Note: On March 1, 2018, there was a joint meeting between the boards of Rotary Charities and Rotary Camps and Services. As an outcome of that meeting, there will be monthly updates on the activities of each board delivered to the club via the bulletin, and a verbal update at the following club meeting.
-The Charities Board approved a $116,000 grant request from the Housing Task Force, to incubate/launch the Housing Partnership. Staff and board members began meeting with this group a couple of years ago. We are excited to be in a position to finally be taking action! The Housing Partnership is a network of about 25 organizations from the five-county-plus region, who are committed to creating housing options for EVERYONE. This grant will be used to set up a new, autonomous entity that will aid developers in building workforce and low-income housing. It'll help with housing policy advocacy at local, state and federal levels. It will provide much need capacity to both non-profits and rural municipalities who have struggled to implement housing projects. The Charities board unanimously approved this proposal because it's a perfect example of the kind of collaborative, regional initiative that we want to support moving forward.
- Rotary Charities Board unanimously approved sending a letter of support of the proposed millage to the Grand Traverse Conservation District. This recommendation is based on: • The District’s track record and Rotary Charities long history of support • The unique community needs provided through the District’s Services • The financial stability concerns faced by this critical community organization • The determined low risk of endorsing this proposal.
Since the “Great Dust Bowl” days of the 1920’s, the federal government mandated that each county has an established conservation district. Federal and State funding to support Districts has all but disappeared, creating an unfunded mandate. Grand Traverse County provides only $27,500 or 2% each year of the District’s total operating budget. The rest of their funds come primarily from state competitive grant funds, nearly $1million annually. These funds are often restricted and do not support the administrative costs. The District does raise funds from private sources and receives revenue from contract services, but this is still not enough to cover the costs of operations. In order for the District to respond to the ever-changing contemporary conservation needs of Grand County, it must maintain a consistently funded organizational structure capable of supporting the financial accounting and staffing demands necessary to both achieve their mission and manage multiple complex grant sources. The millage funds will be used to support the District where grant funds and other funds are insufficient and cannot be used.