At a glance
The following is a breakdown of the $407,000 Forsyth County awarded to local nonprofits in 2011:
• Bald Ridge Lodge, $75,000
• Court Appointed Special Advocates, $35,000
• Child Advocacy Center, $35,000
• Children’s Center for Hope & Healing, $10,000
• Department of Family and Children Services, $130,000
• Family Haven, $12,000
• Jesse’s House, $75,000
• Mentor Me North Georgia, $20,000
• New Hope Counseling, $2,500
• Supporting Adoption and Foster Families Together, $10,000
• Parks summer camp scholarships, $2,500
Source: Forsyth County government
Forsyth County awarded $407,000 in grant money to local nonprofits to fill community needs in 2011.
The county’s social services committee reviewed how the 11 agencies have fared this year and how to improve next year’s process during its mid-year meeting Wednesday.
In the second year of the grant offerings, the county has seen some positive effects, said Nicole Morgan, committee chairwoman.
A requirement that agencies receiving county funds attend networking meetings has increased their collaboration, said Morgan, who is also executive director of Forsyth County Community Connection.
“They are working at a very high level to try to refer within and streamline their own processes within so that we as a team of agencies are serving children and families holistically,” she said. “They’re also trying to get them stabilized and moved out of the system quickly.”
As it stands, the county allows only agencies that work with youth in the court system to apply for and receive grants.
The committee will ask the commissioners if they want to alter that requirement for next year, but it also discussed the benefits of grants to these agencies.
From a financial standpoint, the county may save money by awarding funds to nonprofits that fill court-mandated services, said Jamie Payne, assistant finance director for Forsyth.
“If we don’t fill the need here, it will become our burden as a county employee,” Payne said. “It’s cheaper for us to provide nonprofit services than to provide a county department.”
In looking at the agencies’ mid-year reports, the committee found no red flags in how the money has been spent.
In the case of a grant to the Forsyth County Parks Foundation, the money hasn’t been — and likely won’t be — spent.
The $2,500 awarded for summer camp scholarships couldn’t be arranged in time for the fledgling organization to assist youths in the juvenile justice system.
The social services committee floated several options to allow that funding to go toward another purpose this year.
The money could be divided among the other agencies, go out for another grant application or be used for recreational activities from the other nonprofits.
Morgan planned to first contact the foundation.
The committee plans to make a presentation of the mid-year reports to the commissioners in October, as well as get input on how to conduct the application process for 2012 grants.