To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Project Trellis Micro--Grant & Loan Advisory Committee Staff Recommendations for the 2019-20 Grant Fund Awards for the December 16, 2019 Grant Round
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the slate of Grant Fund Competitive Awards recommended for approval by the Micro--Grant & Loan Advisory Committee Staff (Attachment 1 - Attachment 14); and
2. Authorize the County Administrative Officer to sign the grant agreements when completed, after review and approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Fund 1120, Budget Unit 275 Economic Development, Trellis Micro-Grant Fund 3996
DISCUSSION:
Background
On March 12, 2019 your Board adopted a framework for Project Trellis, the County of Humboldt’s Cannabis Micro-grant, Marketing, and Local Equity Program. Your Board further directed staff to return with a suggested framework for reviewing, ranking and scoring micro-grant applications. Staff returned with a recommendation for establishing a grant committee and, on May 28th, 2019, your Board adopted Resolution 19-45 forming the Humboldt County Cannabis Micro-Grant & Loan Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as Committee).
On April 28, 2020 your Board adopted the resolution which amended Resolution 19-45 establishing the Humboldt County Cannabis Micro--Grant & Loan Advisory Committee, that modified the Committee’s purpose to “rank, review, and score” applications, and directs staff to provide recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for final approval based on the Committee’s ranking and review of the applications.
Your Board previously approved a budget allocating no less than 10 percent of all local cannabis excise tax revenue to be used for Project Trellis. The amount allocated to Project Trellis for the competitive grant round totaled $180,225. The Committee set a grant application deadline of December 16, 2019 for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
Recommended Slate
There were seventy-one (71) applications received during the December 16, 2019 grant round and staff recommends your Board approve the slate of fourteen (14) projects (Attachments 1-14). The slate totals $179,658 as shown in the following table.
The “Amount Awarded” represents the funding level recommended by the Trellis Micro--Grant & Loan Advisory staff. The “Amount Requested” represents the amount requested by the applicants. Total project costs are shown in the attached applications as presented to the Committee.
Review Process
The Committee’s application review process consisted of individual review, Committee discussion, and viewing of oral presentations by grant applicants who sought to supplement their written submissions. The minutes from the February 25th, 2020 (Attachment 16) and draft March 10, 2020 (Attachment 17) meetings are attached. The Committee’s score sheets for selection of recommended awards are attached as Attachment 15.
As part of the review process, the Committee completed scoring rubrics for each application and provided their cumulative score for each applicant on a master scoring document (Attachment 18). In addition to the review of the applicant’s written submissions, the Committee attended a meeting on March 10, 2020, in which micro grant applicants gave oral presentations. The Committee was then asked to submit their total score for each applicant by March 13, 2020. Once the scores were submitted, staff reviewed and compiled weighted averages and determined the top fourteen (14) applicants based on the committee’s individual scores.
The scores submitted by the Committee support the top fourteen applicants to be recommended to the Board of Supervisors for funding. The remaining fifty-seven (57) applicants will be notified and encouraged to resubmit applications in future grant rounds.
All applicants listed above will be funded in full.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Project Trellis is funded by 10 percent of Measure S funds, through the Humboldt County General Fund. For the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the General Fund contributions to Project Trellis totaled $801,000, with 10 percent of the total allocation dedicated to administrative costs. Once administrative costs were deducted, 25 percent of the remaining funds were allocated to the first Project Trellis Micro-Grant round. This allocation totaled $180,255. Funding of $179,658 is recommended, leaving the remaining $567 as Project Trellis carry over for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by encouraging new local enterprise supporting business, workforce development and creation of private-sector jobs.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board could decide not to approve the slate of recommended awards. Your Board may pull one or more projects from the slate and approve the remaining slate of projects or request for further review of one or more projects. This alternative is not recommended as the Committee diligently reviewed and evaluated each proposal in accordance with the slated Project Trellis funding priorities.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Organnabliss Farms Application Summary
Attachment 2: Five Sisters Farm Application Summary
Attachment 3: Pure Nature LLC (DBA Moontime Medicinals) Application Summary
Attachment 4: Sunrise Mountain Farms, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 5: Mr. Beans Veganix Application Summary
Attachment 6: SoHum Royal Cannabis Application Summary
Attachment 7: Hogwash Pharms Application Summary
Attachment 8: Pacific Roots Cannabis, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 9: CJ Redwood, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 10: Bridges Academy Farms/Doja Gold Application Summary
Attachment 11: Humboldt Synchronicitrees, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 12: Woody Ridge Farms, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 13: Green Leaf Nurseries, LLC Application Summary
Attachment 14: Cache Farms, Inc. Application Summary
Attachment 15: Weighted Score Summary with Rankings
Attachment 16: February 25, 2020 Meeting Minutes
Attachment 17: March 10, 2020 Draft Meeting Minutes
Attachment 18: Master Score Sheet
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A