Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants And Budgeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Delaware County grant authority debates 2025 spending plan, weighs deeper support for longtime partners
Summary
At its January meeting the Delaware County Grant Authority discussed a tentative 2025 budget and grant strategy, debating whether to accelerate grantmaking, designate larger "special" grants for longtime partners and plan for census-related needs in 2029.
The Delaware County Grant Authority on Jan. 15, 2025, discussed a tentative 2025 budget and whether to move more money into grants this year rather than leave a large year-end balance.
Board members said the authority begins the year with a registered balance of about $537,388.21 and reviewed a December 2024 bank statement showing total expenditures of $150,190.30, interest earned of $919.16 and net revenue of $149,192.14. The meeting included detailed discussion of how much the authority should distribute across operating costs, categorical grants and special grants.
The debate centered on whether to “move money out the door” faster. One board member said, “We should be getting more money out the door,” and urged aiming to distribute roughly $1.2 million to $1.3 million over the year so the authority would not end the year with a larger balance than it started with.
Other members pushed back that spreading funds across many small grants can be less impactful than increasing awards to proven, multiyear partners. One participant recommended elevating several existing grantees to special-grant status, naming Public Defenders Fund, Share Food, the Literacy Council, Be Proud, Delco Arts Day, Delco Gives Day and the Chester-based Making a Change Foundation as potential candidates for larger awards.
Board members discussed cash-flow timing: the authority typically receives quarterly payments and was not likely to deploy substantial funds in the first quarter unless an RFP yielded proposals quickly. Several members said recent changes — including an electronic payment option and a plan to streamline grant agreements so award notifications can be conditional upon county council approval — should speed disbursements and cut delays caused by mailed checks.
A member also proposed establishing a long-term “census” fund or, at minimum, signaling in grant agreements that recipients must participate in Delaware County’s 2029 census work. The member said underinvestment ahead of the 2030 census risks losing state and federal dollars tied to an accurate count and urged early planning.
The authority directed members to send category and special-grant recommendations to staff member Andrew so he can compile them for the next budget draft. The board did not take a formal vote on the budget at this meeting.
The solicitor reported he will draft a document-retention policy and work on language for a conditional grant agreement to present at the next meeting. The solicitor also reminded members about the annual statement-of-financial-interest filing window (based on 2024 information and due April 30, 2025) and offered to send the online filing link from the state Department/Secretary of State’s site.
Members also noted operational items such as bank fees that appear to have been charged twice in recent statements and asked staff to follow up with the bank and with Treasurer Nelson.
Looking ahead, board members agreed to prioritize larger, multi-municipal or countywide organizations for deeper support while retaining smaller arts and culture and grassroots grant opportunities, and to address cash flow and administrative capacity so the authority can scale grantmaking without losing a reserve needed for unforeseen needs.
