Richmond Human Services outlines $6.0 million in FY24 non‑departmental grants, council asks for clearer performance data

Tracy DeShazer, deputy chief administrative officer for human services, told the Organizational Development Standing Committee that the Human Services portion of the City of Richmond's Non Departmental Grants Program awarded 54 organizations in fiscal year 2024, with a median grant size of about $96,000 and total appropriations of $6,002,286.

DeShazer said the grants are “Human Services administered grants” and Dominic Beard, strategic projects and grants adviser, described them as “competitive one‑year grants,” intended to fill critical needs the city cannot meet at scale. Beard summarized the program’s application timeline and process: applications open about Oct. 1, close around Dec. 1, are routed through the Department of Budget, reviewed for eligibility, scored independently by two subject‑matter reviewers, reconciled by review teams, and then considered by administration leadership before inclusion in the mayor’s proposed budget.

The presentation outlined recent changes the department has made to the program. DeShazer said the application period has been lengthened, technical assistance sessions have been standardized, subject‑matter expert participation in review committees has increased, and review committee members will begin participating in site visits starting in FY25. Beard said the department has moved toward lump‑sum payments for small and medium grants and, in larger cases, two to four payments during the performance year to speed funds to nonprofit partners.

Council members pressed for more timely access to the report and for clearer, consolidated performance metrics. Councilwoman Gibson said she was “frustrated on behalf of the public” because the body was being asked to comment on a document made available to members for the first time at the meeting and said a packet attachment contained only a placeholder where the impact report should have been. Several members requested a single spreadsheet or digital table listing each grantee, award amount, performance targets and actuals, and basic outputs so the council can compare investments across organizations.

Vice President Dillard asked for a one‑page summary that lists “this is the organization, this is the dollar investment, this is how many Richmonders were served,” to allow the council to assess “bang for our buck.” DeShazer said those data appear in each organization’s pages in the packet and agreed to produce a consolidated, machine‑readable version. DeShazer and Beard also noted that the report covers only Human Services‑administered non‑departmental grants and does not include other city grant funds such as the Health Equity Trust Fund, the Positive Youth Development Fund, the Family Crisis Fund, or the Heart of Richmond program.

Interim Chief Administrative Officer Sabrina Joy Hogg told the committee the administration has discussed setting a cap for non‑departmental charitable funding and said, “We are more than happy to set a cap. We have been talking about setting a cap for the non‑d charitable organizations, but we have not gotten to that point yet.” Council members indicated interest in further discussion of a cap and in having a clearer budget framework for these competitive grants.

DeShazer said the non‑departmental program team is three people — Dominic Beard, LaSharon Benton and Darcel Jones — and that the department is coordinating with the Department of Budget and other subject‑matter staff for reviews and monitoring. The administration said it will follow up with individual council members, supply the requested consolidated spreadsheet, and make the full impact report electronically available for council review before additional committee or council action.