The city’s Community Funding program was formalized by a 2001 council resolution. At that time, the following criteria was developed to guide the consideration of requests for community funding support:

• Benefit to the community (current and historic)
• Community need
• Whether the service is already provided (i.e. avoid duplication)
• Geographic service area
• Methods of documenting the benefits to be provided in the community
• Clarity of the projects stated goals and objectives
• Longevity and reputation of the organization’s service in the community
• Follow-up documentation provided for previous application
• Ability to obtain funding from other sources
• Evidence of organization’s tax-exempt status

At a May 17, 2021 work session, Council expressed an interest in prioritizing the following areas recommended for action in the 2019 Community Needs Assessment:

• Expanding services available in the Goodyear community that are designed to meet the needs of minority populations, people in (or at risk of being in) crisis, or the homeless
• Fostering social and cultural cohesion in Goodyear
• Innovative solutions to bring more mental health care services into Goodyear, particularly for youth
• Innovative transportation solutions for Goodyear residents, particularly those that help residents meet their health care needs
• Regional solutions that result in increased access and a greater variety of services available to Goodyear residents and the workforce.

City staff solicited proposals from non-profits, reviewed them for completeness and prepared them for review by the City Council subcommittee. The subcommittee met to discuss the applications on June 23 and their recommendations are being advanced for consideration and approval of the full City Council.

Applications were available on the city’s website, and emailed to past applicants, members of the Goodyear Faith & Community Roundtable and individuals who had contacted the city to request information about the grant opportunity on May 20. Information was also shared with local media contacts and articles were published in the Goodyear Independent and West Valley View. A pre-application webinar was hosted on May 24, and a recording of the webinar remained on the website throughout the application period.
 
The application deadline was June 11, 2021. On June 23, the Community Funding Subcommittee met to discuss the applications and established consensus on the following 27 funding recommendations totaling $160,200.

Organization	Recommended Amount
1N10 Inc. dba one-n-ten: to support the Litchfield Park satellite, providing culturally competent community services to an estimated 145 duplicated Goodyear LGBTQ+ youth	$1,500
A New Leaf, Inc.: to help ensure parents who are homeless, or in imminent risk of becoming homeless, are able to provide a stable home, so children can maintain school attendance and succeed academically for an estimated 155 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$5,000
Agua Fria Food & Clothing Bank: towards facility renovations to remodel and expand the building lobby providing increased quality and a safer, more efficient environment, for an estimated 4,000 duplicated Goodyear residents	$15,000
All Faith Community Services: to support a "Mobile Food Bank" unit serving the needs of an estimated 8,000 duplicated Goodyear residents	$25,000
Angels on Patrol, Inc.: to help victims and community members in crisis with safety and basic needs -- an estimated 60 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$2,000
Area Agency on Aging, Region One: to provide household cleaning supplies to home delivered meal recipients -- an estimated 36 unduplicated Goodyear seniors	$7,200
Arizona Service Project: to provide a kit and teach homeowners how to weatherproof their home, making homes warmer, safer, and drier for an estimated 20 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$2,000
Arizona's Children Association: to create a trauma informed environment in the new Goodyear location, providing a continuum of behavioral health services to an estimated 225 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$8,000
Benevilla: towards the Volunteer Home Services program, providing free services (such as assisted transportation) to an estimated 40 duplicated Goodyear older adults and adults with disabilities	$2,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ): to provide community-based mentors for 20 unduplicated at-risk Goodyear youth	$2,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley (BGCAZ): to increase youth access to opportunities and services to help them succeed academically, gain positive life skills to benefit them now and as they become adults, and prepare them for the workforce through programming for an estimated 110 unduplicated Goodyear youth	$8,000
Catitude Arts: for art supplies and stipends for the Creative Aging and Mural Mentoring projects, serving an estimated 1,500 duplicated Goodyear residents	$3,000
Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS): to expand services available for Goodyear residents experiencing homelessness, including expanding shelter options and increasing community preventative services through a regional services hub in nearby Glendale for an estimated 15 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$5,000
Helping Families In Need: to provide healthcare and resource navigation support to an estimated 650 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$6,000
Homeless Youth Connection: to support the Empowering Youth For The Future program, providing basic needs and resources, including housing, food, clothing and life skills programs for 25 unduplicated homeless Goodyear youth	$1,500
Hope Community Services, Inc.: to fund behavioral health services for low-income, high-risk children and their families and provide safe environments for children referred by AZ Department of Child Safety to an estimated 160 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$7,500
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest: in support of the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Shelter Program (I-HELP), a low barrier shelter program for an estimated 20 unduplicated Goodyear residents experiencing homelessness	$5,000
Mission of Mercy: to support the medical care expenses of an estimated 40 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$2,000
New Life Center: to support the emergency shelter program for an estimated 30 unduplicated victims of domestic violence	$10,000
Phoenix Rescue Mission: to conduct street outreach at homeless encampments and assistance to an estimated 120 duplicated homeless Goodyear residents	$10,000
SCOSIC operating Meals of Joy: to fund free, home-delivered meals for an estimated 30 unduplicated Goodyear seniors	$1,000
Sky Kids, Inc.: to support Fly Day, an opportunity to experience flight at no cost for an estimated 200 unduplicated Goodyear residents with special needs and their families	$1,500
Sounds of Autism: to purchase tool kits, resources, and continue the in-person training for Goodyear's first responders, families and community leaders, and media -- an estimated 1,976 unduplicated individuals	$2,000
Southwest Lending Closet: to support the lending of home health care equipment free of charge to any person in need, serving an estimated 900 duplicated Goodyear residents	$14,000
Special Olympics Arizona, Inc.: to support an estimated 200 duplicated Goodyear athletes and Unified partners	$5,000
St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance: to procure food for Emergency Food Boxes, Mobile Pantries, and Weekend Backpack programs provided to Goodyear-based partner agencies who distribute the emergency food to an estimated 4,250 unduplicated Goodyear residents	$7,500
West Valley Youth Orchestra: to deliver a one-day Fall Workshop to focus students in intensive sectional rehearsals and a short concert for an estimated 30 unduplicated Goodyear youth and their family members	$1,500
TOTAL	$160,200

Applicants also responded to a question seeking potential interest in participating in a donation drive opportunity at one of the city's signature events. The responses varied from a desire to collect cash donations, clothing and diapers to nonperishable food items. The subcommittee’s recommendation is to limit donation drives at signature events to support local food banks and that they be conducted around the winter holidays.

A summary of all applications received has been attached for reference.