Grant Funding

In the San Mateo Times today:

BURLINGAME The public will have the chance to lobby on behalf of their favorite community groups before the city hands out the $50,000 it has set aside for them. It is important, Councilwoman Terry Nagel said, because the amount of money available has been cut again, and the council needs to gauge support for such community groups as Mission Hospice, Samaritan House and YFA Crisis Intervention Center.

The public has until April 29 to put in comments before the council finalizes the 2005-2006 budget in June. "It's a good idea that, if people have other ideas on how to spend that money, to let us know," Nagel said. "These groups are really hurting. Now that the tsunami is over, I encourage everybody to give in their own back yard. These groups do tremendous good."

The city has had to implement a 10 percent cut to all community groups' requests each year for the past two years. PARCA is one of the community groups that did not get all of what it originally asked. Last year, it requested $2,000 to cover some of its operating expenses for Raji House in Burlingame. It got $1,620 instead. This year, it again asked for $2,000 but may get last year's amount, said PARCA spokeswoman Beth Brown. "We're extremely grateful for the city's support of (Raji House) and we make do with what we get," she said. Raji House is an expensive program because it provides respite care for children with developmental disabilities. The program provides overnight care for six children and daytime-only care for 15 more. The children who range from 6 to 17 years old have mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism and other brain disorders. Some have multiple disabilities, Brown said. The overall operating budget to run Raji for one year is $176,000, Brown said. The rest of the funds comes from other San Mateo County cities, corporate and endownment funders and individual donations. "The way things are going right now, and if the federal budget is any indication, I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel," Brown said. "We need to think more creatively about finding funding."

Comments regarding Burlingame community group funding should be sent to finance director and treasurer Jesus Nava. He can be reached at (650) 558-7222 or [email protected].

I will be interested to see which organizations get funding this year because it will be an indication of how much these organizations contribute to our community and - also to honesty.

- Written by Fiona