Ann Land Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission Meeting on August 27, 2025
Ann Land Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission Meeting on August 27, 2025
The Ann Land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds Commission met on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the Sacramento City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting was called to order by President Ellis and included a land acknowledgement, Pledge of Allegiance, and the welcome of new Commissioner Khalil Malik. The commission reviewed semi-annual grant reports, site visit summaries, and approved updated documents for the 2026 grant cycle, including an increased maximum grant amount and revised submission deadline. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of Minutes – A motion passed (8-0, with Commissioners Malik, Stephens, and Ruhl absent) approving the April 30, 2025 meeting minutes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke on any agenda item. The clerk reported no speaker slips for the consent calendar, semi-annual reports, site visit reports, or the grant process documents.
Discussion Items
- Item 2: Semiannual Reports (January–June 2025) – Staff reported that all 27 grantees submitted reports, with 100% completion. A total of $162,200 was awarded and fully disbursed in two installments of $81,100 each. Grantees served an estimated 146,000 people. Funding breakdown: 16 grantees focused on food ($98,000), 7 on shelter ($45,000), 2 on utilities ($16,000), and 2 on transportation ($10,000). Contracts were delayed due to the former city manager's resignation and incorrect award amounts in the contract templates, causing late first disbursements (some grantees received funds in May or June). Commissioners expressed concern about the negative impact on grantees' services and urged improved timeliness. Staff acknowledged the delays and committed to better processes.
- Item 3: Site Visit Reports – Commissioners described their site visits conducted between June and August. One commissioner noted that a grantee (Win Youth Services) did not respond to multiple contact attempts by phone and email, so the site visit was not completed; staff also attempted contact without success. Another commissioner shared a positive experience visiting a Meals on Wheels café, gaining new appreciation for the program's scope.
- Item 4: Review and Approve Grant Process Documents for the 2026 Grant Cycle – Staff presented proposed documents and a timeline: applications open August 29, 2025, and close September 29, 2025 (originally 4:00 PM, changed to 2:00 PM per discussion). Missing documentation due by October 3. The commission will review applications from October 3 to November 5. The total available funding is $190,000, the fifth consecutive year of increase. Last year's average award was $8,110. Commissioners discussed adding transportation to the funding priorities (it was already added in 2025 but not reflected in the draft), changing the submission time to 2:00 PM to allow staff technical assistance, and increasing the maximum grant request from $10,000 to $12,500. They also debated the evaluation matrix, particularly the challenge of scoring criterion #6 (number of clients served) versus impact. After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to adopt all documents with three amendments: (1) include transportation in the annual funding priorities, (2) change the application deadline to 2:00 PM on September 29, 2025, and (3) increase the maximum allowable grant to $12,500. All other documents (pre-meeting scores form, grant evaluation matrix, awards matrix form) were retained as presented. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar Approved – Meeting minutes from April 30, 2025, approved.
- Semiannual and Site Visit Reports Received and Commented – No vote required; reports were filed.
- 2026 Grant Cycle Documents Approved – Motion (11-0) to approve the 2026 Annual Commission Funding Priorities (amended to include transportation), 2026 Grant Guidelines and Application (amended with 2:00 PM deadline and $12,500 maximum), Pre-meeting Scores Form, 2026 Grant Evaluation Matrix, and Awards Matrix Form.
- Commissioner Comments – Commissioner Malik requested a checklist of all current documents relevant to the commission's work. Staff agreed to provide a checklist and also to list awarded grantees on the city website for transparency. Commissioner Ellis raised a question about vacant commission seats; staff will follow up.
- Next Steps – The 2026 grant cycle application opens August 29, 2025. The commission will next meet in November 2025 to review applications and award funding.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. President Ellis, we're ready to begin when you are. Good evening. Welcome to the Anne Land and Bertha Hinchel Memorial Funds Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the role to establish a quorum? Thank you. Commissioners, please unmute your microphones by touching the button in the middle to make sure the green light is on and speak very clearly into the mic. These mics are not very sensitive. Thank you. Ex-official member Coletto? Here. Commissioner Contreras? Here. Commissioner Malik. Commissioner Brown? Here. Commissioner Smith. I'm sorry. Vice President Smith? Here. Commissioner Stevens. Commissioner Ubog? Here. Thank you. Commissioner Beckman. Here. Commissioner Rule. Commissioner Inohosa? Here. And President Ellis. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. I would like to remind members of the public and in the chambers that if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip when the item begins. You will have two minutes to speak once you have been called on. After the first speaker, we will no longer accept speaker slips. We will now proceed with today's agenda. Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honors of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land, the Nisi Sinon people, the Southern Maidu, Valley Plains, Me Walk, Pat Wintoon peoples, and people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramentals only federal, federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor in the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramentals indigenous people history contribution and lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. Okay. Our first business today is approve approval of the consent calendar. This is the approval of the Anne Land and Bertha Hinchel Memorial Fund Commission meeting minutes, which was sent to you to the commissioners this past week with the link that was published on the city's website. Are there any comments or corrections to the April 30th meeting minutes? Okay. Are there I'm sorry?
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