To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Michelle Halstead, Director, Commissioners' Office
Prepared By:
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Daniela Villarreal, Management Analyst I, Commissioners' Office
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presenter
Presenter: Daniela Villarreal, Management Analyst I, Commissioners' Office
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Subject:
title
1:45 PM *2025 Aid to Agencies Overview and Discussion
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to provide information on the Aid to Agencies Program and seek Board direction on how to proceed for the 2025 grant cycle.
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Background and Discussion:
The Arapahoe County Commissioners developed the Aid to Agencies program to financially support non-profit organizations in 2008, filling service gaps in the county through annual grants using general fund dollars. The discretionary Aid to Agencies program has evolved to fund organizations through two mechanisms: a safety net program in which agencies receive annual funding without needing to apply and a competitive grant program in which agencies apply to receive a portion of available funds.
During the 2024 grant cycle, all applicants and grantees were notified about the county's budget challenges and our inability to guarantee funds would be available in 2025 to continue the program. County Commissioners and staff have met with grantees over the past six months to discuss the County's next steps to modernize finances and address existing funding gaps. In these meetings, organizations have shared the impacts that Aid to Agencies funding has made in their day-to-day operations and what it could mean if they lost that annual funding.
The program has had a budget of $2,079,500 of which $1,550,603 is allocated for safety net organizations and the remaining $528,897 towards a competitive grant program. An interdisciplinary committee comprised of human services, community resources, and commissioners' office staff develops program criteria that include funding categories, scor...
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