Agency upset at funds denial

Since 1999, Centro LatinoAmericano has received annual funding from Lane County government of $115,000, executive director Marcela Mendoza said. For a nonprofit agency with an annual budget less than $400,000, the county money is critical, she said.

But after Mendoza applied for $145,000 annually last fall for fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13 to cover increased costs, the county denied Centro’s request for any money at all, and the Lane County Board of Commissioners last month upheld the decision.

“We are not sure why,” Mendoza said of the denial.

To suddenly not fund an agency that serves a growing Spanish-speaking population in Lane County is not right, Mendoza said.

“The county needs to fund for that,” she said. “It’s a civil rights issue. There is a mistake there that the county would stop funding services for Spanish speakers.”

“Who else is going to do it? Someone has to do it.”

As to why no money was available this time around for the 39-year-old agency that provides assistance mostly to Lane County’s low-income and disadvantaged Latino population, Steve Manela, manager of the county’s human services commission that oversees allocation of funding for local nonprofit organizations through the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, said money is lacking this year from federal and state sources.

Last year, the commission was able to fund 63 local programs last year, but only 39 this year. And those that did receive funding got less than usual, Manela said.

In the competitive and detailed application process, Centro LatinoAmericano simply didn’t make the cut, the county concluded.

The commission received requests last fall from 28 agencies for 66 programs, according to a summary report of the county’s denial of Centro’s appeal. Those requests totaled $6.5 million, but only about $4 million was available, the report says. But now it looks as if the amount available will be closer to $3.6 million, Manela said Friday. So, the $3.8 million in proposals granted last fall leaves the county looking to trim $200,000 from that amount, he said.

Although Centro LatinoAmericano’s appeal alleged some bias in the process, Manela said that is not the case.

“We have to treat all organizations and bids equally,” Manela said. “So the process is conducted in a way to be fair and equitable to all who apply. Access to services for the Latino community is very important, so this is a significant issue for us,” Manela said.

Centro LatinoAmericano applied for its funding last fall under a category called “Access to Services,” Manela said. There was about $171,000 available in that category, and three — White Bird Clinic, Looking Glass and ShelterCare — of 11 local agencies that applied for funding in that category were granted funding, according to the summary report.

All three agencies granted funds in the “Access to Services” category received less than they asked for, but the money was allocated this way for fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13: $70,069 annually to White Bird; $61,248 to Looking Glass; and $40,410 to ShelterCare. Centro LatinoAmericano scored fifth in the initial rankings. After Centro appealed the decision, the same committee reviewed the applications again, and the scores were almost exactly the same, except this time Centro scored fourth and the Lane Council of Governments, also denied funding last fall, scored fifth.

The committee scored grant proposals on a point system that includes an agency’s capacity, demonstration of need, program design, impact, access and budget, according to the county summary report.

Centro LatinoAmericano’s appeal alleged that the review committee: used different criteria to evaluate different proposals; that the committee unfairly applied the evaluation criteria to the proposal; that a member or members of the committee had a relationship with another proposer that was a conflict of interest; and that a member or members demonstrated bias, among other allegations.

That the same committee evaluated its initial scores during a second go-round is wrong, Mendoza said. “The right thing to do would have been to put together a new committee,” she said. “Because we are all human. If someone tells you, you didn’t do it right, you say, ‘Yes we did!’ ”

Mendoza said she requested more money this year for Centro because the agency is seeing more clients than ever. Almost 40 percent of its funding in past years has come from the county, she said. The agency’s second-highest source of funding is United Way of Lane County, she said. The agency’s small staff includes two caseworkers, two intake workers and a receptionist, said Mendoza, who added that much of the $145,000 requested would have gone for salaries. She recently gave her two caseworkers a 50-cent-per-hour raise, from $11.50 to $12, she said.

According to Centro’s most recent nonprofit tax filings available online, for fiscal year 2008-09, agency revenues have dwindled steadily in recent years, from $662,629 in gifts, grants and contributions in 2004, to $282,903 in 2008. Total revenue for 2008-09 was $367,189 and total expenses were $442,029, leaving the agency $74,840 in the red for 2008-09.

Mendoza said the agency currently has a budget of $380,000.

The agency, which opened a second office in Springfield last month, funded for one year by a donation from the Springfield Rotary Club, is OK for funding through June 30, Mendoza said. But after that she’s not sure, she said.

Manela said he and the human services commission Chairwoman Claire Syrett, have met with Mendoza and Centro LatinoAmericano’s board to discuss what can be done about the situation.

“Because of the shortfall in revenues, we have a significant gap in services,” Manela said. Centro has put together a “damages assessment” report for the county, he said. The impact of the agency’s funding crisis will be presented at the commission’s April 18 meeting, Manela said.