SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Civil Affairs Grand Jury, which serves as an investigative overseer for local government agencies, said last year that the much-discussed local process for investing in community-based nonprofits was conducted without prejudice and “all potential.” provide equal benefits to the organizations of play field. “

Jurors scrutinized the “collection of results- and evidence-based investment processes,” also known as the “CORE.” The process was established in 2015 and completed its second award approval cycle last summer.

In total, the program distributes approximately $5.9 million in funding to more than 50 local award proposals over the most recent three-year cycle.

However, the process has been subject to some controversy, as it has been publicly criticized on several occasions by some of the defunded organizations, claiming that it negatively impacts the communities they serve.

“This study was designed to determine whether there was inefficiency, waste or abuse in the current process and whether there was room for improvement in the process,” the jury said in the report summary. “The Grand Jury believes the CORE process will operate with integrity and transparency, creating equal opportunity for all applicants.”

reportThe document, released last week, details the process from start to finish of the investigation. A call for proposals (the process of announcing projects and soliciting applications) resulted in 128 applications representing 78 organizations across four funding levels, totaling over $15 million in funding applications.

He also participated as a panelist, was responsible for reviewing applications and nominating awards, and was ultimately approved by the County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz City Council as representatives of the two governing bodies that funded the 58 people. A demographic breakdown is also included. program.

Community Bridges spokesperson Tony Nunez, who has been the most outspoken critic of the fundraising round, said in a statement that the group has not included a “substantial shift in priorities” in the funding process. Said he wasn’t interested. Distribution of funds and the impact it provides on vulnerable communities.

“We believe that a grand jury will not only determine whether the process[of soliciting proposals]is fair and/or transparent, but also from objective and quantifiable metrics, community impact and current allocations. We expected to explore CORE’s funding, as well as to determine whether it is truly valued through its return on investment, which is against the funding cycle to date,” Nunez said. said in a statement. “To date, we as a community do not know whether we have more or fewer community members to support, or what services and support have been lost due to, for example, the current CORE funding allocation. “

According to the jury report, the geographic distribution of the funds and the population served is comparable to what is currently being funded. Services targeting seniors receive 32% of the funding, reflecting that the county’s seniors population is less than 200% of her federal poverty level. The report found that the distribution of award nominations by race/ethnicity matched well with those living below 200% of the poverty line, with 50% of funding going to Latinos. It says.

In addition, $598,000 distributed Provides three months of bridge funding to help mitigate the blow to organizations facing headcount reductions.

County Welfare Commissioner Randy Morris, whose county welfare department led the effort, was pleased with the jury’s results.

“We thank the Grand Jury for justifying the decision of the Oversight Board and the Santa Cruz City Council to adopt a CORE process that is fair, transparent, accountable and puts all applicants on an equal footing. On behalf of the dozens of community members who scored the CORE application, we thank them for their contribution to providing programs that support equitable, prosperous and resilient communities.” Morris said in a prepared statement. “We commend the grand jury for its impartial review of this very important program.”

The report is based on a review of the process itself by the Oversight Board at its late April meeting, during which Mr. Morris and Deputy Director Kimberly Petersen made a lengthy review of the process, its successes, and proposed adjustments for future cycles. It came out almost a month after sharing the presentation.

Director Zach Friend explained during the conference that the new funding structure has replaced the community program model that has provided grants to many of the same organizations for 40 years. He said the new evidence-based system has helped level the playing field and provide opportunities for those who previously struggled to access it.

“Their approach is completely transparent, from the application process to the funded awards,” the judges wrote. “Our equity-centric approach clearly sets Santa Cruz County apart from other counties in the region.”

The full civil grand jury report is available at: co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Departments/GrandJury.aspx.