the creation of a school contact database and marketing expenses, and Yes2Knowledge, who requested $150,000 for the development of a mini garden project and nutrition education.
Single Mom Strong founder Tara Taylor said during the council meeting that she was “really disappointed” that the nonprofit wasn’t recommended to receive funding. Taylor asked for reconsideration, citing multiple positive community impacts from the use of previously received grant funding.
Taylor said with the grants received in years past, the preschool operated by the nonprofit doubled in student population, added an infant and toddler classroom, and a clothing closet with professional career clothing options. Last year, the nonprofit used $24,000 to help fund career exploration events, which helped serve single moms “regionally.”
Taylor said Single Mom Strong does not have a marketing budget, so she was requesting funding to help with marketing expenses and a contact database that would help the nonprofit connect with local schools. Single Mom Strong just celebrated its fifth-year anniversary.
“I just thought I’d come here to remind you as to why this proposal was important,” Taylor said.
Karpinski-Costa emphasized the importance of “balance” when considering all nonprofit requests throughout the community.
“We lose our credibility in the community, I think,” Karpinski-Costa said, referencing funding the same groups repeatedly in past years. Karpinski-Costa added she wished there was more funding.
Several nonprofits also requested funding from the Community Development Block Grant program, which receives $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development annually. During the City Council meeting, the city recommended distributing an allotted $90,000 between four nonprofits, including Sunrise Christian Food Ministry, Meals on Wheels, Campus Life Connection, and Community Link Capital Region & Project Sentinel.
Funding allocations in the Community Development Block Grant draft action plan will be acted upon at the Oct. 23 City Council meeting
