To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Lois Hopkins - 565-2431
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Quarterly County Grant Program Update
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive 2024 first quarterly report (January to March) on departmental grant efforts.
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Executive Summary:
The Board of Supervisors has requested that County departments make a concerted effort to proactively pursue external funding to support County priorities. Departments regularly report to the County Administrator’s Office which in turn coordinates and reports on departmental efforts to the Board on a quarterly basis. This report covers activities from January through March 2024.
Discussion:
Departments with grant activity in the reporting quarter have prepared a report on (1) grant objectives and priorities, (2) grant activity during the quarter, (3) funding sources monitored, (4) other activities that support grant seeking opportunities, (5) activities that align with the County’s Five Year Strategic Plan, and (6) whether the projects associated with the funding have come, or will come, before the Board of Supervisors.
Attached are reports by departments which had grant activity in the reporting period, and they are summarized as follows:
Ag Preservation & Open Space (APOSD): The department currently manages a total of seven grants totaling $13.7 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, APOSD applied for one grant from CalFire and California Climate Investments in the amount of $1,900,000 for the “Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project.” If the grant is awarded, the item will come before the Board for approval. The department is also developing grant applications for three projects totaling $9 million from the California Wildlife & Conservation Board, and researching a grant from the Association of Bay Area Governments/Metropolitan Transit Commission/ Coastal Conservancy.
County Administrator’s Office: The Climate Action and Resiliency Division (CARD) in the County Administrator’s Office currently manages four grants totaling $11.27 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, CARD applied for a grant with CalTrans for $247,000 for development of a countywide Equitable EV Charging Plan. If the grant is awarded, the item will come to the Board for execution of the grant agreement. CARD also applied for, but did not receive, a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy for a six-month, full-time Climate Fellow position. The division did secure an intern from the University of California system to bolster grant exploration and submission efforts.
Economic Development Board (EDB): The department currently manages eight grants totaling $4.7 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, EDB was awarded two grants: (1) $30,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for Creative Sonoma’s Arts Impact Grants for Organizations, and (2) $125,000 from California Emerging Technology Fund for North Bay/North Coast Broadband Consortia Regional Leadership. The department also applied for two grants: a $300,000 grant for California Jobs First Pilot Project Catalyst Funds and $279,000 for asset mapping and digital literacy assessment for Sonoma County.
EDB is researching a grant and potential project from the California Emerging Technology Fund. None of these items have come before the Board.
Emergency Management (DEM): The department currently manages eleven grants totaling $6.2 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, DEM applied for two grants from Community Development Block Grant through California Housing & Community Development: (1) for $299,800 for a County Access & Functional Needs Communications Gap Analysis and Feasibility Study; and (2) for $389,235 for a County Multi-Jurisdictional Emergency Transportation Gap Analysis and Plan. These items came before the Board of Supervisors on January 30, 2024, Resolution No. 24-0024, “Delegation of Authority for Obtaining and Managing Grant Assistance Provided by the State of California’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Mitigation Program” (HERE <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6495199&GUID=97082C12-69E5-40FC-855D-5C11EC65C491>). A pre-application was also submitted to CalOES (FEMA pass-through) for $535,157 for various Operational Area Projects, which came before the Board of Supervisors on December 6, 2022, “Department of Homeland Security Authorized Agent Signature Authority” (HERE <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5948445&GUID=4BC82447-D093-4E88-8BC0-BE7A59337B47>).
DEM is researching a $220,474 grant from CalOES (FEMA pass through) in anticipation of an upcoming application for emergency management personnel.
Health Services (DHS):
During the first quarter of 2024, DHS was awarded three grants: (1) US Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for $4.6 million for Homeless Management Information System, (2) $3.1 million from CA Interagency Council on Homelessness for Homeless Housing & Assistance Program, and (3) $500,000 from CA Dept. of Health Care Services for Crisis Care Mobile Units Program.
DHS also applied for three grants totaling $3.78 million for (1) Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program, (2) Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation, and (3) Homeless Housing & Assistance Program.
The department is also researching a $5 million grant for behavioral health bridge housing and a yet-to-be-identified amount for an RV program from California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Human Services (HSD): The department currently manages 11 grants totaling $9 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, DHS was awarded $300,000 from the CA Dept. of Veterans Affairs for the Santa Rosa Junior College Veterans Collaborative which is expected to go to the Board of Supervisors on June 4, 2024.
DHS applied for, but did not receive, a $600,000 grant from the Dept. of Labor/Veterans Employment & Training Services to assist veterans and their dependents in achieving meaningful and sustainable employment.
Permit Sonoma: The department currently manages 12 grants totaling $20.5 million. The department had no new grant activity during the reporting quarter,
Public Infrastructure (SPI): The department currently manages six grants totaling $3.5 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, SPI applied for two grants: (1) $650,798 from FEMA for Villa Grande Flooding Mitigation, and (2) $7.3million from the US Dept. of Transportation (Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity) for connecting Cloverdale to the Bay Project (Asti Bridge and Cloverdale Bus Service). When/if the grants are awarded, the department will go to the Board to accept the awards.
SPI is researching and intends to apply for two grants: (1) from the California Transportation Commission for the Moorland Ave., West Sebastopol, and Donald Gap bike lanes, and (2) from the US Dept. of Transportation “Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation” (PROTECT) for the Asti Bridge design/planning. The amounts of both these grant requests will be determined upon completion of the research.
Regional Parks: The department currently manages 81 grants totaling $36.2 million.
During the first quarter of 2024, Regional Parks was awarded a $650,000 grant from California State Parks for the McCormick Ranch Acquisition. This item was presented to the Board of Supervisors on September 27, 2016.
Regional Parks is also researching a $300,000 grant from the CA Metropolitan Transportation Commission for Sonoma-Schellville Trail Design, and a grant from the US Dept. of Transportation for an amount and program to be determined.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Organizational Excellence
Goal: Goal 4: Seek out grant funding to enhance programs and improve infrastructure
Objective: Objective 1: Secure a total of $60 million in grant funding by 2026 for strategic priorities, including technology tools, climate resiliency, and other capital projects.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On March 2, 2021, the Board adopted the Sonoma County Strategic Plan, which established the priority of securing $60 million in grant funding by 2026.
The Board received four quarterly updates on departmental grant activity in 2023 (4/18/23, 8/15/23, 12/5/23, and 3/26/24.
The attached departmental reports identify prior or anticipated Board review and/or approval for specific projects/programs for which grant activity occurred.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this quarterly report. However, grant activity efforts described in the report increase revenue capacity to meet County priorities.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts associated with this quarterly report.
Attachments:
Quarterly Grant Department Reports.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.