Funding Review Advisory Committee hears city and nonprofit leaders on human-services funding crunch

Columbus — City staff and nonprofit leaders told the Funding Review Advisory Committee on Oct. 25 that demand for human-services has risen sharply while federal pandemic funding and some grant streams are ending, leaving local leaders to consider new revenue and program approaches.

Hannah Jones, deputy director of community development for the city Department of Development, described changes the city has made to its grant programs — including moving from a $5,000,000 annual bed-tax allocation to $10,000,000 and shifting to three-year, flexible operating grants — and said the city is emphasizing trust-based investments and programs like Accelerate and Elevate to provide more flexible operational support.

The comments mattered because the nonprofit sector provides a large share of social services in Columbus and Franklin County and is warning of an immediate shortfall if federal support shrinks. Michael Kory, executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, told the committee his organization represents more than 220 nonprofits and that demand for services has jumped 72% since January. He said many member organizations reported they cannot meet current demand and that multiple federal policy changes could further reduce funding.

Jones said the city’s competitive grant process began in 2015 and has evolved: earlier…