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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes.GRB.20240627.RegularCity of Aspen: Grants Program Steering Committee - Meeting Date: 27 Jun 2024 10:00 am Location: City Hall Copper Pass Conference Room and Teams Board Attendees: Judy Clausson, Ann Mullins, Tracy Anderson Not in Attendance: Chris Menges Staff Attendees: Patrick Quick, Natalie Blumentritt, John Barker Agenda Topics 1. Steering Committee Member Update 2. Review Committee Update 3. Recap of June 10 Work Session 4. Follow-up Discussion Points 5. Action Items 1. Steering Committee Member Update: - Alissa has resigned from the Steering Committee - Vacant positions: o Morgan Fixel underwent her interview with the council during the June 10 work session. o Ann Mullins, whose term has expired, also had her reappointment interview with the council during the June 10 work session. - Council is expected to decide on committee appointments by July. - The long-term plan for the Steering Committee is to involve only volunteers, excluding COA staff. 2. Review Committee Update Based on performance and participation in the previous grant cycle, we anticipate open spots in each division (Arts and Culture, Health and Human Services, and Community Non-Profit). 3. Recap of June 10 Work Session - City staff introduced an additional policy proposal: o The primary Health & Human Services grants will be prioritized to receive any tobacco tax collections exceeding the annual $250,000 contribution to Aspen Family Connections. o This adjustment will allocate approximately $75,000 to our HHS grant program in 2025, increasing its funding from approximately $220,000 to around $300,000. - Council supported all policy proposals. In addition to the action items, staff and the steering committee will explore methods to formalize a process for grant requests occurring off-cycle or for requests not supported by the primary grant program. - Council has approved the discontinuation of the Health and Human Services Capacity Building and Asset Acquisition Grant Program. 4. Follow-up Discussion Points: - Some members of council have asked the steering committee to explore whether it's feasible to give an additional bonus for organizations close to Aspen. o Another consideration is whether to grant additional preference to organizations closer to Aspen over those farther away. o Should a program or service that is in Aspen, and an equivalent program or service that is in basalt, should the program in Aspen get more funds? o Should we establish different rules based on program location? - It's essential to ensure that physical presence within the Aspen to Glenwood corridor carries meaningful weight: o Concerns were raised about organizations establishing a mailbox or PO box in Glenwood to qualify. o Steering Committee needs to define: What level of physical presence should the steering committee require? Is a storefront necessary, or are operational activities sufficient? Should organizations have a history of serving residents here? Are we okay with someone who's headquartered in Denver, but providing on the ground resources here? o There's consensus among steering committee members to define clear criteria upfront to potentially filter out ineligible applications before submission. o ACF: Based on scope of service and impact. Evaluation criteria should include the scope of service, impact, and questions about headquarters location versus service location. - The steering committee agrees that critical services outside our immediate boundary should still be eligible to apply for grants. - Reducing maximum grant request amounts: o Staff and the steering committee will establish distinct maximum grant request limits for each grant program, capping requests at approximately 10% of program budgets. - The recommended figures—$100,000 for Arts and Culture, $60,000 for Community Nonprofit, and $30,000 for Health and Human Services (HHS)—have been approved, pending final budget confirmation. This decision remains subject to review by the steering committee in early fall to ensure accuracy once final budget figures are available. 5. Action Items: - Tracy to share ACF eligibility quizzes and applications - Natalie to: o Share work session follow-up memo with steering committee members o Share extension letter of one of the current grantees (Asset and Acquisition Grant) - Review the performance and participation of current volunteers - Send out the dates for the capacity building program workshops to steering committee members - Ann to provide further information to Judy about the HHS grant application pool and the allocation of limited resources - John to develop proposals outlining the framework for location preferences.