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San Antonio staff recommend eight-month extension, $9.7 million designation for FY26 human-services grants
Summary
City staff told the City Council they plan to extend competitive human-service grants through May 31, 2026, and to designate roughly $9.7 million in FY26 for programs including after-school services, while asking the council for additional review and community feedback this fall.
San Antonio City staff proposed extending the city’s consolidated human-services competitive awards through May 31, 2026, and recommended designating about $9.7 million in the proposed fiscal 2026 budget for programs including after-school services and several community partners.
The recommendation, presented March 19 during the council’s Session B review, would give the council an extra eight months of program continuity while staff and councilmembers reassess priorities, performance measures and the city’s competitive review process ahead of a fuller discussion in the fall Session B. Staff said the extension is intended to provide nonprofits more certainty during a period of federal and local funding shifts.
Melanie, a Department of Human Services staff member who delivered the presentation, said the city is “recommending extending competitive awards through May 2026” to allow more time for evaluation and council input. Erick, a city staff member who led the meeting’s introductions, said staff will return to the council in the fall for a Session B focused on outcomes, priorities and any proposed revisions to contract terms and performance measures.
Staff described the consolidated process as a longstanding mechanism (implemented in fiscal 2005) to coordinate and target city investments in nonprofit social services. For fiscal 2026 staff pointed to a proposed $9.7 million designation in the draft budget to support programs such as after-school services and named partners; staff recommended competitive awards be extended to allow the council to weigh additional feedback before issuing a new request for proposals.
Councilmembers pressed staff on several operational details. Members asked for clearer metrics and fewer, more targeted performance measures; expressed concern that an eight-month contract extension may complicate nonprofits’ annual budgeting; and urged staff to prioritize homelessness services, caregiver supports and workforce pathways for direct-service staff. Councilmembers asked staff to provide a list of which private and public partners are supplying complementary services and to work with the city’s youth data partner to align outcome metrics.
Staff said they will continue surveying and meeting with nonprofit providers and will deliver a refined timeline: adopt the fiscal 2026 budget, hold a Session B this fall to gather council feedback, post a request for proposals by December and allow the extended awards to run through May 31, 2026. No formal vote on the recommendation was recorded during the session.
Councilmembers and staff agreed to reduce burdensome reporting where possible, coordinate with community review committees and return later with a refined set of performance measures and a clearer timeline for RFP issuance.
