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City creates permanent Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging office budget; empowerment grant set to sunset
Summary
Interim REIB director Christian Derry presented a proposed FY26 structure to move the office from one‑time funding to general‑fund support, adding five FTEs for sustained community engagement, policy work and language access; the empowerment grant will sunset after next round of disbursements.
Christian Derry, interim director of the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (REIB), presented the FY26 budget proposal on May 14 and described a reorganized, permanent office funded from the general fund.
"This is the new organizational structure that we are proposing for the REIT. It includes 5 FTEs, including a permanent director, an administrative and financial coordinator, and 3 program managers," Derry said, describing planned positions to focus on community engagement, policy analysis, education and health equity.
Why it matters: City leaders said moving REIB from one‑time funding to the general fund will allow systemic, sustained work rather than episodic programming. Derry noted the Empowerment Grant program—an equitable, low‑barrier funding initiative for BIPOC residents and organizations—was launched from one‑time funds and is scheduled to sunset after the next disbursement. The REIB budget includes a new line for citywide language access and an increase in community celebrations funding to support events beyond Juneteenth.
Derry summarized recent community engagement work: staff conducted seven vision‑and‑purpose sessions across five wards with more than 70 attendees and over 50 organizations participating, and collected survey responses to inform the office redesign. He said the office will also fold the Trusted Community Voices program and language‑access functions under REIB to better coordinate services.
Threats cited by the director include federal policy changes and public sentiment pushing back on DEI work; Derry said that trend "erodes community support for essential equity initiatives" and complicates funding and partnerships. The REIB plans to post a permanent director position and recruit additional program managers to implement the expanded work.
What was not decided: Council did not vote to charter the office during this informational presentation. The administration intends to continue recruiting and to return with implementation details.
What's next: REIB will continue hiring and onboarding, finalize program priorities for the FY26 general‑fund allocation and coordinate language access and community engagement initiatives across city departments.
(Quote source: Christian Derry.)
