Roseville Grants Advisory Commission holds applicant workshop as funds shrink; $284,710 available from Citizens Benefit Fund
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Summary
At a Jan. 14 workshop the Roseville Grants Advisory Commission outlined eligibility, documentation and scoring for the 2025 Citizens Benefit Fund cycle, warned applicants of a reduced pool of $284,710 following the end of ARPA/REACH contributions, and approved final report questions and a post‑application survey.
The Roseville Grants Advisory Commission held an applicant workshop on Jan. 14, 2025, to walk nonprofit and school applicants through eligibility, required documents, scoring and deadlines for the 2025 Citizens Benefit Fund (CBF) grant cycle. Chair Neva Parker told attendees the commission has $284,710 to distribute this cycle and reviewed the fund's origin and history.
"We want to make sure applicants understand what funds are available, how to apply, clarify a few points, and most importantly, answer your questions," Chair Neva Parker said, opening the presentation. Parker reminded attendees that the CBF was established in 1993 from proceeds of the sale of the city‑owned Roseville Community Hospital and that the fund has historically supported local nonprofit work.
Commissioners and staff emphasized that available funds are smaller this year because (1) the employee charitable 'REACH' contribution was not available and (2) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds are no longer available. Staff described three funding categories applicants must select on their applications: one‑time strategic grants (capital or new initiatives), operational/mission grants (ongoing programs) and small requests up to $10,000.
Staff reviewed eligibility and documentation requirements: applicants must be 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofits (and certain private school‑based nonprofit associations may be eligible in limited circumstances), maintain a current City of Roseville business license to contract with the city, and upload required forms in ZoomGrants. New this year, a Levine Act form must be signed by an authorized representative and included in ZoomGrants. Capital expenditure requests require documented quotes: individual items or projects of $500–$3,999 accept telephone or online quotes, while requests of $4,000 and above require three written bids.
The commission reiterated submission deadlines and the review timeline: applications open Dec. 2, 2024; all applications must be submitted via ZoomGrants by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025; staff will check completeness in February; commissioners will review and score applications in March; the commission will discuss funding recommendations on April 8; and the City Council will make final award decisions in May or June. Grant checks are scheduled to be presented Aug. 12, 2025.
Staff warned applicants that commissioners rely solely on submitted materials and cannot request additional information during the scoring process; applicants were urged to include a budget narrative and to attach current RF‑1 filings and Secretary of State registration evidence where required. Technical tips included using a shared organizational email for ZoomGrants and composing long answers offline to avoid timeouts.
During public Q&A, several nonprofit representatives raised concerns about the smaller fund and asked whether the city could identify new revenue streams. Mary Tess Mayo, executive director of Blue Line Arts, said she understood funding was reduced and asked whether the city had plans to "help grow the fund in the future," given increased nonprofit demand. Staff responded that development impact fees are typically legally restricted for specific purposes and therefore are not an automatic source for the grants fund; staff and commissioners agreed to relay community feedback to the city manager and to note the concern when they present funding recommendations to council.
Commissioners also addressed reporting and post‑award requirements. The commission approved the FY24/25 final report questions after discussing whether two questions overlapped; commissioners concluded the current questions distinguish program accomplishments from measurement tools and adopted them. The commission also voted to use the same three‑question post‑application survey used last cycle to solicit brief applicant feedback.
Procedural actions taken during the meeting included adoption of the Nov. 12, 2024 minutes, approval of the final report questions and approval of the post‑application survey; all motions were passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Chair Parker introduced the new youth commissioner, Daniel Zeman, who said he is a junior at Wood Creek High School and will participate with full voting rights.
The commission closed by confirming next steps and scheduling: staff expects to distribute application packages to commissioners in early March for scoring, with deliberations in April; commissioners noted calendar constraints around Cesar Chavez Day. Staff offered to provide ZoomGrants training to the youth commissioner. The commission adjourned at approximately 6:34 p.m.; the next meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2025.
This account is based solely on the commission's Jan. 14, 2025 meeting transcript; where speakers were unnamed in the transcript, statements are reported without individual attribution.
