Franklin County approves $190,000 grant for Rural Academy financial‑literacy conference

Franklin County commissioners voted to adopt Resolution 44526 authorizing the county administrator to execute a tri‑party grant agreement to fund a Rural Academy financial literacy conference with $190,000 in county support. The agreement names Saint Stephen's Community House as the fiscal agent and ties county payments to deliverables, county staff said.

The conference, presented by the Franklin County Office on Aging, is intended to make “high quality resource education more accessible in Columbus” and to help close gaps in financial knowledge for residents who have had limited access, said Sean Domingo, director for the Franklin County Office on Aging. He described programming that will include keynote presentations, seminars, breakout sessions, vendor engagement and a youth financial education track.

Rochelle Pride, chief of economic innovation and development with Franklin County economic development and planning, framed the funding as a response to local economic conditions. "Approximately 67% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck," Pride said, and she noted that Franklin County's unemployment rate is 2.7% as of 2026 while statewide and regional underemployment estimates run about 6.5%–7.5%, citing state and Federal Reserve data. Pride said the Rural Academy aims to move beyond job placement toward wealth‑building and long‑term economic empowerment for underemployed, marginalized and justice‑impacted residents.

County staff told commissioners that, per section 5 of the resolution, the county will make payments only to Saint Stephen's Community House as fiscal agent and that payments will be made only upon receipt of specified deliverables. The county's standard fiscal review processes will be used to verify deliverables before payment, staff said.

A committee member moved for adoption after noting changes had been made to the contract and scope of services and that county administration and the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office had been consulted; the motion was seconded and commissioners voted to adopt the resolution. The motion passed with affirmative votes recorded for Commissioner Boyce, Commissioner Crawley and Commissioner O'Grady.

The county administrator is authorized to execute the tri‑party agreement and oversee payments to the fiscal agent once deliverables are met. The resolution does not specify conference dates or a detailed budget breakdown beyond the $190,000 allocation.