Richmond Rising partners outline progress, budgets and annual-report timeline ahead of Strategic Growth Council submission

Beatriz Guerrero, city project manager for Richmond Rising, told the collaborative stakeholder committee on July 9 that “the city of Richmond and 6 local organizations together known as Richmond Rising received $35,000,000 to bring health, economic, and environmental benefits to the Iron Triangle, Santa Fe, and Coronado neighborhoods.”

The committee — a convening group that provides guidance but not final decision-making authority — heard budget and program updates from project leads and the city’s project analyst, Matthias. Partners reported combined expenditures and remaining budgets across multiple projects and were given next steps for preparing the annual report and the leverage report to the Strategic Growth Council (SGC).

Why it matters: Richmond Rising is a Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) award intended to pair climate, health and economic investments in three Richmond neighborhoods. The annual and leverage reports compile project milestones, spending, and the partner organizations’ committed matching funds; the city must submit them to SGC by September and plans a City Council presentation in October.

Key points and next steps - The city and partners are compiling a leverage report that will document at least $17.5 million in additional, committed funding required under the TCC grant. Matthias said partners should document spending, the purpose of each expense, and supporting receipts or contracts for verification. - The city is also preparing a two-slide presentation template for each project (one slide of highlights and budget numbers, one slide with photos) for a planned council briefing likely in October. Matthias asked partners to indicate whether a representative can present in person. - UC Berkeley’s indicator-tracking work is up to date on the Richmond Rising website but has encountered state reimbursement complications tied to university tuition remission. The city and UC Berkeley are addressing the issue with SGC guidance and submitting requested documentation for invoice review. - The city and partners will circulate shared documents and spreadsheets by the end of the following week for partners to populate milestone and expenditure fields.

Expenditures reported by partners (as presented) - City (grantee administration and active-transportation work): expenditures reported $341,000; remaining budget $351,000. - Neighborhood Complete Streets (city/public works): expenditures reported $95,000; remaining budget roughly $5.08 million. - Trust for Public Land (Richmond Wellness Trail): expenditures reported $250,000; remaining budget $4,500,000. - Rich City Rides / ebike lending-related activities: expenditures reported $202,107; remaining budget $2,200,000. - Grid Alternatives (Resilient Homes): expenditures reported $818,000; remaining budget ~$1,480,148. - Urban Tilth (multiple projects): expenditures reported $772,000; remaining budget about $2,400,000. - UC Berkeley (indicator tracking): expenditures reported $403,000; remaining budget $666,000. (Each project lead provided detail-level line items to partners in the meeting materials.)

Matthias asked partners to populate the annual report sections that apply to their projects and to provide photos for council slides. He said the annual report’s written questions include milestones achieved, lessons learned, administrative challenges and leverage-project status. The leverage report is an Excel file where partners must list dollars spent and attach proof of expenditures.

Discussion, public input and timeline Committee members asked for clarity on deadlines and the council presentation format. Matthias said the annual and leverage reports are due to SGC by September and that the council briefing will likely be scheduled in October; the city will email shared documents and templates to partners within a week.

Ending note Matthias and city staff said they will provide email reminders and are available to help partners assemble required supporting documentation prior to the September submission window.