Council approves nearly $1.5 million in nonprofit grants and fee waivers for 2025–27

The Cypress City Council on April 28 approved the recommended nonprofit grant awards and in‑kind support for fiscal years 2025–2027, a package that includes facility fee waivers, staff resource allocations, and limited direct funding.

Recreation Director Jeff Draper presented the recommendations following a council workshop. The nonprofit policy establishes a 55% residency threshold for participants and leadership, limits on facility use, and a two‑year application cycle. Nineteen organizations applied for support across three categories: direct funding, city staff expenditures, and fee waivers.

Draper said eight groups requested direct cash grants (total requested $109,000); staff recommended three receive direct funding for the two‑year period: Cypress Art League ($1,500), Cypress Community Festival Association ($10,000), and Friends of Cypress Library ($2,500 matching grant). Draper said all groups will receive at least the same in‑kind support they received previously, and staff recommended approval of nearly $400,000 in staff‑resource allocations and fee waivers consistent with prior cycles.

All council members praised local nonprofit contributions during discussion. Councilmember Chang said she preferred continuing to minimize direct cash grants but supported the package overall and urged flexibility to accommodate emergent community needs during the two‑year cycle. Draper said the council had previously delegated limited authority to the city manager to approve small, time‑sensitive requests and recommended a $4,000 two‑year discretionary pool to cover minor needs that arise between council cycles.

The council approved the full package unanimously.

Ending: Staff will implement the grants and fee waiver schedules for the next two fiscal years and monitor use of the discretionary pool; recipients are expected to comply with residency and reporting requirements per the nonprofit policy.