On Thursday, March 7, the Children’s Services Council of Leon County (CSC Leon) approved the intent to fund five applications from its third round of the “Small Investments for Program Success” (SIPS) Initiative. The objective of this one-time, short-term funding is to allow small, nonprofits access to funding outside of the more robust priority funding cycles to support very targeted service delivery and/or events during the next six months. In addition, the limited scope funding (maximum of $15,000) will allow recipients who have historically been excluded from funding opportunities for a variety of reasons to build their internal infrastructure to comply with reporting and budgeting requirements. For some, this may be the first public financial investment they have ever received. The Council’s goal is to ensure their operational success and, ultimately, to assist them in better serving children, youth and families in Leon County more effectively.
The selected programs address two of the three CSC Leon priority areas and deploy a variety of service modalities. A brief overview for each program selected and the amounts allocated are listed below.
Success in School and Life
These programs are primarily focused on increasing school performance through the provision of needed supports, as well as programming to engage youth in positive ways while preventing juvenile crime.
- Diamonds in the Rough Sports, Entertainment, & Education, Inc.: Expansion of tutoring, mentorship and wellness program for youth for six weeks (2 days a week) — $15,000.
- DJ Demp Foundation, Inc.: Purchase of backpacks and school supplies for a back-to-school giveaway serving children, K-8, in targeted neighborhoods — $5,000.
- FWPC Community Development Corporation: Purchase of new shoes to distribute at an upcoming Shoes4School event at the Civic Center — $15,000.
Stable & Nurturing Families & Communities
These programs are focused on increasing the occupational skills, career pathways and economic opportunities for youth.
- Blautism, Inc.: Sponsorship of one day Spring 2024 Symposium Conference for 35 youth with disabilities and unique abilities — $5,000.
- Teenpreneur Foundation, Inc.: Short-term sponsorship of general program operations for a youth entrepreneurship program — $5,000.
This funding is the third round in this program targeted at our small, nonprofit partners, bringing the total to 25 organizations funded since the first round opened in July 2023. The previously funded 20 organizations are listed below.
Success in School and Life
- Divine Revelations Ministries, Inc.
- Dream Builders Greatness Center, Inc.
- STEMS4Girls, Inc.
- The Clean Start Initiative
- The Project Bridge, Inc.
Healthy Children, Youth and Families
- Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
- Indaba, Inc.
- Javacya Arts Conservatory
- KidSafe
- Lincoln Center Foundation, Inc.
- The 850 Kings
Stable & Nurturing Families & Communities
- Community Carpentry USA, Inc.
- Consulting Together Community Outreach, Inc.
- Inclusion Cafe
- Life Skills and Leadership Academy
- North Florida Community Development Corporation
- TallyRobotics/Tallahassee LEGO Robotics Club, Inc.
- The Foundation for Wealth Building, Inc.
- The Less Fortunate Still Matter Foundation
- Youth Entrepreneur Program of Florida, Inc.
The next application period opens early April and will likely be the last round of SIPS issued for the fiscal year.
Finer Detail of Most Recent Round
In total, CSC Leon received 15 applications and deemed 5 as “non-responsive” due to not meeting the application criteria or not completing the application correctly. Of the remaining applications, the total amount requested was $79 thousand. Council members reviewed and ranked each responsive application Staff grouped the applications based on the rankings into two categories.
- Recommended for Funding: Nearly Unanimous Support from Multiple Council Members
- Consider for Funding: Mixed Support from Council Members
Ultimately, the Governing Council approved all applications that fell into the top category. A listing of all applications and their assigned grouping is available to view here.
This methodology resulted in 5 applications being selected to move forward in the funding process, with a total requested of $45,000.
Those applicants not selected for funding will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one technical assistance to help understand the strengths and opportunities of their application and build capacity to make future applications more competitive.
To learn more about the original call for proposals and applications, click here.