Grants Review Committee

Meeting Minutes – Grants Review Committee February 1, 2022 Scheduled Meeting Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. LOCATION: Zoom Virtual Webinar Call to Order and Welcome – Grayce Wiggins, Housing Manager. Jennifer Hale, Grants Coordinator. The meeting began at 6:30 pm. Attendees: Jim Sebastian, Keli Cochran, Mark Swartz, Nadine Block, Nicole K. Ferraiolo, Susan Rosenblum. Absent: Derek Shiau, Lucy Moore, Mike Schoenkem Call to Order and Welcome Meeting was called to order at 6:35 PM. Attendance was noted and notes were opened. Susan Rosenblum moved to adopt the previous meeting minutes. Mike Schoenkem and Nikki Ferriaolo second. Jennifer Hale reminded the GRC about the conflict of interest form. Members took a minute to complete it during the meeting. Jen Hale also reminded new members about sending in headshots. Returning members can update headshots if needed. The GRC discuss the new requirement to have officers. Jen Hale and Grayce Wiggins briefly described the roles and responsibilities of the three officer positions. It was explained that the Chair will run the meetings, the Vice-Chair would run in the absence of the chair, and the secretary would be responsible for notes. Nikki suggested rotating officer roles. Susan Rosenblum was nominated for Chair by Keli Cochran. Jim Sebastian self-nominated for Vice-chair, and Niki Ferriaolo was nominated for secretary by several members. Resources Jen Hale reminded the GRC about several resources they can use to learn more about any grant program. She also discussed synthesizing the information gathered into a final report. Susan Rosenblum offered to assist in drafting the report for the FY21 grantees. Jen Hale provided some tips for the new members. They included: 2 | Page ■ Sign up for the Grantees’ e-newsletters ■ Sign up for the City’s e-newsletter (The Insider) ■ Follow Grantees on Social Media ■ Follow the City of Social Media ■ Reach out to your Councilmember Mark Swartz - Honoring Jerry Black Mark Swartz discussed possible ways to honor Jerry Black, a resident of Takoma Park who died tragically while out at dinner with his family from a stray bullet. The GRC discussed the idea generally. Some members mentioned other residents that might be honored in a similar way. A number of ideas were mentioned including fundraising for a new grant that could be given in someone's honor. The topic was tabled for future discussion. Site Visit Reports Susan Rosenblum and Jen Hale discussed GRC site visits for the new members and how they are used to get a snapshot of the grantee and make sure they are using the funds as intended. Jen Hale explained that the GRC is pairing new members with veterans for their first site visits. That way they can get a sense of the process and be supported as they learn. The GRC also discussed the Site Visit Template which GRC members complete following a visit. It starts off with an overview of the grantees, it asks the GRC member to briefly describe the event, further questions aim to evaluate the event and program. Many GRC members discuss their practices when attending a site visit. Some of the suggested best practices where: ○ Introduce self to grantee ahead of time via email ○ Take a screenshot or get transcripts from the meeting and the chat ○ Ask permission for photographs ○ Invite your council member to join you Nadine Bloch suggested that members can also just go and participate, be more casual. Grantmaking and Reporting Jen Hale briefly updated the GRC on the FY23 grant application. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM