Council reviews Office of Grants Management budgets; committee adds $3 million for FY26 capital matching and asks for deeper work on legacy grants

The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy committee presented recommendations on the Office of Grants Management (OGM) budget, including cost-sharing for state capital grants, a proposed $100,000 programmatic increase for a centralized grant-tracking system, and action on legacy community grants.

Director Rafael Puentejo Murphy reported that the FY26 cost-sharing capital grants stage 1 closed recently. Administrative review showed a total county ask of roughly $2.8 million, not accounting for multi-year awards carried over from previous fiscal years. Staff identified a shortfall of about $1.5 million in FY26 and an additional roughly $340,000 that will be pushed into FY25 carryover. The committee recommended holding further allocation for reconciliation review and noted the county’s interest in maximizing state match for projects including Scotland AME Zion Church and the Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom; the committee added three tranches for matching — one for $1,000,000 and two for $500,000 — to the reconciliation list to allow flexibility during the budget process.

The committee recommended a $100,000 programmatic increase to implement a centralized grants tracking and reporting system; the packet provided a breakdown: $69,600 for 600 contractor hours at $116/hour and approximately $30,000 for yearly licensing for 100 users. Director Murphy said those resources are intended to help defend and manage the county’s approximately $300 million in federal grants and to improve resilience as federal funding flows change. The committee also discussed community grants and legacy renewals and expects a work group to convene this month to recommend future approaches; the committee approved the OGM executive recommendation by unanimous vote.