Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board debates budget strategy, prioritizing larger special grants and census preparedness
Summary
Members discussed a tentative 2025 budget and grant strategy, with differing views on whether to increase the number of grants or deepen funding to a smaller set of multi-year partners. One member proposed creating a reserve for the 2030 census; others urged spending more of the current funds this year.
At the Jan. 15 meeting of the Foundation for Delaware County, board members discussed a tentative 2025 grant budget and diverging approaches to spending the authority—s funds. The board did not vote on the tentative budget; members were asked to send category and recipient recommendations to staff for compilation.
The discussion centered on how quickly the authority should distribute funds and whether to prioritize many small grants or larger, multiyear commitments to established partners. One board member (Vince) said he would prefer to "grow and deepen" relationships with long-standing nonprofit partners and proposed raising funding levels for several named partners, including a suggested increase for the public-defenders fund and for established providers of food, literacy and community programs. Another member argued the authority should move a larger share of funds out the door this year so the authority does not end 2025 with a higher balance than it began the year with.
Board members proposed a compromise approach: continue the four traditional categories of grantmaking and identify a subset of organizations within those categories to receive larger, special grants. Members asked staff (Andrew) to compile recommendations submitted individually by board members and to adjust budget categories accordingly. The chair and other members noted cash-flow timing matters: without issuing a request for proposals in February and receiving proposals and county-council approvals in the spring, much grant activity may not occur in the first quarter.
Board members also discussed operational costs and administrative vendors (e.g., QuickBooks, Course Vector), noting operating expenses represent a relatively small share of projected revenues. Concerns were raised about outstanding grantee paperwork and the speed of payments; the board instructed staff to continue following up with organizations that had not returned agreements and to pursue electronic payment options to improve cash flow.
Several members raised longer-term planning items. One member proposed establishing a census fund to set aside resources and infrastructure support for the 2030 census effort, arguing that inadequate census preparations could have significant fiscal consequences for the county. Other members suggested conditioning current multi-year grants on recipients' participation in future census outreach efforts.
The board did not adopt a final budget at the meeting. Members agreed to submit written recommendations about categories and special-grant recipients to Andrew for consolidation and to continue the budget discussion at an upcoming meeting.
