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Simi Valley awards $151,300 in community project grants; council adds $47 to senior wellness program
Summary
The council approved the grant review committee’s recommendations, allocating approximately $151,300 across 11 nonprofit recipients (Samaritan Center received full funding); council unanimously approved distributing the remaining $47 to Body Brain Train to expand senior classes.
The City Council approved the review committee’s recommendations for the FY 2026–27 Community Projects Grant program and awarded the available Waste Management‑sourced funds to local nonprofits.
Deputy Environmental Services Director Cynthia McCulla said the annual program is funded by a $150,000 MOU payment from Waste Management; this year’s review committee evaluated 26 eligible applications requesting about $82,000 (per‑request totals vary) and recommended awards to 11 organizations. The committee sought to maximize the number of funded programs and recommended awards totaling $151,300 of the $151,347 available. Council approved the recommended awards and directed the city manager to finalize scopes of work.
Organizations recommended for funding included the Samaritan Center (recommended for full funding), Simi Valley Library Foundation, Body Brain Train (senior programming), Vets and Valor, Simi Valley Football Booster Club, Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark & Simi Valley, Gigi’s Playhouse – Simi Valley, Many Mansions, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (Stillwaters Food Pantry), For the Need Foundation, and Sarah’s House. After discussion, council voted to allocate the remaining $47 to Body Brain Train to fund an additional class.
Council members raised process and transparency questions and suggested the grant program’s mechanics be reviewed for future cycles — including whether to adjust the $10,000 minimum award threshold adopted in 2017, provide the review committee with historical city funding levels per organization, and re‑examine the MOU funding level when the contract is up for renewal. Staff said the MOU term is expiring and the city will consider future negotiation options.
Next steps: the city manager will finalize grant agreements and scopes of work with awardees and the council requested periodic reporting on awarded projects.
