Grants Division Provides Review of Second Year of Operations
A YEAR IN REVIEW
GRANTS DIVISION TO PROVIDE OVERVIEW OF SECOND YEAR OF OPERATIONS
RAPID CITY, SD—In its second year of operations, the City’s Grants Division has secured $3.7 million in state and federal grant funding with another $22 million pending in submitted grant applications.
Since its start in early 2022, the grants division has secured nearly $8.5 million in state and federal grant funding.
City Grants Division Manager Jamie Toennies will provide her annual review of the division’s work at today’s (Feb. 11) Public Works Committee and Wednesday’s (Feb. 12) Legal and Finance Committee meetings. Both meetings begin at 12:30 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall and are open to the public.
In 2024, the grants division submitted more than two dozen applications requesting a total of $84 million.
“We’ve had another active and productive year with a lot of work put in on behalf of City departments,” said Toennies. “The annual report to the City committees is an opportunity to share the results of the work and efforts and provide an update and overview of grants that have been awarded and for what purposes.”
Toennies estimates for every one dollar invested in the grants division, a total of $14 was collected in new funding to support city priorities.
“These grant funds benefit our community, from infrastructure, developing a safer community and arts and culture, to affordable housing, economic development and beautification of our community,” said Toennies.
A total of 48.9 percent of the City grant requests are from federal sources, 42.2 percent from state sources and 8.9 percent from other sources.
The grants division was created in early 2022 to help the City of Rapid City secure additional state and federal grant revenue to support city operations. The division is working with all city departments in researching potential grant sources, vetting specifics to grants, and submitting and tracking applications. The grants division also fosters collaborations with City committees and community partners and shares the lead in applying for grants on issues of community importance such as housing, child care and work force development.
“I said it last year during the initial review and it continues today, we’re not leaving any stone unturned,” Toennies said. “We are continuing to carefully research and comb through numerous grant opportunities, checking to see if there are any strings attached. The grant awards we receive assist the City in its operations and services to the community and its citizens.”
The City has received several state and federal grant awards due to the efforts of the grants division. These efforts help save local taxpayers money in the long run. We have a number of pending grant applications out there and are awaiting word on the outcomes.
“Our mission and push are to apply for grants that align with the needs of our City departments, align with our City’s priorities, and working in collaboration with staff, department leaders, the mayor and city council,” said Toennies. “There are numerous opportunities to seek and secure funds that can assist our community. We do our homework, and when the right opportunities present themselves, we want to be in the mix for consideration.”
This week’s committee presentations will include an overview of the division’s work including grant awards received and applied for, the process used in applying for grants, and the scope of work done by grants division staff in the past year.