Montgomery County committee presses executive for clear plan after competitive community grants leave nonprofits uncertain

Chair Stewart and members of the Montgomery County Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee urged the County Executive’s office to deliver a written strategic plan after a competitive FY24 community grants process left many local nonprofits unsure of funding prospects.

The committee heard a staff briefing from the Office of Grants Management that described the FY24 competition as unusually competitive — with an average winning score of 98.18 out of 100 — and outlined the executive branch’s intent to provide short-term support for legacy recipients while the county refines its grant strategy. Rafael Camiller, director of the Office of Grants Management, told the committee the county found leftover FY24 and FY25 funds to give one additional year of funding to about 102 legacy organizations, totaling roughly $4.7 million, and that the county intends to continue three‑year multiyear grants for newly awarded community grantees pending council appropriation and satisfactory performance.

The committee’s concern centered on stability and timing. Chair Stewart said, “I cannot go to a community meeting without some nonprofit or group in our community asking us, what are we doing with our community grants?” and later pressed officials that “we're gonna need a plan yesterday” given uncertainty among service providers. Members repeatedly asked for a concrete, public timeline, more transparency about how legacy recipients were selected for renewals, and how the county will assess whether individual programs should move into departmental base budgets.

Why it matters: nonprofit partners told council members the county’s protracted grant process makes planning difficult and threatens service continuity for residents who rely on those programs. Committee members said the executive branch’s written strategic plan…