TO: The Honorable Board of County Commissioners
THROUGH: John A. Titkanich, Jr., County Administrator
Michael C. Zito, Deputy County Administrator
Cynthia Emerson, Community Services Director
FROM: Megan Kendrick, Human Services Administrator
DATE: October 21, 2025
SUBJECT: Children's Services Advisory Committee's Recommendation of Request for Proposal, Grant Application and Agency Grant Contract for FY 2026-2027
__________________________________________________________________
BACKGROUND
Each year, in accordance with Section 103.24(2)(a) of the Indian River County Code, the Children’s Services Advisory Committee (CSAC) initiates the children’s services grant process for the upcoming fiscal year by identifying and assessing the needs of children in Indian River County. The 2024-2027 Children’s Services Needs Assessment Plan was approved by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on December 26, 2023.
On October 14, 2025, the CSAC Main Committee reviewed the 2026-2027 CSAC Needs Assessment Executive Summary, and approved the 2026-2027 Request for Proposal (RFP), the Grant Application, and the Agency Grant Contract for fiscal year 2026-2027.
ANALYSIS
Over the past year, the CSAC Needs Assessment Subcommittee conducted a comprehensive review of new data, creating an Executive Summary of their findings and reaffirming the current funding priorities:
1. Health & Well-Being
2. Nurturing Families & Communities
3. Success in School & Life
Focus areas and data indicators remain aligned with each funding priority, reflecting the needs identified through previous assessments and ongoing analysis.
The CSAC Grants Subcommittee conducted a thorough review of the RFP and grant application process, resulting in the following updates:
• Strengthening organizational capacity and financial responsibility requirements.
• Increased transparency in program evaluation and administrative expectations.
• Further strengthen the detailed scoring rubric to enhance the quality of grant submissions and ensure inter-rater reliability during the scoring process.
The updated RFP and Grant Application reflect these improvements and continue to align with the identified priorities, supporting programs that effectively address the needs of children and families in Indian River County. Additional updates and supporting documents are highlighted in the attachment.
BUDGETARY IMPACT
There is no funding associated with this item, as it is just approval of the Request for Proposal (RFP), the Grant Application, and the Agency Grant Contract for fiscal year 2026-2027.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTIONS
Board approved the Request for Proposal (RFP), Grant Application, and Agency Grant Contract for FY 2025-2026 on 01/28/2025.
POTENTIAL FUTURE BOARD ACTIONS
Approval of amendments to the Agency Grant Contract for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, as needed and approval of the Request for Proposal (RFP), Grant Application, and Agency Grant Contract for Fiscal Year 2027-2028.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
Quality of Life
OTHER PLAN ALIGNMENT
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Board accept the RFP, the Grant Application, and the Agency Grant Contract for FY 2026-2027 as submitted and authorize the County Administrator to execute the individual contracts after review and approval by the County Attorney.