Earlier this year Park City opened applications for the contracts, which focus on mental health and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
A committee then scored the applications based on several variables, as nonprofits were asked to propose new or innovative programming.
At its meeting Thursday, the Park City Council unanimously approved the committee’s funding recommendations. Councilmember Becca Gerber sits on the recommendation committee.
“The amounts that were asked for this year were bigger than I’ve ever seen,” Gerber said. “I’ve done it for several years now, and these were really big amounts. I think we’re hearing that there has been some big changes in our nonprofit community.”
Councilmember Max Doilney hinted that some nonprofits have become too reliant on the city to fund their normal operations.
“The idea was we’re trying to prop things up, see if they can get going,” Doilney said. “We don’t want to create dependency. I understand that these are services that need to be provided in the community, and if they’re actually dependent on the city for that help, then let’s build it in and help them in perpetuity, or let’s have that discussion.”
Councilmembers Tana Toly, Ryan Dickey, and Jeremy Rubell all agreed they’d like to consider changes to the application process in the future.
Rubell said he’d like to give more money to upstart nonprofits, like the LGBTQ+ task force, which received 10% of its $100,000 funding request.
“I don’t think the process is working for where we are as an organization and as a city,” Rubell said. “My proposal would be that we actually don’t approve it tonight, and we carve off those operational items, take the money that’s freed up by doing that, and allocate it across the ones that did score high and met our new and innovative seed money type categories.”
He cited specific problems about funding Mountainlands Community Housing Trust and PC Tots, on the basis that the city already has money invested in housing and child care initiatives. Rubell also questioned approving the grant for KPCW, saying he doesn’t believe the government should fund media.
People’s Health Clinic got the largest grant at $125,000 for mental health counseling and outreach services. KPCW and Mountainlands each received $70,000. KPCW plans to develop a Spanish language news site, and Mountainlands will use the money to operate its housing resources center.
To see the full list of approved contracts, click here.
