Seaside — The Seaside City Council on Thursday approved distribution of $420,000 in one‑time community social‑service grants to local nonprofits, after reviewing 22 applications requesting roughly $1.07 million.

Assistant City Manager Dan Milas presented the program background, noting the grant pool was established in 2020 and is intended to support local nonprofits that provide education, youth development, recreation, public health, and housing‑stability services. Milas told the council the city received 22 applications that totaled $1,067,303 in requests and outlined staff’s recommended evaluation criteria: community need urgency, number and demographics served, organizational capacity, funding leverage and cost effectiveness.

Why it matters: The program was launched following 2020 civic unrest and aims at preventive community investments — especially youth mentoring, mental‑health intervention and services that reduce demands on public safety. The council devoted substantial time to comparing applicants and priorities and to ensuring funds align with the program’s original mission.

Council discussion and direction: Council members stressed different priorities: some favored spreading the money across many organizations to “spread the wealth,” while others proposed concentrating funds on youth leadership, mentoring and intervention programs that the council said best match the fund’s original purpose. Several council members disclosed existing volunteer roles on applicant boards before discussing allocations.

Staff and council worked through suggested allocations in open session. Multiple councilmembers proposed funding lines for organizations including Seaside Rising Youth Leadership Academy, Community Partnership for Youth (CPY), Village Project, Palenque Arts, Arts Council for Monterey County, Friends of Seaside Parks Association (FOSPA), Sun Street Centers, and others. Councilmembers amended and averaged proposals on the dais; staff confirmed the final total matched the budget allocation of $420,000 and said staff would make rounding corrections and publish the final spreadsheet.

Outcome and vote: After deliberation the council approved a motion allocating $420,000 among the 22 applicants. The motion passed by unanimous vote; the city manager was authorized to make administrative adjustments to ensure the published award list sums to $420,000.

Notable items and themes from applications: Applicants included organizations providing emergency shelter and housing navigation for families, food assistance and market‑match programs, youth leadership and job‑training programs, restorative justice and violence‑prevention groups, arts and culture nonprofits, and long‑standing local faith‑based food programs. Several applicants told the council their programs serve seniors, unhoused families, and youth at risk; speakers emphasized measurable long‑term outcomes such as reduced juvenile justice involvement and improved school retention.

Next steps: Staff will finalize and publish the detailed award spreadsheet and inform awardees. The council emphasized follow‑up reporting from recipients and underscored that funding is discretionary, one‑time and contingent on recipients meeting reporting requirements.

Votes at a glance
- Motion: Approve the allocation of $420,000 in 2025 community social‑service grants among 22 nonprofit applicants and authorize the city manager to finalize technical adjustments — Approved unanimously.

Ending: Council members said the program remains a key local investment in youth and social supports, and they requested future staff work on procedural clarity (application review process and possible ad‑hoc scoring committees) for subsequent grant cycles.