Small-business center, children's counselors, senior services and legal aid make FY26 funding pitches to Fluvanna supervisors

Fluvanna County supervisors heard presentations Jan. 22 from five regional nonprofit providers describing services in the county and, in most cases, asking the board for operating support during the next budget cycle.

The Central Virginia Small Business Development Center asked the board to fund its local services with $17,634 for fiscal 2026. Rosie Beachy, assistant director of the Central Virginia SBDC, told supervisors the office met with about 80 unique Fluvanna clients in 2024 and that the county ask is calculated at 61 cents per resident. “Our ask this evening is to provide $17,634, to support the efforts that we do in Fluvanna County,” Beachy said.

The children-and-family nonprofit Ready Kids asked for $3,280 for fiscal 2026, a roughly 13% increase the organization said would cover rising costs for staff training, materials, transportation and direct-service salaries. Amy Troyer, grants and relationships manager, said Ready Kids served about 5,000 children and families across the region in 2024 and that Fluvanna residents made up almost 6% of beneficiaries; she told the board 66 Fluvanna children and teens received free counseling last year.

Jefferson Area services for older adults — presented by representatives of the Jefferson Area Board for Aging — described congregate meals, a home-delivered meal program and respite and caregiver support that currently operate in Fluvanna. The agency said it provided almost 5,000 home-delivered meals to county residents in the most recent year and expects to expand a congregate-meal site at Cunningham United Methodist Church. The presenters said they are not seeking an increase in county support this year and will absorb planned program changes within current funding.

The Legal Aid Justice Center outlined legal and enrollment work for low-income residents, including assistance with disability benefits, Medicaid and medical-debt relief. Robert Wadden, a Legal Aid navigator, told the board the organization helped more than 50 Fluvanna residents last year with housing, benefit and debt matters and said its advocacy had restored “over $99,000 in direct monetary awards, debts eliminated and assets protected.” Legal Aid did not present a dollar request at the meeting but asked to continue local enrollment and outreach activity.

The Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District asked for continued local support so the district can keep bringing state cost-share funding to Fluvanna landowners. Executive Director Anne Coates said that since 1998 the district has secured more than $2.7 million in cost-share for Fluvanna landowners, paid out about $440,000 to local farmers last year and supported more than 37 miles of stream protection and about 754 acres of riparian buffer. She described that local funding helps the district retain staff who can win state grant dollars.

Why this matters: The nonprofit presentations came as the county prepares for the FY26 budget season. County staff told the board the county administrator’s proposed budget presentation will be delivered in mid-February; supervisors said they will consider these funding requests during the budget review process.

Speakers who addressed the board included the local SBDC and business-advising staff, representatives from Ready Kids and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging, Legal Aid staff and the Thomas Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District. Their remarks, program snapshots and the dollar requests they filed with county staff will be part of budget deliberations.

Board schedule: County staff said the administrator’s proposed FY26 budget will be presented to the board during February budget work sessions, and supervisors asked staff to include the nonprofit requests in that calendar.