Nonprofits monitoring the rollout of Scotts Valley’s community grant program had positive words for the City as it put $50,000 up for grabs.
Speaking during public comment at the Aug. 3 council meeting, Clay Kempf, the executive director of the Seniors Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, said while rigorous, the application process didn’t seem too bureaucratic.
“It looks very simple and very transparent,” he said. “I think you will find that it will be some of the best dollars the City will have spent.”
Staff was soliciting feedback from the council, which approved the funds as part of this year’s budget. It was also the basis on which Vice Mayor Jim Reed refused to vote for the entire budget, as the lone dissenter.
Mayor Donna Lind said she knows how challenging it can be for community groups to jump through government hoops. She shared how, in the 1990s, her mother would traipse around to all kinds of meetings, as the president of a local organization seeking funding.
City Manager Mali LaGoe said she wanted to make things easy for smaller groups that might not have access to as many grant-writing resources as larger nonprofits, but added there would be plenty of oversight.
In July, staff developed a draft plan and shared it with the Human Care Alliance—a coalition of local nonprofit leaders—for feedback. The City was expecting to issue a Request for Proposals on Aug. 10, with a Sept. 7 due date.
Each entry must include a description of the organization, details about the project to be funded and specifics about how it would use the money.
Scotts Valley plans to tap a panel of experts to figure out who should get how much cash, but is waiting to appoint the members until the entries come in, to avoid conflicts of interest.
Staff says it wants to make sure winning projects are from reputable organizations, will actually benefit Scotts Valley residents and fall under the council’s strategic priorities.
“I think this is great,” Councilmember Jack Dilles said. “I like the efficiency. I like the fact that it’s simple. It’s important to the community.”
Councilmember Derek Timm said the scoring method won’t be that different than with the small-business grants awarded earlier in the year.
“You could really see who was hitting the priorities of the City, and we’ve made it really clear what we’re looking to fund,” he said. “This looks like a great process.”
LaGoe said winners will have to sign contracts, which will include individualized performance standards, based on the services each group intends to provide.
Vice Mayor Reed did not speak during the item, and no vote was required, since the money had already been authorized in the financial plan.
Staff intends to review applications in September and to bring final funding recommendations to council in October.
