Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City awards $5,000 public-service grant to End It Corporation amid questions about low applicant turnout
Summary
The commission approved a $5,000 public service agency (PSA) grant to End It Corporation but several commissioners criticized staff outreach after only two complete applications were received from 24 starters; grants staff said the new online platform and stringent CDBG/HUD requirements may have deterred applicants.
The Fort Pierce City Commission on July 7 approved a public-service agency grant award of up to $5,000 to End It Corporation, while commissioners pressed staff about why so few nonprofits completed applications for the funding.
Commissioner Johnson had pulled the item from the consent agenda to ask staff why the competitive process produced just one award. Grants manager Danella Clark told the commission the PSA opportunity was advertised in December 2024 and the application window ran for 30 days. She said 24 applicants started the online application but only two completed and turned in full submissions; 22 applicants did not complete the process.
Grants staff said they posted the solicitation on the city’s social media and website, shared it at the St. Lucie Roundtable and extended the opening period. Kimberly Hinton, reporting and grant specialist, said staff also personally reached out to several social-service agencies and held outreach through local councils but still saw low completion rates. Staff suggested the switch to a new online application platform may have intimidated some applicants and that stringent Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program requirements can complicate submissions.
Commissioner Johnson and others said they were “disheartened” by the low completion rate and urged better front-end training and in-person workshops to help nonprofit applicants navigate the online system, rather than relying on back-end assistance. Staff said they had done phone follow-ups and email outreach and that unallocated PSA funds were used by the city’s leisure services division to run summer youth programming.
The commission voted 5-0 to approve the grant award to End It Corporation in an amount not to exceed $5,000 (roll-call vote recorded: Broderick, Gaines, Johnson, Taylor and Mayor Hudson voting yes). Several commissioners asked staff to review outreach methods and consider in-person or hands-on application training before the next funding cycle.
Grants staff also noted that CDBG rules require certain eligibility characteristics — including service to low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents and census-tract limitations — and that meeting those federal guidelines can narrow the pool of eligible applicants.
