Board finalizes FY2026 community grant allocations; adds $315 to Yarmouth Food Pantry

The Board reviewed staff-prepared allocations for the 2026 community grant round and voted to accept an adjusted recommendation that brings total awards to approximately $59,685. Staff said the sum of requested allocations initially added to about $66,000; to bring the list close to the available budget (about $60,000) staff applied a $500 adjustment to multiple entries and proposed distributing the resulting $315 remainder to the Yarmouth Food Pantry.

Staff summarized the method used: for each nonprofit the board members had indicated amounts they wished to fund; staff totaled the requested amounts and then divided each total by the number of board members supporting that award to arrive at per-organization recommendations. Because the raw totals exceeded the budget, staff applied a modest $500 reduction per donation line to reduce the aggregate and then allocated the remaining $315 to the food pantry as a backup funding recipient.

Board members discussed the approach and noted one board member had supported a much larger allocation for a single organization; staff confirmed their adjustment capped awards at the amounts organizations requested so that a single large vote would not skew the full list. After discussion, the Board approved the staff-recommended adjusted allocation schedule and the motion to add the remaining $315 to the Yarmouth Food Pantry. Members asked staff to check whether the pantry remains active and able to accept the donation; staff said they would confirm and reassign the $315 to an alternate organization if necessary.