The Aurora City Council is set to vote next week on about $1 million in Quality of Life grants for 2024.
Aldermen this week sent an ordinance granting funds to 39 out of 49 organizations that applied, totaling just over $1 million, to the full council meeting Feb. 13.
They also sent along a total funding of Community Development Block Grant projects of $1.9 million, HOME Investment funds of $701,692 and HOME Investment special American Rescue Plan Act funds of about $1.5 million.
Chris Ragona, Community Development Department manager, said the city got a total of 85 applications for the four different programs, the most the city has ever received. Staff recommended funding 59 of them, he said.
The block grant funding, as well as funding for the two HOME programs, comes from the federal government.
The Quality of Life program is a local program, funded by gaming taxes from Hollywood Casino-Aurora.
In the Quality of Life program, the type of activities covered, and the number of each receiving grants in those activities, are 18 in education and youth; seven in community; five in basic needs; four for seniors; three for mental health and two for museums.
The city received a total of about 49 requests for Quality of Life grants totaling $1.75 million, according to Ragona.
He said a scoring review committee made up of himself; Amy Munro, redevelopment coordinator; and Adam Grubbs, management assistant; reviewed aspects of each application based on certain criteria.
The criteria included completeness and quality of the application; budget including sources and uses; grant management experience; past performance; the ability to operate or carry on a project with a reduced amount of funds; performance metrics; duplication of services; and the ability to serve Aurora residents.
Ragona said between all four programs, the city receives a wide variety of applications, from many different types of organizations.
“Some have professional grant writers,” he said. “Some have two, three people on a board. So we try to spend some time with (the latter), helping them with their applications.”
The block grant and HOME allocations go toward projects involving physical repairs to buildings, in some cases, such as Mutual Ground, the domestic violence shelter, or Hesed House, the homeless shelter. Other grants go to income-qualified homeowners or programs serving them to repair homes.
There also is an allocation to the city to do sidewalk and street repairs in low-income areas.
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