Helpful dilemma: Commissioners sort through needs of nonprofits

Apr. 15—GUILFORD COUNTY — The Guilford County Board of Commissioners faces a quandary brought on by a community that cares about people in need.

The commissioners plan to provide grants to nonprofit groups addressing a variety of concerns through the county's 2023-24 fiscal year budget, due to be in place by July 1. But the commissioners received 115 grant applications totaling $10 million, far beyond what is likely to be available. There was $1.77 million in the grant program for the current fiscal year.

The number of grant applications this year is more than five times what was received last year. The main reason for the dramatic rise is that the commissioners and county staff spent the past several months setting up a formal structure to handle grant requests and blanketed nonprofits with information about the program.

A year ago, when the process was more informal and nonprofits sought requests through individual commissioners, all 22 groups that put in requests received funding, according to the county staff.

This year the board will have to make tough decidions on who gets grants, Commissioner Carlvena Foster of High Point said.

"It's especially going to be challenging," said Foster, the board vice chairwoman.

The board sets aside a specific amount of its annual general fund budget — 0.2% — for nonprofit grants. The nonprofits that have applied for grants for the coming fiscal year include organizations addressing mental health, homelessness, substance abuse, arts and culture, education, health care and food security.

Foster said it's not fiscally feasible to fund all the nonprofit requests.

The county has commitments to a host of county services that must be funded adequately each year, Foster said. The county also is structuring its pay scales to recruit and retain employees, she said.

"So it's a lot of challenges we have this year with the budget that's going to require more dollars than we have used in the past," Foster said.

For the current fiscal year, several High Point nonprofits received grants, including the Friends of John Coltrane that organizes the Labor Day weekend music festival, $25,000; the High Point Arts Council, $50,000; the Southwest Renewal Foundation, $150,000; and the Carl Chavis branch of the High Point YMCA, $50,000.

Foster, who works as executive director of the Chavis YMCA, recused herself last year from voting on the branch's grant. Other commissioners also have recused themselves from voting on requests from specific groups with which they have a direct interest.

County staff will review all applications and make recommendations for funding as part of the county manager's budget proposal, but the final say will come from the commissioners.

Foster said that groups that get passed over for grant funding shouldn't see being left out as a slight by the commissioners.

"These are all deserving nonprofits with the work that they do," she said. "We do appreciate all the work our nonprofits are doing across the county, and we want to fund a great number of them."

[email protected] — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul