Scotts Valley council approves $50,000 in community grants; Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Club among recipients

The Scotts Valley City Council voted unanimously to award $50,000 in community grants for fiscal year 2024–25, approving a slate of nonprofit recipients and two small-business grants for autism certification training.

City Manager Molly Legault presented staff's recommendations, saying, “I'm really happy to be here to present to you staff's recommendations for the fiscal year 24 25 community grant program.” The council approved the package as recommended by the grant-review panel and authorized the city manager to execute contracts.

Why it matters: The awards support local services for children, seniors and residents with disabilities at a moment when many nonprofits face funding uncertainty. The council allocated $50,000 in the FY24–25 budget; applicants requested about $113,000. The approved awards distribute the available funds across multiple local programs rather than fully funding all applicants.

What the council approved: The review panel recommended funding eight nonprofit projects (listed below) and two small-business grants to support pursuit of autism-certification training. The panel ranked proposals on eligibility, program content and financial criteria; the panelists included a community representative and three staff members. The council approved the panel's recommendations without alteration.

Recipients and purposes (recommended awards as presented by staff): - Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair (fiscal sponsor: Scotts Valley Education Foundation) — event support for a community cultural festival. - Hospice of Santa Cruz County — Camp Aaron bereavement program for youth ages 7–17. - Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired — low- or no-cost vision rehabilitation services for local residents. - Boys & Girls Club of Santa Cruz County (Joe and Linda Aliberte Clubhouse) — facility improvements and purchase of an automated external defibrillator (AED). - Monarch Services — crisis intervention, emergency shelter and related services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. - Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County — community conflict-management and de-escalation training. - Dientes Community Dental Care — support for low-cost or free oral health care for children, adults and seniors. - Community Bridges (Meals on Wheels) — partial funding to support meal deliveries to Scotts Valley seniors; staff noted this award was reduced because it was the last recommended item before the panel reached the $50,000 allocation.

Small-business autism-certification grants (recommended): Kumon of Scotts Valley and the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce requested support to pursue autism-certification training for front-line staff and volunteers. The chamber asked to certify roughly 33 people (board, ambassadors and front-facing staff) and to use certification as a model for other local businesses.

Applicant demand and limits: Grant applicants submitted requests totaling about $113,000; two autism-certification proposals requested a little over $5,000 combined. Because the city budgeted $50,000 for the program this year, not all requests could be funded. Staff included an alternative recommendation in the report that would reallocate funds to prioritize more autism-certification grants, but the council accepted the review panel's recommended distribution and directed staff to finalize contracts.

Public comment: Several applicants spoke in support of their proposals. Dana Wagner, program director for Meals on Wheels (Community Bridges), told the council the program delivered “over 5,300 meals to Scotts Valley Seniors last fiscal year” and said city funding would allow provision of “over 1,600 meals to Scotts Valley residents or 30% of city senior needs.” Lee (Lehi) Dubois, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, described recent facility improvements supported by prior city funding and said the requested funds would pay for interior painting and an AED.

Vote: The motion to approve the FY24–25 community grant awardees as recommended by the review committee passed unanimously (5–0). The council authorized the city manager to execute grant agreements in a form acceptable to the city attorney.

What comes next: Staff will return signed grant agreements and begin disbursing funds. City staff also noted the option of continuing or expanding the autism-certification business grant program in the next fiscal year.