Hollister
– Local nonprofits have a chance to receive grants of up to
$50,000 from the city, but they need to apply by the end of the
month.
Hollister – Local nonprofits have a chance to receive grants of up to $50,000 from the city, but they need to apply by the end of the month.
The city has $125,000 of Community Development Block Grant funds to spend on local nonprofits for fiscal year 2006-2007, according to Economic Development Manager Jeff Pyle. He said the application deadline is Dec. 1.
When asked about how many applications he expects to receive, Pyle said, “We’ll have to wait and see.”
He added that as far as he knows, this is the first time in recent years that the city has awarded grants of this kind.
Applying groups need to be at least 2 years old and have 501(c)3 nonprofit status. They must also serve a significant population in the city, have an address or office within the city and address one of the city’s “areas of community interest”: education and lifelong learning, self-reliant individuals and families, civic engagement, or arts and culture.
“The areas of community interest give some direction to a broad range of groups,” Pyle said. “This comes from how other communities tend to award these grants.”
The city spends about 25 percent of its CDBG money on community grants, Pyle said. Fifty percent of the funds go to economic development loans, while 25 percent goes to housing rehabilitation loans. According to Pyle, most agencies use a similar breakdown to distribute their CDBG funds.
“We try to have the largest part (of the CDBG funds) go out in loans, so that they actually revolve,” Pyle said.
When a number of rehabilitation loans were recently paid off, the city found itself with $1 million of CDBG money that it needs to spend to receive additional funds from the federal government. That includes $250,000 for community grants; Pyle said the city has decided to spend half that money this year and half next year.
Interested groups should contact Pyle at 831-630-5103. Applicants will need to fill out an application packet that includes a plan for spending the grant money, a budget for fiscal year 2006-2007 and a proposed budget for 2007-2008.
Pyle said he will probably create an advisory committee to look at the applications. He added that all grants must be approved by the City Council.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
