Report reviewing Measure Q grant program for 2025-26

In plain English

County staff reviewed how the first year of Measure Q competitive grants went and are asking the Board to accept the report. Measure Q is a voter-approved parcel tax raising about $7 million a year for safe drinking water, clean beaches, wildfire risk reduction and wildlife protection, with 40 percent of that going to grants. In the first cycle, 54 applications asked for $8.9 million and the Board awarded 18 grants totaling $2.74 million on June 9, 2026. A yes vote accepts the review and directs staff to come back by November 10, 2026 with updated grant rules for the 2026-27 cycle.

The 16 recommendations would change how nonprofits, agencies and community groups apply for and win a share of roughly $2.8 million a year in Measure Q grant money, including how applications are scored and whether groups can be funded in consecutive years.

Key facts

Measure Q generates approximately $7 million annually; 40 percent goes to the competitive grant program
54 applications requested $8.9 million — more than 3 times the available funds
The Board approved 18 grant awards totaling $2.74 million on June 9, 2026
16 recommendations were identified, based on a 24-response anonymous survey, two outside evaluators, a staff debrief, program records, and interviews with other grantmaking agencies
Draft revised guidelines go to the Citizens Oversight Advisory Board on October 21, 2026, and return to the Board by November 10, 2026
There is no financial impact associated with this report
An AI tool, Claude Sonnet, significantly contributed to developing this agenda item and attachments

Reasons to support

With demand running over three times available funding, clearer application questions and scoring criteria tied to measurable outcomes would make the competition more transparent and defensible.
Specific fixes are proposed for problems found in the first cycle: a longer or rolling application window, a third reviewer, a process to flag and re-calibrate score pairs that differ widely, and a better online application.
The report costs nothing and sets up a repeating review cycle, with revised guidelines ready before the 2026-27 application window opens.

Reasons to oppose or change it

Some recommendations would change who can get money — including limits on funding the same organization in consecutive years and how geographic and thematic balance is weighed — and groups funded in year one could lose out under new rules.
The proposal that staff bring a single recommended slate of awards to the Board gives the Board less choice among applicants than reviewing competing options.
The feedback base is thin: the post-application survey drew only 24 responses out of 54 applicants, and an AI tool contributed significantly to writing the report and attachments.

Official wording

Accept and file report on the Measure Q Fiscal Year 2025-26 Grant Program After Action Review, and take related actions (Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience) Health & Human Services

Official agenda Staff Report Measure Q FY 2025-26 Grant Program AAR

Summary written by claude-opus-5 from the agenda and the Staff Report. It can contain mistakes. The official documents govern.