Jack Hopkins Social Services Committee

The Jack Hopkins Social Services Grant Program

The 2021 funding cycle is closed, the next funding cycle will begin in March 2022.

The City of Bloomington Common Council’s Jack Hopkins Social Services Committee invites social service agencies serving the needs of City of Bloomington residents to apply for 2021 grant funding. This year, the Committee has $511,000 to distribute. The Committee prioritizes projects and programs where investments now will have positive, long-term effects such as alleviating the effects of poverty, reducing susceptibility to disease, decreasing absences from school, reducing lost time from work, etc.

About the Jack Hopkins Committee

Started by, and named after, former Councilmember Jack Hopkins, this funding program began in 1993. Since its inception, the Bloomington Common Council and Mayor have provided over $5 million to social services agencies for projects that have made a difference in the lives of City residents in need. The Committee is composed of four members of the Common Council and three City residents with experience in social services.

The 2021 Committee:

Councilmember Kate Rosenbarger
Councilmember Susan Sandberg (Chair)
Councilmember Sue Sgambelluri
Councilmember Ron Smith
Resident Tim Mayer
Resident Mark Fraley
Resident Lauren McCalister

Timeline for the 2021 Jack Hopkins Funding Cycle (important dates for agencies in bold):

MARCH 18th - Technical Assistance for Applicants (Thursday, 4:00pm) - Zoom Link

APRIL 5th - APPLICATIONS DUE (Monday, must be received no later than 4:00 pm)

APRIL 20th - Committee Application Review Meeting (Tuesday, 6:00pm) - Zoom Link

APRIL 29th - Agency Presentations (Thursday, 5:30pm) - Zoom Link

MAY 11th - Committee Pre-Allocation Meeting (Tuesday, 6:00pm) - Zoom Link

MAY 18th - Committee Allocation Hearing (Tuesday, 6:00pm) - Zoom Link

MAY 27th - Committee Debriefing Meeting (Thursday, 6:00pm) - Zoom Link

EARLY JUNE - Agencies Sign Funding Agreements

JUNE 16th - Council Action on Committee Recommendations (Wednesday, 6:30pm)

JUNE 22nd - HAND Technical Assistance for Grantees (Tuesday, 9:30am) - Zoom Link

*Per Executive Orders issued by the Governor, meetings will be conducted electronically until further notice. Zoom links for each meeting will be posted to the Jack Hopkins Committee website at least a week before the scheduled meeting.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for funding, a project must meet the following criteria:

1.) The program should address a previously-identified priority for social services funds (as indicated in the Service Community Assessment of Needs (SCAN), the City of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development Department's Consolidated Plan, or other community-wide survey of social service needs). Such priorities include funds for basic services (food, shelter or healthcare) or other services to City residents who are: low-moderate income, under 18 years old, elderly, affected with a disability or are otherwise disadvantaged; and

2.) The funds should provide a one-time investment that, through matching funds or other fiscal leveraging, make a significant contribution to the program. This restriction is intended to encourage innovative projects and to allow the funds to address changing community circumstances. To make funds available for those purposes, this restriction discourages agencies from relying on these funds from year to year and from using these funds to cover on-going (or operational) costs, particularly those relating to personnel. However, the Committee excepts the following from the one-time funding rule:

Pilot projects
Projects that need bridge funding – when an agency demonstrates that an existing program has suffered a significant loss of funding and requires “bridge” funds in order to continue for the current year; or
Collaborative projects

Continued Allowance for General Operational Funds
Please note that the Committee recognizes the growing need for operational funds that do not fit one of the aforementioned exceptions. For that reason, this year -- in addition to accepting applications for operational funds for pilot, bridge, or collaborative programs -- the Committee is again accepting applications for operational funds that do not meet one of the exceptions to the one-time funding rule. However, know that preference will still be given to initiatives that are one-time investments. Know further that this allowance is specific to the 2021 funding cycle; the Committee may not offer this allowance in 2022.
-- As always, any request for operational funds must provide a well-developed plan for future funding.

3.) This investment in the program should lead to broad and long-lasting benefits to the community.

NOTE: Over time, the Committee has worked to further refine each criterion with more particularity. This refinement is captured in the Committee's Elaboration of Criteria. Agencies should consult this document in preparing their applications.

Questions? Contact Council staff at council@bloomington.in.gov