The City Council will vote on a newly formed committee’s recommendation to award six of the seven non-profit local organizations $5,000 each from the city’s new non-profit grant program.  

The non-profit grant program selection committee will announce the grant recipients at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The committee reviewed and scored the first group of applicants at the committee’s first meeting on Sept. 10 at Apopka City Hall.  

The program offers grant awards ranging from $500 to $5,000. Each qualifying organization must provide at least a 50% match, which can be given in a mix of cash donations and in-kind contributions, according to the website of the city’s nonprofit grant program.  

The city launched its non-profit grant program to financially lend a hand to school organizations/booster clubs and non-profit organizations dedicated to helping at-risk people, youth, and senior-focused programs in Apopka, according to the Sept. 17 City Council staff report. 

On Sept. 10, the committee scored each of the applicants based on the following criteria, totaling 100 points: proposal content, 35 points; years of service, 25 points; grant match, 30 points; and group’s benefit to Apopka, 10 points.  

Lorena Potter (chair), Dr. Loretta Forlaw, Maribel Brinkle, Martha McCray and Sylvester Hall are the committee members. 

The city received applications from the seven organizations during the program’s first grant application window, which spanned from Aug. 1 to Aug. 29.  

Five organizations — Central Florida Council, Scouting America; Drums in Recovery, Inc.; Florida Impact, L.O.V.E. Our Youth, Inc.; Loving Assisting Nurturing Educating and Supporting Teenage Girls, Inc. (LANES) — have each requested $5,000, which the grant committee recommended the city should award, according to the Sept. 17 City Council meeting agenda. Each of these organizations is asked to provide a 100% match.  

Re-Imagine Communities asked for and would receive $5,000, with the group raising a 50% match. MENTOR Florida will not be awarded its requested $5,000.  

Besides giving award recommendations, the selection committee gave suggestions about how the city could improve the non-profit grant program’s application and review process, according to the staff report.  

One recommendation was to ask applicants to give a five-minute presentation at the scoring meeting and a second presentation when the grant period finishes.  

Another recommendation was for the city to add a standalone section to the online application so applicants could more clearly identify the percentage grant match and type of match provided. 

The third recommendation was that the city should update the program brochure’s eligibility section to clarify that only federally tax exempt and nonprofit organizations could qualify.  

Each group described, in its program application, what they intend to use the requested grant money for:  

• Central Florida Council, Scouting America wants to further its annual recruitment efforts, seeking to bolster its number from the current 147 Scouts registered in Apopka to at least 180 youth by the end of the year.  

• Drums in Recovery, Inc. wants to bring to Sheeler Alternative High School students a  community-based arts program that uses drumming to build life skills and emotional health. 

• Florida Impact wants to fund its youth leadership program Getting Empowered Matters (G.E.M.S.), which sets up people with the resources, knowledge and tools to uproot hunger, limited access and lack of opportunity.  

• L.O.V.E. Our Youth Inc. intends to fund the Elementary S.T.E.A.M. Summer Camp, serving Apopka K-6 children at least 6 years of age.  

• LANES will continue its various mentorship programs for at-risk girls who attend Title I schools and live in neighborhoods with limited access to resources.  

• Re-Imagine Communities want to fund the Apopka Area Student Awards to recognize students’ achievements.