Black Hills Council says it helped secure $6 million for Lawrence County projects in 2024

Jennifer Seitzman, executive director of the Black Hills Council, presented the council’s draft 2024 performance report to the Lawrence County commissioners and asked for feedback before the report is finalized.

Seitzman said the council prepared 60 grant applications in 2024 that resulted in $46,588,891 in outside funding; she also said the council secured $6,000,000 for projects located in Lawrence County in 2024 and noted $288,001.94 in direct funding to members. She described the council’s services — application preparation, mapping for emergency services, assistance with federal grant system registration and administration of cooperative agreements — and summarized staffing and funding: 86% of the council’s 2024 expenses were personnel costs and about 23.5% of its revenue came from member dues.

Seitzman noted a recent merger between a local community development organization and Ally Dakota Development, which expanded loan capacity; she also reviewed the council’s loan fund activity and stated the council administered 86 separate contracts involving Davis-Bacon requirements. She invited commissioners to flag errors in the draft, noting one blank page to be removed and that some board member listings reflect 2024 membership.

Why it matters: Black Hills Council provides technical assistance and grant-writing services that can stretch local government dollars by obtaining state and federal funds and by providing project administration support. Seitzman’s figures provide a basis for commissioners to evaluate county membership value and consider future budget allocations.

Next steps: Commissioners said they would submit any corrections to the draft; Seitzman will incorporate comments and finalize the report.