A NEED FOR CONSISTENCY
Hamilton County Commission Chairman Chip Baker was on to something earlier this month when he suggested the commission needed a more deliberative process for awarding funds to nonprofit organizations, and that became clear with the discussion at Wednesday’s commission meeting on funds proposed for the nonprofit Lighthouse Collective.
Baker, at the end of the Feb. 1 meeting, distributed to his colleagues a proposed grant application which would ask nonprofits to submit a statement of need, a description of their project, a timeline, their qualifications and how the organization would sustain services long-term if county funds don’t continue.
Along with the application, the county also would ask organizations to supply various supporting documents, including their most recent audit, their previous three years of financial statements, their current year’s operating budget and three years worth of federal tax forms.
“I just think we should have a better process by which we do things,” Baker told his colleagues.
On Wednesday, representatives of youth mentorship program Lighthouse Collective appeared before the commission to request an additional $100,000 that the previous commission suggested they likely would get if — after being given $100,000 in 2021 — they made regular reports to the commission.
The county at the time was swimming in money after getting $71.4 million in so-called COVID federal relief money through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) passed by congressional Democrats in 2021.
Commissioner Jeff Eversole, R-Ooltewah, who was not on the commission that originally granted the money, asked a question of Lighthouse Collective representatives that should be asked — or spelled out on the type of grant application Baker had in mind — of any nonprofit organization seeking money: How does the organization measure its success?
The representative answered that family units were coming together and young people in gangs were “beginning to shift their mindset.”
How many units reunited? How many people left gangs? How was the money spent?
The Lighthouse Collective representative said he could supply additional information, but we would expect any nonprofit seeking new money — and especially seeking additional money — to come loaded with such numbers.
However, two members of the commission who roundly supported Baker’s suggestion on an improved process for awarding funds to nonprofit organizations seemed unsettled that such questions should be asked of Lighthouse Collective.
“They’ve done a great job,” said Commissioner Warren Mackey, D-Lake Vista. “They have engaged people in the community, and they do have a record. I’m going encourage the commission once again to support this second installment of $100,000.”
Commissioner Greg Beck, D-North Brainerd, seemed even more taken aback.
“I just don’t feel that’s fair that they have to keep running in here with hat in hand, and no one else has to come,” he said.
When Baker made his suggestion earlier this month, Mackey said nonprofits previously had just relied on their connections to come in and acquire funding.
“Somehow there has grown up this idea that commissioners have a closet full of money somewhere in the back, and all you have to do is give them the magical words,” he said. “If they say the right thing, you can go pull the money out of the closet and have their project. But it doesn’t work that way.”
Beck, in a interview with this newspaper regarding Baker’s idea at the time, said he agreed with the idea of developing a more formal process, adding that there’s been a need for the county to ease up on the politics associated with awarding funds to nonprofits.
We guess it’s all a matter of who asks, whose politics are being played upon, and whose connections have gotten the nonprofit in front of the commission.
As to the case with the Lighthouse Collective, when it appeared before the commission in 2021, one of the nonprofit’s founders made the suggestion himself of frequent progress reports.
“[W]e’re willing to send you a report every week on the work we’re doing,” said LaDarius Price. “I’m trying to set a precedent.”
On Wednesday, county finance administrator Lee Brouner reminded commissioners that Lighthouse Collective was one of the first organizations to receive ARP money, so it was ultimately handled differently than any grants that came later.
We have no reason to believe the nonprofit isn’t measuring up or using its money wisely, but we hope commissioners will take representatives up on their offer of more information before they vote next week on whether to provide more money. And we hope they’ll take Baker up in determining a more deliberative process on awarding funds to nonprofit organizations. After all, it would be much easier if everyone had to jump through the same hoops.