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County staff and vision committee recommend $1M in Community Partnership Program grants; competition outstrips funds
Summary
The Community Partnership Program (CPP) received 30 applications for roughly $3.47 million in requests; staff and the vision committee recommended funding 12 organizations with a combined $1,000,000 allocation drawn from general funds, noting strong competition and a large funding gap.
HCD and the vision committee presented recommended awards under the Community Partnership Program (CPP) on March 11. The competitive CPP uses general funds to support community nonprofits doing work aligned with ACCGov's strategic plan; the vision committee ranked and vetted applications and presented a prioritized list to staff for commission review.
HCD said the CPP was conceived to replace a less‑transparent agency funding model and that the FY 25 budget included roughly $1.0 million for CPP grants. For FY 26 the program drew substantial interest: 31 applications were submitted for approximately $3.6 million in requests (one applicant later withdrew). The vision committee used a 100‑point rubric weighted heavily toward expected outcomes (45 points) and financial capacity.
The vision committee recommended funding 12 applicants in ranked order to match the $1,000,000 available. Recommended full or partial awards included Athens Area Diaper Bank ($50,000), Athens Area Homeless Shelter (shelter operations; recommended at full request), Sparrow's Nest (day‑services program), Downtown Ministries (community kitchen; partial award recommended), United Way 211 (full), Acceptance Recovery Center (partial), Books for Keeps (partial), Athens Land Trust (Young Urban Builders), Salvation Army (partial), and Family Promise (partial), among others. Several high‑priority requests were repeat recipients from the prior year; staff said eight of the top 12 applicants had been funded the prior round.
Commissioners pressed for applicant performance information and the vision committee's scoring; HCD said performance reports and application summaries are provided as attachments to the agenda and that staff is building dashboards to improve transparency. Commissioners discussed sustainability and capacity building for smaller applicants; HCD noted a separate capacity‑building program (funded with ARPA) had helped several smaller nonprofits apply this year.
Staff plans to publish the recommended awards for public review, bring the item before the commission for a vote (expected April 1 or April 15 agenda scheduling), and initiate contracting upon approval so funded programs can begin July 1, 2025.
