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Finance committee approves $15,000 in CPA small-grant funding for projects capped at $6,000
Summary
The Holyoke City Finance Committee approved a $15,000 allocation from Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds to pilot a small-grants program that would cap CPA awards at $3,000 per project and projects at $6,000, with committee follow-up after one year.
The Holyoke City Finance Committee on Oct. 15 approved a $15,000 request to fund a pilot small-grants program using Community Preservation Act (CPA) money. The committee approved a motion to take the item off the table and subsequently voted in favor of the request.
The pilot would allow CPA awards of up to $3,000 per project for projects whose total cost does not exceed $6,000, with the total request from the CPA fund set at $15,000. The program is intended to make CPA funding more accessible to smaller local projects, including veterans’ plaques and similar community efforts.
Jay, representing the CPA budget, told the committee the proposal is modeled on prior CPA practice but seeks to streamline the application process for small projects. “The basic outline is that it would be CPA funds not to exceed $3,000 for projects that would not to exceed $6,000,” Jay said, adding the intent “is just to try to make it a little bit more accessible for people.”
Councilor Mike Jourdain said he would support the pilot but asked that committee members receive follow-up reports describing which projects received awards and how the $15,000 was spent; he recommended trying the approach for one year and reviewing results. “If we were to approve this, you would follow-up with us to let us know where the money went, what were the projects approved, and maybe we try it for, you know, come back as a year and then see how it goes,” Jourdain said.
The committee approved the motion and recorded the vote by voice (“All those in favor, aye”). Committee members present included Councilor Bacon and Councilor Meg McGrath Smith, who indicated she had no objections.
The treasurer and staff agreed to report back to the committee after the pilot year with a summary of awards and outcomes. No additional details (such as application deadlines or eligibility criteria) were specified in the committee discussion and will need to be provided when the program is implemented.
