Page 27 - 2020 October Report

Resilience
Grant Program Committee minutes (draft) (4)
advertising campaign is being launched with the help of a local car dealership. Tammy, Renee and Becky were thanked for their presentation and left the meeting.
Malcolm opened the floor for discussion. While there was agreement that the proposal will certainly be a catalyst for change, there were doubts about the program’s sustainability. Prior to the meeting, the VIA representatives had been asked whether additional years of funding were needed, and they responded that 2 years would be enough. Both the application and presentation were vague about how much would be raised for a match. Ultimately, it was decided that this model is more stable from a business perspective than hiring numerous part-time employees.
The Committee unanimously approved the application as presented from VIA requesting a grant of $145,483 over 2 years to provide bridge funding to help the organization transition its job coaches to permanent status.
b. Groves Learning Organization
Malcolm welcomed the following representatives of Groves Learning Organization, all of whom appeared before the Committee via Zoom: Linda Domholt, Director of Advancement; Lawrence Graham, Director of Finance; Kim Peeples, Head of Groves Academy; and Kay Gray, Grant Writer. An application from Groves had been circulated. Groves is seeking a grant of $450,000 over 3 years with a 1:1 match to provide funding for programs supported previously by a JSF grant. That grant, which concluded in 2021, was for $225,000 over 3 years to provide financial assistance to students and support the Psychoeducational Assessment for All (PAA) program
The team spoke of the impact the previous JSF grant has had, which Kim described as a game- changer. It not only helped families during COVID but also helped new families come into Groves Academy. Groves provides tuition assistance equivalent to 65% of the cost for families with financial need. The JSF grant allowed Groves to award assistance beyond that threshold for some families. The organization’s 5-year strategic plan includes a component to expand its offerings to students who would not otherwise be able to receive services.
When asked why they chose 3 years, Linda said the number was based on the last grant. Also, projecting needs beyond 3 years is a bit of a guessing game. Groves will soon embark on an $26 million capital campaign that would increase the number of students from 280 to 350 with no new buildings. Groves has received a lead gift of $10 million and has hired an outside consultant to work on securing the rest. The organization also wants to start a more robust endowment campaign for scholarships.
Becky said the PAA component is a smaller portion of the grant request. It would continue to bring the diagnostic assessments to under resourced schools. Linda noted that creating an experiential learning opportunity for post-doctoral students in this area could help with staffing issues, a problem many organizations are facing. The Groves representatives left the meeting.
During the discussion that followed, a comment was made that a more thorough presentation of the budget would have been helpful. There were several expressions of support for the organization’s mission, and JSF’s 2021 site visit to Groves was positive.
The Committee unanimously approved the application as presented from Groves Learning Organization requesting a grant of $450,000 over 3 years with a 1:1 match to provide financial assistance to students and support the Psychoeducational Assessment for All (PAA) program.
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