Hopkinsville city finance staff and Mayor J.R. Knight hosted an informational meeting for local nonprofits on Tuesday to share how they can apply for grants through the newly established Hoptown Helps Program.
Hoptown Helps was established at a March City Council meeting, and local nonprofits are invited to submit grant applications to the program for project funding. In Knight’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, $250,000 has been designated for the program.
Now nonprofits that were typically included in the budget will have to apply to the program for funding. City Chief Financial Officer Melissa Clayton says applications are due by May 31 and will be reviewed by the Future Funding Committee, which consists of seven city council members.
The approved applications will be forwarded to Knight for review, and then the city council will vote on the applications as municipal orders. Clayton says nonprofits that have had their applications approved should receive funding by July or August.
Clayton says applications should spotlight a specific project the nonprofit needs funding for and nonprofits can only submit one application per year. Following the application deadline if funds are still remaining then the application might be reopened.
Then, when nonprofits reapply to the program, City Budget Officer Gary Ruebush says they will be requested to share how the funds they received in the prior year were used.
Applicants must share their nonprofit’s mission, the project they are seeking to fund and how much it will cost, how much money they want from the program, the nonprofit’s total budget and more. The full list of requirements and applications are available at hopkinsvilleky.us/hoptownhelps. Applications can be submitted online or at the Hopkinsville Municipal Building.
Council members discussed the Hoptown Helps Program while revising Knight’s proposed budget. Council members voted to amend the budget to provide $44,000 in funding to the Pennyroyal Arts Council. The proposed funds will come from the Hoptown Helps fund, but the operational budget has not been approved yet, so the fund transfer is also not yet approved.
Knight says City Attorney Doug Willen is reviewing the amendment, and council members will further discuss the budget at a committee meeting on Tuesday.