Santa Ana commission hears CDBG pitches from more than a dozen nonprofits; ad hoc to recommend allocations
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Summary
Commissioners heard presentations Feb. 24 from 15+ nonprofits seeking Community Development Block Grant funds for FY2026–2028, including requests ranging from $40,000 to $300,000. The ad hoc committee will score applications and make allocation recommendations on March 11 before forwarding to City Council.
The Santa Ana Community Development Commission on Feb. 24 heard hour‑long presentations from more than a dozen local nonprofits seeking Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for fiscal years 2026–2028 and did not make final allocation decisions at the meeting.
Nonprofits described programs focused on youth mentoring, college readiness, health‑care enrollment, domestic‑violence legal services, homelessness prevention and maternal‑infant supports. Claire Braeburn, executive director and cofounder of America on Track, outlined a long‑running mentoring and wraparound model for children of incarcerated parents and said the group has ‘‘been creating brighter futures for communities and youth right here in Santa Ana as well as throughout Orange County.’’ (Claire Braeburn). Georgina Maldonado of the Community Health Initiative of Orange County (CHEOC) warned that recent federal policy changes will increase disenrollment from Medi‑Cal and related programs and said CHEOC seeks $150,000 over two years to provide outreach, enrollment and retention services to 1,270 low‑income residents countywide.
Other requests included $75,000 from the Boys & Girls Club of Central Orange Coast to expand a College Bound program at Santa Ana sites, a $40,000 ask from Community Legal Aid SoCal to support a Domestic Violence Prevention Project serving 32 Santa Ana clients, and a $300,000, two‑year request from Human Options to embed a ride‑along advocate with the Santa Ana Police Department to provide on‑scene crisis support and follow‑up services. Presenters described measurable outcomes where available: the Boys & Girls Club reported 100% on‑time graduation for participating seniors last year; CHEOC reported enrolling about 5,000 lives countywide in 2025; Community Legal Aid asked to serve 32 high‑need clients with comprehensive legal advocacy.
Commissioners repeatedly encouraged applicants and ad hoc members to probe applications closely during the scoring process. A staff member (advice to commissioners) reminded the panel that it will recommend allocations that amount to roughly $1.2 million over two years and emphasized that the ad hoc committee’s work will be closely scrutinized: ‘‘the more questions you ask, the better’’ for making allocation decisions (Unidentified staff speaker).
No grant awards were finalized at the hearing. Commissioners noted the ad hoc committee will complete scoring and return to the commission with recommendations; one presenter said allocation decisions are scheduled to be finalized on March 11 before the matter advances to City Council (Unidentified speaker).
The commission’s next formal step is for the ad hoc committee to complete its scoring, produce funding recommendations and present them at the commission meeting scheduled on March 11. The commission heard no public comment on non‑agenda items and the meeting recorded routine procedural actions earlier in the agenda.
