Commissioners Evaluate Budget Requests from Nonprofits

Dunedin City Commissioners evaluate how much money from the 2012 budget will go to area nonprofits today (June 7).

About six nonprofits requested funding from the City of Dunedin. The largest requests come from the , the Neighborly Care Network and the .

• Dunedin Fine Art Center: This Dunedin-based, art education nonprofit is asking for $64,574 in kind contribution and $73,000, an amount based on a 1998 grant agreement with the City of Dunedin. (In 2011, it received $47,304 in grant.) The nonprofit is also asking for $46,866, which it believes is overdue from grant budget cuts since 2008. The nets an annual income of about $2.1 million, and about $1.5 million of that comes from contributions (grants or otherwise), according to tax documents filed for the 2008 fiscal year. Its director reported an annual income of about $81,000 in 2008.
• The Neighborly Care Network: This Clearwater-based, elderly- and homebound-care nonprofit is requesting $50,000 for services it provides to 339 Dunedin clients. It has received $12,500 from the City of Dunedin for the past two years. In 2008, it received $15,000. Some of its services (provided to clients all over the county) include group dining, Meals on Wheels, adult day care, transportation, home health care, pharmacy, longterm care and nursing home diversion. The nonprofit reported about $376,800 in services to Dunedin clients, and $9.1 million in services to all of Pinellas County in 2010.
• Dunedin Historical Society: This Dunedin-based, historical preservation nonprofit is asking for $28,597 in kind contribution and $48,600 in grant. Local government grants are traditionally the organization’s biggest income source. The nets an annual income of $214,000, and about $179,000 is in contributions (grant or otherwise), according to tax documents filed for the 2008 fiscal year. Its executive director reported an annual income of about $68,000 in 2008.

All have seen a decrease in city funding since 2008.

Other requests:

• Faith in Action of Upper Pinellas, Inc. (Eldercare services, Dunedin): $15,000
• (Homeless services, Clearwater-Dunedin): $25,000
• Pinellas Safe Harbor (Homeless services, Tampa): $25,000 (The city approved a $10,000 donation from the 2011 budget during a recent City Commission meeting.)

The Social Services Committee also recommended additional funding go to the Salvation Army and 2-1-1 Tampa Bay, for the services they provide Dunedin.

The meeting is open for public comment. It begins at 9 a.m. at .