Wake County Seeks Feedback on Community Capital Grant Process; $7 million expected for FY26

Jason Horton of the county manager’s office briefed the Board of Commissioners July 9 on plans to launch the FY26 community capital competitive process and asked commissioners for feedback on the application criteria and priority areas. Horton said staff are not asking the board to appropriate funds at this meeting but requested direction on process details so staff can issue the request for proposals.

Horton said the county expects to offer roughly $7 million for the next competitive cycle, the same amount awarded in FY24. He said those funds have been provided in prior cycles largely through one-time proceeds from the Wake County ABC Board and that the county shifted to that revenue approach in 2022 to have funds on hand more frequently than the previous once-in-several-years cadence. Horton said staff generally aim to be “some of the last dollars in” on a project and to keep the county share under 50 percent of total project cost; staff typically used about a 40 percent county cost share in the last process.

Horton reviewed two applicant tracks. The Impact Fund is intended for smaller, newer or emerging nonprofits (examples: organizations with 25 or fewer FTEs and three-year revenue under $2.5 million) and has a maximum county award around $200,000 that would cover up to 40 percent of eligible capital costs; applicants must submit a five-year operating plan demonstrating sustainability. The Community Capital track is intended for larger capital projects with a minimum eligible project size (projects generally above $100,000), a requested county share around 40 percent and a requested operating plan for 10 years; Horton said the largest award in the last cycle was about $1 million.

Staff outlined evaluation criteria used previously—unmet community need, alignment with county strategic priorities, realistic budgets, organizational capacity and partnerships—and described an optional “applicant presentation” step for finalists. In FY24 staff awarded 12 projects from 16 applicants and noted seven of the funded projects are complete; staff said remaining projects are larger new-construction efforts that are still working through municipal zoning and development approvals. Horton also said the evaluation panel will include county program staff from multiple departments, budget/grants staff and an external partner who previously received funding.

Commissioners provided process feedback rather than changing funding amounts. Several asked that staff consider childcare and reentry services among priority areas and suggested reviewing alignment with the county’s newly adopted strategic plan. Horton said the more priorities the board lists for bonus points, the less discriminatory such a bonus becomes, and he warned that expanding eligibility or priority lists will increase application demand and competition for the same pot of money. Commissioners asked about outreach: Horton said staff maintain and will expand a contact list of nonprofits and will refer smaller applicants to capacity-building partners when needed. Horton said tentative next steps are to post the RFP in mid-July, hold presubmittal meetings, set an application due date in early September and return with staff recommendations in November for board consideration in December or early next year.

Several commissioners praised the program's accessibility and asked staff to return with an example of how past awards aligned with board goals/strategic plan. Horton said staff will provide additional materials and asked commissioners to submit any proposed changes to the bonus-priority list to the chair within a week for staff consideration before issuing the RFP.