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) said the program provided navigation services to 110 unduplicated residents and case management to 57 last year. - Tampa Bay Neighborhood Housing Services (Todd Leclaire and Jessica Thompson) described homebuyer education, one‑on‑one counseling and the city’s down‑payment assistance process; Thompson said the organization helped 16 Clearwater families close using the city program in the last year and had additional closings pending. - Pinellas Opportunity Council (Alonda Vaughn) requested support for countywide emergency financial assistance; Vaughn said the agency receives roughly 3,200 monthly requests for emergency assistance across the county and that rising rent and utilities have increased need. - Hope Villages of America (Belinda McAbee) sought $80,000 for improvements to a food distribution center and additional funding for a senior wellness pantry serving about 1,300 seniors among its monthly caseload of roughly 6,300 individuals. - Learning Independence for Tomorrow (Matt Spence) asked for CDBG help to complete exterior renovations for a student‑run café and retail training space designed to create employment pathways for neurodiverse learners. - Suncoast Housing Connections (Fran Feeney) outlined a proposed post‑purchase education program to help homeowners understand insurance, storm hardening and other steps that can reduce foreclosure risk after disasters. - Gulf Coast Legal Services (Theresa Pritchard) requested $50,000 to provide housing legal services to low‑income Clearwater residents, including eviction and foreclosure defense; Pritchard said the average client income served is about $15,000 annually. - Several capital and operations requests focused on maintaining service continuity, including a generator request from Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center (to keep a food pantry and family support operations functioning during storms), facility repairs and parking lot repaving for Saint Vincent de Paul’s community kitchen (Carol Purcell), IT/phone infrastructure at Arc Tampa Bay (Carolyn Reginelli), and equipment and refrigeration upgrades for Hope Villages’ distribution site.

Smaller workforce, arts and youth proposals included requests from Arts for Life Academy (Jay Hinson), Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project/Community Tech Experiences (J. A. Morton), Crossroads Music Institute/Live Play Workshop (Richard Lyzczek), Boys & Girls Club Prosperity Pathways embedded at Pinellas High Innovation (Kimberly McCabe) and childcare business supports from Upwards (Felicia Gamboa) and Prospera (Sylvia Osain). Several presenters emphasized partnerships with Pinellas County schools, Feeding Tampa Bay and other local employers.

Performance report and program status Community development staff (Dania Perez) presented a status update on current subrecipient grants, including CDBG public services, CDBG‑CV (Coronavirus relief) grants and SHIP homeownership counseling. Perez reported several active draws in progress, noted one recipient had declined an award, and listed completed rollovers from prior years (for example, a completed community kitchen project with Saint Vincent de Paul and an ARC training site).

Board process and next steps Mayhew explained the technical review committee will meet the Monday after the board meeting to finalize scoring; staff will assemble a funding recommendation and present it to the board at its May 13 meeting, where the board can request adjustments and vote on allocations. Presenters generally had three minutes each (five minutes for organizations with two submissions); no PowerPoint or remote presentations were used.

Votes at a glance At the start of the meeting the board moved to approve the minutes of the Jan. 28, 2025 meeting. Linda Byers moved approval and Robin Field seconded; the chair called for “Aye” and the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll‑call count.

The board did not take final funding votes on any applications at this meeting; staff noted the TRC’s final scores and the board’s May meeting would determine allocations.

The board adjourned after the last presenter; the next regularly scheduled NAHAB meeting is May 13, 2025.