May 26, 2026
Library and Community Services
DATE: May 26, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Patrick Seals, Administrative Chief
Jora Atienza Washington, Senior Management Analyst
Nicholas Delgado, Associate Management Analyst
Subject:
Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Richmond Fund for Children and
Youth Participatory Grantmaking Grant Awardee
Recommendation
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Kids First Amendment of the Charter of the City of Richmond (Article 15 Section 2) requires the City to
allocate one, two, and three percent of the City’s General Fund (GF) in fiscal year (FY) 2021-2022, FY 2022-2023,
and FY 2023-2024, respectively, and three percent each
fiscal year thereafter through FY 2027-2028. These funds are to be set aside as annual revenues and are
appropriated to the Richmond Department of Children
and Youth (RDCY) Fund. Based on annual limited-term
revenue received and deposited into the General Fund,
three percent is allocated to RDCY. Given existing multi- year grant commitments, RDCY has set aside a portion
of these funds to support a Participatory Grantmaking
pilot process. For FY 2026–2027, up to $500,000 has
been designated for this pilot, with $497,000
recommended to fund fourteen (14) grant awards to
eligible nonprofit organizations (Account
String:13371018-400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
AGENDA
REPORT
May 26, 2026
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
In June 2018, Richmond voters approved Measures E and
K (the Richmond Kids First Initiative), amending the City Charter to establish the Richmond Department of Children and Youth (RDCY) and the Richmond Fund for Children
and Youth (RFCY), and dedicating a portion of the General Fund to youth programs and services . As RDCY is
currently committed to existing multi-year grant obligations, staff developed a Participatory Grantmaking pilot process to allocate a portion of these funds. This process was informed by input from local nonprofit organizations
regarding its structure, guidelines, and funding priorities, and will make up to $500,000 available for grant awards.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2027, staff is presenting funding recommendations totaling $497,000 across fourteen (14)
grant applications for the City Council’s approval.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution approving a recommendation from
the Richmond for Children and Youth (RFCY) Oversight
Board to award fourteen (14) RFCY grants to youth-
serving public and nonprofit organizations for a total
amount not to exceed $497,000 for Fiscal Year 2026-27;
and AUTHORIZE the city manager, or their designee to
negotiate and execute Grant Service Agreements with
the approved grantees – Richmond Department of
Children & Youth (Jora Atienza Washington/Patrick Seals 510-620-6512).
DISCUSSION:
City staff requests that City Council approve grant agreements with fourteen (14) non- profit and public agency programs in the amount of $497,000 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2027. Organizations that receive an RFCY grant will be awarded for a one-year period, July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. These organizations applied for RFCY funding through a competitive solicitation process in which sixty-seven (67) applications were submitted (Attachment 1). Department staff present a list of recommendations based on scores and information submitted by a team of reviewers who read and scored all applications.
Background
On January 30, 2026, the Richmond Department of Children and Youth (RDCY) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for grant applications for FY 2026-2027 (Attachment 1). The Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) Design Team, a subset of the Richmond Service Provider Working Group (SPWG), collaborated with City staff on this RFP, making recommendations on a more provider-friendly and accessible grant application structure and process. This design group was comprised of local nonprofit, youth-serving organizations with prior experience applying to RDCY funding.
May 26, 2026
The funding structure and parameters for this RFP PGM pilot was established based on the Design Team recommendations and is based on organizational budget size, as outlined below:
Funding Groups by Organization Budget Size % of Total Funds Group A: Organizations with annual budgets under $175,000 33.3% = $166,666 Group B: Organizations with annual budgets between $175,000 and $499,999
33.3% = $166,666
Group C: Organizations with annual budgets $500,000 and above 33.3% = $166,666
Total 100% = $500,000
Organizations were eligible to submit one (1) application for this pilot program.
Outreach and Technical Support
Information about the FY 2026-2027 RFCY PGM pilot was posted to the City’s website, presented in the City Manager’s Weekly Report, posted on the Richmond Department of Children and Youth’s social media platforms, and emailed through various listservs to inform as many organizations as possible of the RFCY grant.
In addition, the City hosted two (2) pre-proposal conferences and workshops that focused on reviewing the grant guidelines and completing the application included in the RFP for interested applicants. Additionally, the City engaged with consultants who provided one-on-one technical assistance to interested applicants. All grant-related materials, video-recorded training sessions, and other resources were posted on the City’s RFCY grant resource webpage for reference.
Evaluation Process
A total of 67 grant applications were received. Applications were vetted by RDCY staff to ensure that they were complete. All eligible applications were submitted to the RFP Grant Review Committee (Committee) for evaluation and scoring during March and April 2026. The Review Committee was comprised of staff from various city, county and federal employees such as: Finance staff, City Attorney’s Office staff, IT staff, Economic Development staff, Fire Department staff, Police Department staff, Community Development staff, City and County of San Francisco staff, Alameda County staff, and the Federal Department of Education staff. All reviewed applications were evaluated and rated independently by each Committee member using the criteria listed below.
Application Element Points
Organization Story and Program Summary 20
Program Design 35
May 26, 2026
Outcomes and Impact 25
Budget 20
TOTAL 100
The eligible applications were organized into the three (3) funding groups based on organizational budget size outlined in the RFP. Each group consisted of a minimum of seven (7) reviewers, with each application receiving a minimum of three (3) reviews utilizing a standard scoresheet to score/rate each application element. All reviewers signed conflict of interest forms prior to reviewing applications, and City staff took additional steps to ensure no reviewers scored proposals where they may have had such a conflict.
Applications were scored from one (1) to five (5) in individual sections and then given a multiplier that rendered scores up to a total of 100 points. Agencies located in Richmond received an extra ten (10) bonus points per the published grant guidelines for this RFP. Review Committee members submitted their final scores and evaluations to City staff in April 2026. City staff then totaled and averaged the scores for each application and generated rankings for each priority area (1 denoting the highest average score overall, 2 the second-highest, etc.). The intent behind this choice was to preserve and enable funding for program applications that represented the highest quality and standards of service offerings for Richmond youth and their families (Attachment 2).
FY 2026-2027 RFCY Grant Award Recommendations
The Richmond City Council is asked to approve the following grant recommendations that were approved by the RFCY Oversight Board at a meeting on May 4, 2026. The information in the tables below represents awards to public and/or nonprofit organizations (14 programs overall) in an amount not to exceed $497,000.
Funding Groups Total Recommended
Grant Award
Group A: Organizations with annual budgets under
$175,000 $99,500
Group B: Organizations with annual budgets between
$175,000 and $499,999 $147,500
Group C: Organizations with annual budgets $500,000
and above $250,000
TOTAL RECOMMENDED ALLOCATION $497,000
The Design Team and RFCY staff established the three funding groups (A, B, and C) to promote equitable access to funding opportunities across organizations of varying sizes and capacities, while preventing disproportionate allocation to larger, more established entities. Group A is intended to support small and grassroots organizations, including those that have recently obtained 501(c)(3) status or are transitioning from fiscal sponsorship, by providing accessible funding levels aligned with their operational scale.
May 26, 2026
Group B is designed for mid-sized organizations with developing administrative and programmatic infrastructure, balancing accessibility with demonstrated organizational capacity. Group C is intended for larger organizations with established financial, administrative, and programmatic systems capable of managing higher award amounts.
While organizational budget size is used to determine eligibility and ensure equity in the review process, funding recommendations are primarily based on the scope, scale, and impact of the proposed program. This approach reflects the Participatory Grantmaking model’s emphasis on program-level impact rather than organizational size, while also ensuring a balanced distribution of funds across all applicant groups.
Grant award recommendations are listed below at the “Grant Award Recommendation” level based on the three (3) recommended groupings.
Key: an asterisk “*” indicates a Richmond-based organization
Group A: Organization Budgets Under $175,000
Organization Name Requested Amount Grant Award
Recommendation
House of Loving Hands, Inc.* $ 15,000 $ 15,000
Loved Twice* $ 24,500 $ 24,500
Empowering Youth Through Music*
(Fiscal Sponsor: Richmond Police
Activities League, Inc.)
$ 10,000 $ 10,000
The Black Neighborhood* $ 25,000 $ 25,000
Richmond Steelers Youth Football And
Cheer A New Generation, Inc.* $ 25,000 $ 25,000
TOTAL $ 99,500 $ 99,500
Group B: Organization Budgets Between $175,000 and $499,999 Organization Name Requested Amount Grant Award
Recommendation
New Life Movement* $ 50,000 $ 50,000
Saving America’s Youth
(Fiscal Sponsor: New Life Movement)* $ 50,000 $ 50,000 West County Salesian Youth Club* $ 40,000 $ 40,000
Things That Creep* $ 7,500 $ 7,500
TOTAL $ 147,500 $ 147,500
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Group C: Organization Budgets $500,000 and Above
Organization Name Requested Amount Grant Award
Recommendation
Desarrollo Familiar, Inc. dba Familias
Unidas*
$ 50,000 $ 50,000
East Bay Center for the Performing Arts* $ 50,000 $ 50,000 Nystrom Elementary
(Fiscal Sponsor: West Contra Costa
Public Education Fund)*
$ 50,000 $ 50,000
Scientific Adventures for Girls* $ 50,000 $ 50,000
Watershed Project* $ 50,000 $ 50,000
TOTAL $ 250,000 $ 250,000
Next Steps
City staff will enter into grant agreements with awardees. City staff will manage the contract processes which include, but are not limited to, insurance approval, entering into contracts with grantees, contract administration, serving as a point of contact for all grantees, conducting site visits, reviewing progress reports, and reviewing and approving invoices.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – FY 2026-2027 RFCY Participatory Grantmaking Pilot RFP Grant Guidelines and Application
Attachment 2 – FY 2026-2027 RFCY Participatory Grantmaking Pilot Grant Program Evaluation Matrix and Ranking
Attachment 3 – Resolution