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 of earned income and partnership revenue. Lockhart described a three‑tier model (stabilization, sustainability, facilitated access to benefits) and said the model is provider‑led to preserve local control.

Nancy Windmill, representing the Idaho Safety and Assessment Center Coalition and serving as executive director of Simply Help Family Outreach, described youth assessment centers that divert young people from ERs, court or school exclusion and said the network served thousands of youth. Windmill requested $1,000,000 in Millennium Fund grants to sustain core services and help centers expand clinical staffing and prevention programming; she said the centers are coordinating with state partners to identify an appropriate oversight entity for ongoing funding and accountability. Windmill also cited independent analysis she said shows more than $3 in benefit for every $1 invested in similar interventions.

Sonia Howerton, executive director of the Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, requested a one‑time appropriation of $3,000,001 to support 10 children’s advocacy centers (about $291,000 per center). Howerton explained CACs provide coordinated forensic interviews and case management and referenced Idaho Code section 16 1602 describing the model.

Ross Edmonds, representing the Department of Health and Welfare, asked the committee to fund a tenth recovery community center (Upper River Youth Leadership Council in Kamiah) with $150,000. Edmonds said nine existing recovery centers currently receive $150,000 annually under last year’s Senate language (Senate Bill 1215) and that DHW now passes funds through and monitors quarterly performance and statutory criteria.

Representative Jordan Redmond proposed a research‑driven, one‑time $5,000,000 statewide drug‑use awareness campaign to be administered through the Office of Drug Policy. The plan would begin with a state survey to guide messaging and use a “surround sound” media mix across broadcast, linear cable and digital platforms with built‑in evaluation metrics for impressions, reach and frequency.

Committee questions and common themes

Committee members uniformly praised the prevention focus but repeatedly raised concerns about long‑term sustainability and oversight. Lawmakers asked presenters to explain how services would be sustained when one‑time Millennium Fund dollars end, how proposals interact with existing state or federal funding streams (for example ICCP, Idaho STARS or earlier COVID grants), and what accountability measures would ensure effective use of funds. Presenters generally said they are negotiating with state partners (DHW, IDJC, Office of Drug Policy, DFM) to clarify oversight and to propose statutory language where appropriate.

Numbers and clarifications recorded in the meeting

- Roger Sherman proposed $682,000 for midsize grants ($10,000–$50,000) to expand community‑based prevention efforts. - Royal Lockhart requested $3,500,000 over four years for The Children’s Bridge shared‑services initiative. - Nancy Windmill requested $1,000,000 in grant funding for assessment centers and described a network of assessment sites; the transcript includes inconsistent numeric phrasing about the per‑center grant dollar amounts (see clarifying details) and the annual number of youth served, which committee members should confirm before making recommendations. - Sonia Howerton requested a one‑time $3,000,001 appropriation to support 10 children’s advocacy centers (about $291,000 per center). - Ross Edmonds requested $150,000 to add a tenth recovery community center; Edmonds said the existing nine receive $150,000 each under prior legislation. - Representative Jordan Redmond asked for a $5,000,000 one‑time drug‑awareness campaign with research and evaluation built into the design.

What happens next

Chairman Burton Shaw closed the meeting by reiterating that the committee will take the materials back for additional review and will meet again to consider detailed recommendations; he emphasized that the Millennium Fund monies discussed are one‑time and that the committee is focused on sustainability and statutory fit. No funding decisions were made at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Attributions: Quotations and paraphrases in this report are drawn only from speakers who identified themselves in the transcript (Roger Sherman; Royal Lockhart; Nancy Windmill; Sonia Howerton; Ross Edmonds; Representative Jordan Redmond) or from committee leaders who were introduced by name (Chairman Burton Shaw, Senator Semleroth, Senator Bjerke).