When resources are scarce and funding structures are too rigid or short-term, communities struggle to participate fully and maintain long-term involvement.
View the details on what communities have shared with SLECC from across the state.
Grant allowable cost rules systematically exclude frontline communities and the CBOs that serve them by capping stipends and prohibiting reimbursement for childcare, food, and transportation that make participation possible.
Limited and underfunded staff capacity across local governments and CBOs. Communities, smaller jurisdictions, and community-based organizations lack sufficient staff time and stable funding to engage consistently, respond to requests for input, and sustain long-term participation and partnerships.
Community members are expected to participate without compensation, making engagement inaccessible and financially burdensome. Residents and CBO representatives often attend meetings, surveys, and steering committees without stipends, forcing them to absorb costs from personal or organizational budgets.
SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by local leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.
Build CBO capacity through training and flexible funding. Provide grant-writing, financial, and administrative training alongside flexible micro-grants that help CBOs sustain staff capacity and maintain ongoing feedback loops with community members.
Compensate participants and remove logistical barriers—such as childcare, transportation, and stipends—to make engagement accessible for frontline communities.
SLECC stakeholders have brainstormed the following solution opportunities that can be taken by state leaders. Existing examples of progress or pathways to make further progress are highlighted if known.
State should provide flexible, multi-year funding to CBOs and community participants, including advance funding, extended timelines, and raised stipend caps, removing the cash-flow barriers and compensation restrictions that prevent the organizations and individuals most essential to equitable engagement from sustaining their participation.
State should make childcare, food, transportation, and resident stipends allowable expenses across all state-administered grant programs, and simplify payment processes for individuals and organizations that lack fiscal management infrastructure.
Require a dedicated portion of all state grant budgets to fund community engagement. State programs should mandate that a defined percentage (e.g., 10–15%) of every grant be allocated to meaningful community engagement and participation to ensure these activities are consistently and adequately resourced.
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Please share any additional resources you would like to include by emailing eecoordinator@civicwell.org.
