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Big Buddy urges continued support as workforce program funding tightens
Summary
Big Buddy staff told the council the nonprofit serves more than 1,400 youth and that mayor’s youth workforce experience (MiWay) costs roughly $3,500 per youth; the group said proposed 2026 support of $80,000 (ARP interest) will sustain mentoring matches but not the MiWay stipend program and requested continued council help finding funding.
Miss Mack, representing Big Buddy, presented the nonprofit’s program portfolio and funding needs to council. She described three core services: one‑on‑one mentoring, extended learning (after‑school, summer and holiday programs), and a workforce development program (MiWay, the mayor’s youth workforce experience). She said Big Buddy serves about 1,400 youth overall and about 500 youth per day in its programs.
Mack said Big Buddy’s 2025 MiWay expansion served roughly 300 youth through a mix of funding sources totaling about $670,000; she said roughly 47% of that funding went directly to youth stipends and about 45% to staff, transportation and programmatic costs. Mack said the average cost to deliver the eight‑week workforce program is about $3,097 per youth after partner contributions.
For 2026 the organization was told the city proposes to allocate $80,000 (ARP interest earnings line) to Big Buddy; Mack said that amount would maintain year‑round mentoring matches at two middle schools (Glen Oaks and North Dale) and some holiday programming but would not cover the mayor’s youth workforce experience stipends. Council members expressed appreciation and said they would seek ways to find funding, flagging the program’s value as preventive investment compared with incarceration costs.
Councilmembers raised questions about potential overlap with other nonprofit and community center programs and asked staff to compare program outcomes and funding lines; Mack said Big Buddy provided evaluative measures in the packet and welcomed coordination among nonprofits to avoid duplication and maximize capacity.
