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Authorize the County’s contribution of $14,000 from General Fund contribution allocated to District 2 to benefit the following organizations, including Benicia Unified School District ($2,250), Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District ($2,200), Food is Free Solano ($1,500), Benicia Middle School Viking Band Boosters ($1,500), Rodriguez Music Boosters ($1,500), Solano Community College Educational Foundation ($1,000), Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, Inc. ($1,000), California Maritime Academy Foundation ($1,000), End 68 Hours of Hunger ($800), Vallejo City Unified School District ($750), and Humane Society of the North Bay ($500)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
Supervisor Brown requests that the Board of Supervisors authorize the County’s contribution of $14,000 from General Fund contribution allocated to District 2 to benefit the following organizations, including Benicia Unified School District ($2,250), Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District ($2,200), Food is Free Solano ($1,500), Benicia Middle School Viking Band Boosters ($1,500), Rodriguez Music Boosters ($1,500), Solano Community College Educational Foundation ($1,000), Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, Inc. ($1,000), California Maritime Academy Foundation ($1,000), End 68 Hours of Hunger ($800), Vallejo City Unified School District ($750), and Humane Society of the North Bay ($500).
SUMMARY:
District 2 has identified eleven (11) local educational and/or non-profit organizations for which to contribute its non-County contribution allocation, including:
Benicia Unified School District ($2,250)
The expenditure to the Benicia Unified School District is split into five (5) parts, including to the Benicia High School debate team ($750), the Benicia High School softball team ($500), and for teachers at three Benicia Unified School District schools to purchase school supplies, including Liberty High School ($500), Mary Farmar Elementary School ($250), and Robert Semple Elementary School ($250).
Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District ($2,200)
The expenditure to the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District is split into two (2) parts, including to the Early College Program ($1,200) for graduation apparel and to the teachers at Sheldon Elementary School ($1,000) to purchase school supplies.
Food is Free Solano ($1,500)
Food is Free Solano dba Food is Free Bay Area is a local free food resource run completely by volunteers and supported by the local community. These funds will be used to provide much needed financial resources to ensure that the Benicia Summer Food Program continues to serve students and families impacted by food insecurity over the summer months. The Benicia Summer Food Program will be a site-based food resource at the Benicia Library, where many children and families experience food insecurity frequently during the summer months. The Benicia Summer Food Program will include food distribution at the Benicia Library once weekly for a period of nine weeks, starting in June 2025. It is expected that this program will reach at least 100 households with an estimated impact on 300 individuals.
Benicia Middle School Viking Band Boosters ($1,500)
The Benicia Middle School Viking Band Boosters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises money for the Benicia Middle School band. Funds would be used to support the music program.
Rodriguez Music Boosters ($1,500)
The Rodriguez Music Boosters, also known as the Rodriguez High School Entertainment Unit, is a registered nonprofit 501(C)3 which supports the music program at Rodriguez High School in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. Funds would be used to support the music program.
Solano Community College Educational Foundation ($1,000)
The Solano Community College Educational Foundation is a registered 501 (c)3 nonprofit which promotes the general welfare of Solano Community College and its programs and services through soliciting, raising, and distributing funds to assist and support the College in fulfilling its role of serving the educational and cultural needs of the community. These funds would be distributed to various college sports programs, including for women’s volleyball ($250), women’s soccer ($250), men’s basketball ($250), and women’s basketball ($250).
Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, Inc., ($1,000)
The $1,000 in funds allocated would be given to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, Inc., DBA Planned Parenthood of Northern California, to support medical services at Planned Parenthood’s Vallejo Health Center at 303 Sacramento Street, Vallejo, CA.
California Maritime Academy Foundation ($1,000)
The California Maritime Academy Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation established to provide financial support to advance the mission, cadets, and faculty of Cal Maritime. Funds will be distributed to the University’s food pantry to ensure food insecure students have access to food. Previous General Fund contributions from District 2 to the California Maritime Academy Foundation for the University’s food pantry during FY 2024-2025 includes $1,000 approved by the Board of Supervisors (BOS) on January 7, 2025.
End 68 Hours of Hunger ($800)
End 68 Hours of Hunger is a public not-for-profit effort to confront the approximately 68 hours of hunger that some school children experience between the free lunch they receive at school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive at school on Monday morning. The funds will be given to the Fairfield/Vacaville Chapter of End 68 Hours of Hunger to assist in ending food insecurity for school children in the Fairfield and Vacaville areas.
Vallejo City Unified School District ($750)
The expenditure will allow the teachers at three (3) Vallejo City Unified School District schools to purchase school supplies, including Glen Cove Elementary School ($250), Grace Patterson Elementary School ($250), and Pennycook Elementary School ($250).
Humane Society of the North Bay ($500)
The Humane Society of the North Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides services to animals. The $500 donation would be given to aid in the mission of the Humane Society of the North Bay.
Guidelines for Grant Funding Requests:
During the 2024/25 Budget Hearings, the Board appropriated $75,000, $15,000 to each supervisorial district, to allow Board members to support community service programs. The Board directed County Counsel to provide guidelines on how to recommend funding for qualifying agencies or programs.
The guidelines are as follows:
1) Each supervisor must submit the proposed expenditure to the County Counsel and the Auditor/Controller for initial review.
2) The Board must approve the expenditure by a majority vote.
3) The Board must determine that the expenditure is for a public purpose.
4) The Board may authorize an expenditure of public funds to a nonprofit organization so long as the County retains ultimate control over the exercise of judgement and discretion of the intended program.
5) To ensure accountability, all expenditures are subject to audits by the Auditor/Controller; and
a. If the recipient provides an activity, program or service (“activity”), it shall provide an activity report within 30 days of the activity that states the number of persons attending (if applicable) or participating activities carried out, feedback from participants (if applicable) and benefits of the activity. The recipient’s failure to provide a report may result in its being considered ineligible for future funding.
b. If the recipient is purchasing property or making improvements, it shall use the funds for only the specified purposes and allow representatives of the county to inspect and/or audit the purchase or the contractor’s performance, the facility or the portion improved with the funds and/or the records pertaining to the expenditures. The recipient shall retain for inspection and audit purposes all books, receipts, documentation and other records of the expenditures for three (3) years from date of receiving funds.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by District 2’s FY2024/25 Working Budget.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to authorize the expenditure; however, this is not recommended as this item is consistent with Board policy.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION