Borough assembly discusses how it funds local nonprofits

Mitch Borden/KMXT

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is working on revising the way it distributes funds to local nonprofit organizations. At a recent work session, the assembly discussed the nonprofits that receive large noncompetitive agency grants. This year there were five organizations that received this type of funding from the borough including the Brother Francis Shelter, Kodiak Island Food Bank, and Senior Citizens of Kodiak.

The assembly is trying to standardize the way it awards grants. Assemblywoman Rebecca Skinner says the nonprofits that get this funding usually play a certain role in the community.

“Those all seem to fit into to something I might describe as public safety or shelter kinds of services. So I can see a logic in why those are funded or why they are important.”

Over the years, the borough has given nonprofits that receive the noncompetitive grants varying amounts of money. It has usually depended on what the borough’s funded organizations in the past. Assemblywoman Julie Kavanaugh says things need to change.

“I think we need a different formula. I think we need to base it on a percentage of their budget or whatever it is we deem as appropriate. But I don’t like the fact that maybe back in 1980 somebody had a request for $80,000 and we just indiscriminately downgraded it to $43,000.”

The assembly discussion drifted towards possibly having different set amounts for the non-competitive agency grants to clarify the funding process. The assembly didn’t make a decision but agreed it’d continue discussing how it distributes large noncompetitive and smaller competitive grants to local nonprofits.

KMXT does receive funding from the borough through its small grants and may be added to the list of organizations that receive larger noncompetitive grants in the future.

 

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