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Nevada County CCP weighs longer funding, liability protections for innovation grants
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Summary
Nevada County’s Community Corrections Partnership discussed whether short-term ‘innovation’ seed grants should require sustainability plans or transition into longer contracts, and raised liability questions for programs such as the Paws animal-care initiative.
Jeff Goldman, Nevada County chief probation officer, led a discussion about the CCP’s innovation fund on Jan. 8, saying the fund was intended as one-year seed money to test promising programs but asking what should happen if a program succeeds.
Members debated three practical paths: keep one-year seed grants and require returning to request further funds; extend initial awards to multi-year terms (for example, three years); or build a process for successful projects to be absorbed into regular CCP funding or department contracts. Goldman suggested adding a sustainability component to applications so reviewers can score long-run viability.
Bridal Gruber, director of the county Health and Human Services Agency, urged realistic expectations about ongoing CCP funding and said scoring proposals on clear sustainability plans would help prioritize initiatives that could be sustained by CalAIM, other grants or local funding. Christy Thompson, women’s coordinator for Project Heart, and other nonprofit-affiliated members recommended that applicants outline future revenue sources and partnerships as part of proposals.
Attendees also raised legal and administrative questions about how the county handles liability when a program moves from a one-time grant to a contracted service. One participant described the Paws program—where participants temporarily care for animals—and asked who would be responsible if an animal became ill or died while in the program. Members said Paws uses participant waivers and carries insurance, but emphasized that contracting versus grant arrangements carry different insurance and oversight requirements.
Goldman and others noted that the county’s auditor and contracting offices have previously contrasted requirements for grant administration and for county contracts, and that some liability exposures can change depending on whether the CCP administers the funds as a grant or if the county establishes a service contract with additional insurance conditions. The group agreed to gather more information on current fund balances and to consider adding explicit sustainability and liability requirements to future innovation-fund solicitations.
The CCP did not take a formal vote on any change to fund structure at the meeting; members directed staff to prepare budget and fund-balance information for the next meeting to inform further decisions.
