Jacksonville council hears concerns over proposed limits to Public Service Grants

Jacksonville City Council members and nonprofit leaders met April 18 to discuss proposed amendments to the city’s Public Service Grants (PSG) program, including a finance-committee compromise to lower the maximum award from $150,000 to $125,000 and a separate proposed limit of one PSG award per category for each applicant.

The discussion convened at 11 a.m. and was led by Council Member Raul Arias (District 11). Council Member Kevin Carico, vice president and District 4, and Council Member Chris Miller (At-Large Group 5) also participated. Dozens of nonprofit leaders and PSG volunteers described how changes would affect services for eviction defense, adult literacy, disability supports, food distribution and other basic needs.

Why it matters: PSG grants fund hundreds of small- and mid-sized nonprofit programs that supplement city services. Nonprofit leaders warned that lowering award sizes and restricting awards by category could reduce the number of clients served and force some programs to scale back or close. Council members signaled they would continue the discussion before final action.

Council and staff outlined the immediate proposals and the timetable. Council Member Miller said he originally proposed a lower cap and later accepted a compromise to reduce the $150,000 cap to $125,000 so the grant pool could reach more organizations. Vice President Kevin Carico said the $125,000 cap was intended to “service more smaller nonprofits by having that additional $25,000 allocated towards other smaller nonprofits.” Chris…