Fremont City Council Meeting: 07/15/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5496) DOC ID: 5496
Updated: 7/11/2025 11:19 AM by Dina Lewis Page 1
FY 2025-2028 HUMAN SERVICE GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS – Referrals from Human Relations Commission; Approve Recommendations for FY 2025-2028 Human Service Grant Funding and Authorize the City Manager to Execute Agreements with Non-Profit Agencies.
Contact Persons:
Name: Marisha Engineer Arquimides Caldera
Title: Management Analyst I Human Services Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2087 510-574-2056
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: On June 17, 2025, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) presented the City Council with its initial FY 2025-2028 Social Service Grant funding recommendations, based on the HRC’s review of twenty-eight proposals, including twenty-seven for Social Service Funds and one for Opioid Settlement Funds, with over $1.9 million in requests. The HRC originally recommended $872,732 in funding, including $100,000 for Tri-City Volunteers (TCV), which was $43,270 less than TCV’s FY 2024/25 grant amount.
At the June 17, 2025, Council meeting, City Council referred HRC’s Social Service Grant funding recommendations back to the HRC and directed it to reconsider its allocations, within the current budget, to restore at least some of the funding TCV received in FY 2024/25.
After reconsidering its recommendations at an HRC meeting on July 3, 2025, the HRC now recommends increasing TCV’s allocation from $100,000 to $126,956. This increase was achieved by adjusting the allocations for nine currently funded agencies back to their FY 2024/25 funding levels. With these adjustments, the HRC recommends funding twenty programs with Social Service Funds and one with Opioid Settlement Funds, for a total of $872,732 in Human Service Grant funding.
BACKGROUND: Since the late 1970s, the City of Fremont (City) has administered a grant program for non-profit agencies to provide social services to Fremont residents (Social Service Grant Program). Historically, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) has facilitated a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process and made recommendations to the City Council on Social Service Grant funding awards.
The City awards Social Service Grants on a three-year funding cycle and FY 2025/26 will be the first year of the 2025-2028 cycle. These grants are supported through a combination of General Funds and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Awarded agencies will receive one-year grant agreements, and continued funding for the remaining two years of the grant cycle is contingent upon satisfactory completion of service and administrative requirements, and funding availability.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5496) Meeting of July 15, 2025 Updated: 7/11/2025 11:19 AM by Dina Lewis Page 2
For the FY 2025-2028 grant cycle, the City also publicized an RFP to award up to $100,000 per year in Opioid Settlement funds that the City has been allocated as part of a $26 billion nation-wide settlement agreement made by large opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The RFP process ran from November 2024 through April 2025 and included a Notice of Funding Availability, submission of RFP documents, and a series of public hearings that included interviews with all eligible applicants.
On June 17, 2025, staff presented the HRC’s initial Social Service Grant funding recommendations to the City Council, but the City Council referred the recommendations back to the HRC, and directing the HRC to reconsider its funding allocations, within the current budget, to restore at least some of the funding Tri-City Volunteers (TCV) received in FY 2024/25. The HRC met on July 3, 2025, to review the City Council’s referral.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: Based on City Council direction, the HRC has reallocated $26,956 from nine currently funded agencies that the HRC initially recommended receive funding increases in FY 2025/26. The HRC now recommends these nine agencies receive FY 2025/26 grants at their FY 2024/25 amounts. This adjustment increases TCV’s allocation from the original recommended amount of $100,000 to $126,956 for FY 2025/26, while allowing for five new agencies to be funded, per the HRC’s initial recommendation, and for all existing agencies to continue to receive some level of funding.
The HRC’s original recommendation to provide $20,000 in Opioid Settlement funding to Bay Area Community Health was not impacted by the Council’s referral and remains unchanged.
In total, the HRC’s revised recommendations include $872,732 in Social Service Grant funding, including $852,732 for twenty Social Service Grants and $20,000 for one Opioid Settlement grant.
SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Agency Area of Need
FY 2024/25
Funding
6/17/25
FY 2025/26
Recommendation
Revised
FY 2025/26
Recommendation
Fremont
Education
Foundation
Homeless
Students n/a $20,000 $20,000
Daily Bowl Food Insecurity $21,707 $21,707 $21,707
Abode Homeless $162,806 $163,000 $162,806
Friends of
Children with
Special Needs
Services for
Children with
Special Needs $21,707 $25,000 $21,707
IIBA Legal Support n/a $30,000 $30,000
Irvington
Presbyterian
Church Food Insecurity n/a $25,000 $25,000
Narika Domestic Violence $26,761 $30,000 $26,761
Eden I&R Info & Referrals $58,611 $58,000 $58,000
Council Staff Report (ID # 5496) Meeting of July 15, 2025 Updated: 7/11/2025 11:19 AM by Dina Lewis Page 3
Agency Area of Need
FY 2024/25
Funding
6/17/25
FY 2025/26
Recommendation
Revised
FY 2025/26
Recommendation
EBAC
Services for
Children $43,415 $50,000 $43,415
SAVE Domestic Violence $86,830 $90,000 $86,830
DCARA Deaf Services $27,134 $30,000 $27,134
Tri-City
Volunteers Food Insecurity $143,270 $100,000 $126,956
Calico
Child Abuse
Intervention $27,134 $25,000
*requested less
$25,000
Bay Area Legal
Aid Legal Support $48,842 $50,000 $48,842
Kidango
Education/Early
Intervention $46,899 $50,000 $46,899
BACH “ARISE
Program”
Mental Health
Support $16,650 $20,000 $16,650
Salaam Food
Pantry Food Insecurity n/a $12,000 $12,000
Afghan Coalition Case Services $42,818 $20,000 $20,000
5 Sikh Seva Food Insecurity n/a $20,000 $20,000
Ohlone Humane
Society
Pet Pantry and
Veterinarian Costs $13,025 $13,025 $13,025
Pars Equality
Center Legal Services n/a 0 0
Young STEAMers Education n/a 0 0
Citizen for Better
Community
Community
Services n/a 0 0
Mental Health
Assoc. for
Chinese
Communities
Mental Health
Support n/a 0 0
Hively Info & Referral n/a 0 0
St. Joseph Parish
MSJ Food Insecurity n/a 0 0
Rcoz
Mental Health
Support n/a 0 0
SHEKonnect Education n/a 0 0
Total: $787,609 $852,732 $852,732
OPIOID SETTLEMENT GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Agency Area of Need
FY 2024/25
Funding Recommendation
Revised
Recommendation
BACH
“Generations
Harm Reduction”
Opioid
Intervention n/a $20,000 $20,000
Council Staff Report (ID # 5496) Meeting of July 15, 2025 Updated: 7/11/2025 11:19 AM by Dina Lewis Page 4
Total: $0 $20,000 $20,000
FISCAL IMPACT: The recommended $852,732 in Social Service Grant awards will be funded with $787,732 of the annual General Fund transfer to the Human Services Department’s Special Revenue Fund (Fund 102) and $65,000 in CDBG funds (Fund 105).
Opioid Settlement grants will be funded with $20,000 in National Opioid Settlement funds in the Miscellaneous Special Revenue Fund (Fund 210). These funds were appropriated as part of the City’s FY 2025/26 adopted operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Approval of the proposed Social Service Grant awards and execution of grant agreements are exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because, without limitation, it is not a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2), 15378(b)(4), and/or 15378(b)(5) , and as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment per CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends that the City Council take the following actions related to its Social Service Grant Program:
1. Approve the allocation of FY 2025/26 Social Service Grant funding, as recommended by the Human Relations Commission and consistent with the City’s FY 2025/26 adopted operating budget.
2. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute grant agreements with the recommended non-profit agencies, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and any other implementing documents that may be required, as set forth in the staff report.