Interim committee hears roughly $13.3M in one‑time Millennium Fund requests for prevention programs; makes no decisions

The interim Millennium Fund committee met Dec. 17 to hear a series of one‑time funding requests from state and nonprofit presenters and took no votes on funding.

Chairman Burton Shaw opened the meeting by stressing that the Millennium Fund money being discussed is one‑time funding and that the committee is looking for proposals that can show sustainability and, where appropriate, statutory authority. The only formal action taken was approving the meeting minutes by voice vote.

Presenters and requests

Roger Sherman, executive director of the Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, asked the committee to approve a budget revision of $682,000 to support midsize grants ($10,000–$50,000) statewide for programs that prevent child abuse and support positive childhood experiences. Sherman described the trust fund’s statutory authority (created by the legislature in 1985) and said funds used by the Trust Fund include the federal Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant, an income‑tax designation, interest on the trust, and other public and private grants. “We fund community‑based organizations,” Sherman said, outlining a competitive grant process governed by a 10‑member board.

Royal Lockhart, division president of The Children’s Bridge (a project of Charity Reimagined), proposed a shared‑services model for childcare providers and requested $3,500,000 over four years to build infrastructure that Lockhart said would stabilize small providers, improve workforce retention and move the initiative toward a mix…