In 1998, the Healdsburg City Council used some of the proceeds from the sale of the former city hall building to create and fund the Community Benefit Grant Program, which continues funding nonprofit and charitable organizations throughout Healdsburg.
The old city hall building was sold to the landlords of the current Oakville Grocery in the mid-1990s, and a portion of the interest from the funds has been used yearly to help nonprofits based in the community.
Assistant City Manager Heather Ippoliti looked into city records and said the grant program was begun in fiscal year 1998 with $580,000. Since that time the interest revenue has been used when available for the grant program, which was only suspended once during the fiscal years of 2010-2013 because of financial challenges and redevelopment laws, but it was reinstated in 2014. The applications are open once a year and the council looks for programs that “benefit a large cross section of residents, offer a sustainable benefit to Healdsburg and support community participation.”
The funding granted for the 2017 year varied from buying pantry staples for a food bank, to renting the Raven Theater to perform concerts in. One $2,500 grant was awarded to the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society, and Assistant Curator Whitney Hopkins explained further about what the funds would be used for. “The collection used to belong to the city, but just last year they transferred it over to us – it just made more sense. We have an offsite storage facility where we keep all the things that aren’t currently on display, and they need to be protected. This includes [archival] boxes, plastic sleeves … things to protect the collection.”
As she spoke, she gestured to a helmet sitting on her desk, “Like this helmet. We plan on showcasing these pieces soon to mark the 100 year anniversary of our entry into World War I.”
The total number of grant requests for this year was $50,400, which is $400 more than the original $50,000 allotted. On Feb. 21, the city council passed a resolution where it approved increasing appropriations in the Community Benefit Trust Fund by $400, thus successfully funding the approved applications.
