San Rafael, CA – One month after the Board of Supervisors approved changes to the County’s Community Services program, which provides small, one-time grants to entities that provide a local public benefit, the program’s first application period is officially open.
The Community Services program provides donations of $1,000 to $10,000 to various community service organizations for one-time service or program requests. All eligible organizations serving an important community need are invited to apply, and those with well-defined social and fiscal objectives may be prioritized to receive funds. The recently approved revisions to the program include several important changes made to the criteria and overall process.
The Board voted to revise the program’s design and implementation for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Along with the elimination of individual Supervisor sponsorship, program changes include changing the number of funding cycles from three to two, and holding a workshop to review applications. The application has also been revised to allow for organizations to include more specific project scope and funding information.
“We are always revisiting our current programs to ensure that we are transparent about our process,” said County Administrator Matthew Hymel.
All complete and eligible applications will be posted on the Community Service program web page after the close of the application period. After the applications are presented during a public workshop, the County Administrator will provide funding recommendations at a subsequent Board meeting. The annual budget of $300,000 remains the same and all grant awardees will be posted on the County’s website.
The first application period is open from July 1 to September 30, 2015. Organizations interested in applying should review the updated Community Services program page and the revised eligibility criteria. The page also includes a link to the new application.