Clearwater advisory board hears 25 nonprofit grant pitches as applicants request about $1.56 million

Clearwater’s Neighborhood and Affordable Housing Advisory Board heard presentations from 21 nonprofits on April 25 as organizations sought funding for housing, food security, workforce training and other community services.

The presentations covered 25 applications requesting about $1,556,000 in total. Dylan Mayhew, acting housing manager for Economic Development and Housing, told the board staff expects the city’s CDBG allocation to be about $900,000, making this a “highly competitive” grant cycle. Mayhew said the technical review committee met two weeks earlier and will finalize scores before staff prepares a funding recommendation for the board’s May 13 meeting.

Why it matters: The requests included proposals for direct services tied to housing stability (down-payment assistance, counseling, rent/mortgage emergency aid), capital improvements at service providers, workforce and skills training geared to employability, and infrastructure to maintain food distribution operations. If funded, the projects would use CDBG, CDBG‑CV, SHIP and other local grant sources to support residents in Clearwater and parts of Pinellas County.

Most prominent requests and presenters - Metropolitan Ministries asked to fund a case manager and add a half‑time vocational employment case manager for its Neighborhood Hope program in North Greenwood; Esther Mathew (Metropolitan Ministries)…