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Finance reports $38.8M in grant awards this fiscal year; council asks for prioritized grant capacity and match funding plan
Summary
The city finance office reported grant activity and asked council to consider staffing and match funding. As of March 31 the city had applied for $35.6M in grants for FY25 and recorded $38.8M in awards; FY24 awards were about $17.7M with total expenditures of $53.2M including ARPA funding.
City Finance staff presented a grant‑activity update showing substantial current and recent activity and asked council to consider how to scale staffing and match funding to capture more external dollars.
Key figures
Sergio Saino, director of finance and procurement, reported that for fiscal year 2024 the city recorded roughly $17.7 million in awarded grants and aggregate grant‑funded expenditures of about $53.2 million (about $22 million of the expenditures were ARPA‑funded work). For the current fiscal year (reported through March 31) the city has applied for approximately $35.6 million in potential awards and has been notified of awards totaling about $38.8 million.
Staff observations and council response
Staff and council members noted that some city departments have in‑house grant capacity (police, fire, health) and that many of the larger, specialized applications require design work, consultant support and local match funding. Council members asked staff to prepare an analysis of whether the city should expand in‑house grant capacity (more grant writers or a grants compliance officer), or selectively contract for specialized grant writing to pursue large, complex opportunities. Council members also said the city should identify a stable source of match funds for competitive grant programs when matches are required.
Next steps
Finance will provide follow‑up materials that break down which departments are applying for and administering grants, the cost of consultant support when used, and an assessment of the staffing level needed to capture priority grants efficiently.
Ending
Council members supported continued pursuit of external funding while asking staff to return with a prioritized plan showing which grants the city should target and the staffing or match‑funding required to do so effectively.
