City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2025 FROM: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR A $1,500,471 ROUND 3 YOUTH SERVICE CORPS GRANT OFFERED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA / CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS TO CONTINUE THE CURRENTLY OPERATING YOUTH WORKFORCE PROGRAM – SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ISSUE:
Authorization to apply for $1,500,471 in Round 3 grant funding to continue the currently operating City of Riverside Youth Service Corps program in partnership with the State of California / California Volunteers, and appropriation of funding into Program accounts.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Authorize the City of Riverside to apply for $1,500,471 in Round 3 grant funding to continue the currently operating City of Riverside Youth Service Corps program in partnership with the State of California / California Volunteers; Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute any and all application and contract documents associated with Youth Service Corps Round 3 funding, making minor corrections as necessary; and With five affirmative votes, and upon grant award, authorize the Chief Financial Officer or designee to record a $1,500,471 increase in revenues and appropriate an equal amount in expenditures in the Grants and Restricted Programs Fund, Round 3 Youth Service Corps Program revenue and expenditure accounts.
BACKGROUND:
In 2021, through the work of Mayor Lock Dawson and the Big City Mayors Coalition, the City received $4.4 million Grant from the State of California/ California Volunteers to develop the CaliforniansForAll Workforce Development Program. On May 24, 2022, the City Council accepted an award from the State of California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in the amount of $4,401,597 and authorized a Standard Agreement with the State of California for the grant funds.
On January 16, 2024, the City Council (1) authorized the City of Riverside to apply for a CaliforniansForAll Round 2 grant application in the amount of $1,740,075, and accept the aforementioned amount if awarded, to continue the Youth Workforce Program in partnership with State of California/ California Volunteers which was a continuation of a successful program that had benefitted both the City and outside partners.
On October 30, 2025, Round 3 funding applications were released for the 2025 – 2026 Youth Service Corps Big City Mayors Program Grant (“Grant”) for the continued funding of the Youth Service Corps programs established by the 2021 CaliforniansForAll Youth Workforce Development Program. The City of Riverside was allocated $1,500,471 through the advocacy of Mayor Lock Dawson in the Big City Mayor’s Coalition. Program allocations to Big City Mayors for 2025 are included below.
City
Allocation
Los Angeles
$17,940,190
San Diego
$6,590,993
San Jose
$4,581,974
San Francisco
$3,942,512
Fresno
$2,608,201
Sacramento
$2,472,252
Long Beach
$2,165,109
Oakland
$1,993,914
Bakersfield
$1,963,703
Anaheim
$1,601,173
Stockton
$1,500,471
Riverside
$1,500,471
Irvine
$1,490,400
DISCUSSION:
The Round 3 Grant has three goals: 1) Increase youth employment by providing foundational skills and work experience that will prepare participants for educational pursuits and/or career employment; 2) Develop career pathways for youth who participate in the program to move into gainful employment post-service; and 3) strengthen city/community capacity to address key areas of education, food insecurity, climate resilience, and public service.
In the first two rounds of funding, the program hired 98 youth between the ages of 16-30, to work in 12 departments within the City, and 23 were hired to full-time regular positions within the city organization. The City funded three non-profit partners who hired 27 youth between the ages of 16 to 30, and 6 were hired to full-time, regular positions.
The City plans to utilize Round 3 Grant funding to continue offering opportunities to youth in the Riverside community and help them gain the job skills to prepare them for a career in civic service. Specifically, Round 3 grant funding will allow the City to:
Continue the existing youth workforce program that was established through the 2021 grant and offer part-time (19 hours per week) general service worker positions capped at 1,000 hours per fiscal year; Expand participation across City departments and divisions by allowing additional departments to request and host a Program Intern; and Continue offering on-the-job training and skill development opportunities to the Program Interns to enhance their workforce readiness and better prepare them for entry-level careers in the public sector.
In Round 3 the State of California/ California Volunteers designated four focus areas for service projects: climate resilience, food insecurity, education, and public service. The funding structure offers a one-year grant, with 18 months to spend the funds.
Process of Receiving Funding:
California Volunteers will grant funds directly to cities on a monthly reimbursement basis. Cities can choose to subgrant all or parts of the funding to existing CBOs providing youth workforce development programming. Cities (or subgrantees under supervision of a city) are responsible for selecting or creating opportunities and recruiting, hiring and managing participants. Funding can be used to create new programming or expand existing youth workforce programs within the requirements of this grant. Programming can be run year-round or as an intermittent summer program. Regardless of program length, all positions must be 50-100% FTE and all funds must be encumbered and expended by the end of the calendar year 2027.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this grant, if awarded, will be an increase in revenues and expenditures of $1,500,471 which will be reimbursed to the City under a Standard Agreement with the State of California. There is no City match requirement for this grant.
Fund
Program
Account
Amount
Grants & Restricted Programs
Youth Service Corps Round 3
Revenue
TBD
$1,500,471
Expenditures
TBD
$1,500,471
Prepared by: Rene Goldman, Human Resources Director
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager/ Chief Financial Officer Approved as to form: Rebecca Mc-Kee Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Youth Service Corps Youth Workforce Program Round 3 ● Page 4