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Helena Area Community Foundation proposes nonprofit capacity program for $100,000 homeless-solutions allocation
Summary
The Helena Area Community Foundation told commissioners it would use the City's $100,000 contingency allocation to assess and build nonprofit capacity, convene a cohort of service providers and preserve part of the funding for direct shelter work; commissioners and public commenters asked about partnerships and timeline.
The Helena Area Community Foundation (HACF) presented to the Helena City Commission on Aug. 13 a proposal to use a previously allocated $100,000 contingency fund to strengthen local nonprofit capacity to address homelessness and emergency shelter needs.
HACF Executive Director Emily Fruser told commissioners the foundation's proposal differs from a single shelter project: HACF would begin with readiness and capacity assessments across a wider group of nonprofits, then convene a cohort of approximately five to eight organizations for intensive capacity building in areas such as fundraising, financial systems and grant readiness. The work would then move into a program-design phase with partners to develop implementable emergency-shelter options.
Fruser said the proposal preserves half of the commission's $100,000 allocation for direct project implementation and intends to pursue additional matching funds. "We would start with assessments, and then we would like to convene a cohort of 5 to 8 nonprofits, probably 5, to do some intensive work" to scale services, she said.
Why it matters: City staff and commissioners have said the community needs winter emergency shelter options while local providers report limited capacity. HACF told the commission it focuses on building long-term capacity among under-resourced organizations and reducing competitive silos that can hinder coordinated responses.
Commission questions and public comment: Commissioners asked whether public-health and county agencies would participate. Fruser said HACF intends to involve a broader set of partners in the design phase, including public-health and housing authority partners, even though the initial readiness work would focus on nonprofits. Public commenter Brian Copeland, who identified himself as a community resource specialist and advocate, offered to collaborate on ground-level coordination and asked for contact information to pursue joint work.
Funding and next steps: City staff confirmed the $100,000 remains in the city's budget carryovers for fiscal 2026 and that any allocation to HACF would require an agreement with benchmarks and reporting. HACF said it would include incentive payments for participating nonprofits to offset the costs of participation. Commissioners did not vote on the proposal at the meeting; staff said the funding was carried into next fiscal year for possible appropriation and would require an agreement before funds are released.
Ending: HACF requested time for follow-up questions and said it would help convene local partners to move from assessment to practical shelter options before winter months.
