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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 31, 2005 Nonprofits receive watered-down grants The city of Medford is faced with twice as much in requests as it has in grant money to distribute By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune With $1 million in requests and $550,000 to distribute in nonprofit grants for the next two years, the city of Medford’s grants subcommittee decided Tuesday it’s better to give everyone something than some people nothing. Forty-three of the 44 applicants were awarded grants ranging from $1,500 to $52,100. "Because of previous years and the complaints of previous years, everything’s been watered down," said John Michaels, chairman of the grants subcommittee and the only member to cast a dissenting vote on approval of the grants. The committee, made up of six budget committee members and three City Council members, decided to give each of 43 organizations between 17 and 60 percent of the amount it requested. Michaels said that not everyone met the criteria and deserves a grant, but the council directed the committee to accept all 44 applications. Southern Oregon Public Television, which applied for $27,000, was the only organization that did not receive funding. Advertisement James Kuntz, subcommittee member and Medford councilman, said providing some funding helps the organizations in applying for other grants. If an organization can show support from Medford, it has a better chance of being taken seriously by others, he said. "Mr. (Jim) Key and I argued that it was important that we give these other organizations a shot," he said. Easter Seals, Job Council, WinterSpring and Addiction Recovery Center were among the new applicants. "There’s a lot of critical programs," said Patty Claeys, executive director of ACCESS Inc. "Everyone’s up against the same thing." ACCESS asked for $200,000 for three programs and was awarded $101,800. "I guess I would have liked to see them give a little more weight to critical and essential safety net services," said Claeys. The ACCESS Food Share program, which received $81,000 the last biennium, asked for $100,000 this biennium and was awarded $52,000. But it’s too soon to say what the impact is, she said. "We haven’t had the time to do the budget analysis," said Claeys. Anna D’Amato, managing director of victims services for Community Works, said the organization is receiving $69,000, about half of the $133,280 it requested. She said there aren’t other resources to fill in if Community Works’ unique programs aren’t funded. "Dunn House is the only women’s shelter," she said. "Can we close the doors of the shelter? I don’t think so." She said last year Dunn House received $42,000 in grants from the city, and this year it’ll be $25,500. D’Amato said she’s not critical of the committee, but she is worried about the hard times for nonprofits. "We totally do trust their process," she said. Peg Crowley, director of the Community Health Center, agreed, saying she understands the committee’s decision but wish it had been different. "It did take money that we needed away from us," she said. CHC requested $24,200 for the biennium and was awarded $14,000. "We have to find a way to make it up," Crowley said. Kuntz said there’s just not enough grant money to give. "Someone’s going to get their heart broke on this, there’s just no way around this," said Kuntz. Crowley said she believes Medford needs to adopt clear standards of what it does and does not want to fund. "I do not believe it (the decision) will return to the community all that they think it will," she said. Last biennium, the council was criticized for granting additional funds to nonprofit groups that appealed to the council after the subcommittee had made its recommendation. The City Council is scheduled to either modify or adopt the recommendation on June 2. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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