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Community leaders say small grant cuts will imperil local programs; council seeks grantee roster
Summary
At the hearing, nonprofit leaders and residents warned that eliminated or reduced mini-grants and community empowerment awards will shutter prevention and youth programs; councilors asked the administration for a full grantee list and to explore alternative funding.
Multiple public commenters and councilors used the hearing to illustrate how small, often multi-year mini-grants fund grassroots work that larger departments do not provide. Clifton Braithwaite asked city staff for legal help navigating probate to preserve a family property; other commenters — including members of the Black Men and Boys Commission and tenant advocates — described mentoring, violence-prevention, and outreach programs that rely on grants of several thousand dollars.
Councilors pressed administration officials to provide a full list of grantees who received FY26 mini-grants or community empowerment awards and to clarify which contracts or grants will not be available in FY27. Presenters acknowledged that some programs will lose funding and said the cabinet will offer technical assistance, help identify alternative grant sources (city partnerships, philanthropy), and explore public—private options — but several councilors and community speakers said those measures do not replace direct operating grants for small organizations.
Speakers urged expedient publication of the fair-housing testing RFP and immediate hiring of the fair-housing director to preserve enforcement and outreach capacity. The committee asked for a roster of affected grantees, an estimate of dollars lost to communities, and a schedule the administration will use to notify grant recipients.
