The Greene County Commission doled out $4.8 million in federal funding to nonprofit groups, but advocates in organizations serving the LGBTQ residents of the Ozarks are asking how it adds up.
On Sept. 22, 2022, an advisory council voted to recommend $20,000 in funding for the GLO Center through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The GLO Center received nothing on Feb. 9, 2023, when the Greene County Commission announced a second round of funding for nonprofits. It marked the second time for the LGBTQ advocacy and resource organization to come up empty-handed after the commission’s vote.
“I was frankly disappointed,” said Dr. Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, president of the GLO Center.
The GLO Center is one of 100 nonprofit organizations to apply for ARPA funding allocated to Greene County. Organizations have reportedly asked for more than $21 million in total.
Greene County received a total of $56.9 million in ARPA funds to support recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dozens of small businesses have also received economic recovery funding through a similar application and review process. The county commission put together its ARPA Advisory Council to screen applications and recommend projects.
“Due to budget restraints, we couldn’t fully fund every group’s application,” the Greene County Commission said in a statement sent through communications officer Robert Jehle.
Jehle shared that 43 nonprofit groups, to date, have received funds from Greene County. Of them, 23 received full funding as requested, and 20 received part of what they asked for. Another 52 nonprofits did not receive recommendations for funding from the advisory council.
Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon was in Washington D.C. at the National Association of Counties meeting this week, and returned to Springfield for a Greene County Commission briefing Feb. 16. ARPA funding, he said, was a key topic of discussion at the conference.
“One recurring theme was from across the country, so many counties were dealing with the need being greater than what they have funds for and it was really hard to choose,” Dixon said.
Mental health groups, universities, environmental groups, ministries and churches are all among the groups to receive funding. There is not an organization tied directly to LGBTQ advocacy on the list of approved projects.
Commissioner Rusty MacLachan added that there are dozens of proposals that won’t receive money from Greene County.
“We know, like anything else, we won’t make everybody happy, and we’ll do the best we can,” MacLachlan said. “I’m sure as we look back in five years, we’ll look back at some and say, ‘Well, I might have done something differently,’ but you can’t live life that way. We’ll just do the best we can with what we know.”
There will be more projects announced for funding in the future.
“The recent awards on Feb. 9 focused on the latest nonprofit recommendations by the advisory council,” the commission’s statement from Jehle reads. “However, the commission is still reviewing several applications for approval that were both recommended and not recommended by the advisory council.”
What the GLO Center does for the LGBTQ population
Sherman-Wilkins is clear not to suggest any bias or homophobia on the part of the Greene County Commission, but wants to know why the GLO Center’s application is under scrutiny.
“We’re not applying for this money just to apply for money, that should be very clear,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “We do believe that we are a good candidate for this funding, and we do serve a population that was disproportionately affected by COVID in a negative way.”
The $20,000, Sherman-Wilkins said, would help fund the cost of support programs.
“A lot of the money specifically was to help supplement our work with queer youth,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “We are a resource center, and so we serve as a place for people in the LGBTQ community to come when they need services or when they need referrals to services.”
The GLO Center helps people experiencing discrimination. It also offers support groups for varieties of people, and connects people to appropriate support groups outside the GLO Center. In house, the GLO Center’s youth groups are its longest-running programs.
“This is a direct service to some of the most vulnerable members of our community, namely queer youth,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “You had a number of queer youth who found themselves in unsafe spaces 24/7.”
Money would also include some computer equipment for teleconferencing.
“We learned that there were a lot of opportunities to be able to reach people not just in Springfield, but across the Ozarks region,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “We live in a digitally divided country, rural areas don’t have the infrastructure to have those types of meetings.”
Some groups require parental consent for members to attend.
“Their parents sign them up and they bring them, but we also have situations where people need a safe space,” Sherman-Wilkins said.
How nonprofits get ARPA funding, and the requirements
The application for ARPA funding handled through the Greene County Commission is 15 pages long, and requires nonprofits to “demonstrate the existence of negative impacts incurred as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency since March 3, 2021.” The funding also carries a stipulation that the organization must use the funding for projects in Greene County impacting Greene County residents.
On its website, the GLO Center states its mission is to “serves the LGBTQIA community in the Ozarks through support, resources, education and advocacy, to create a more inclusive and welcoming community where all can thrive.” According to its website, the GLO Center was founded in 1996 and is the oldest operating community center for members of the LGBTQ community in Missouri.
ARPA funding came up at a transitional time in the life of the GLO Center. Sherman-Wilkins became the organization’s president after an initial application had been submitted.
“When we initially applied, there were a number of issues surrounding transitions; I had just started as president. The initial grant was being put out by the previous president of the board,” Sherman-Wilkins said.
Sherman-Wilkins oversaw the process of a rewrite. He said he took advice from Greene County ARPA administrator Lyle Foster and reworked the application.
“We did that, we did the work, specifically because we were being called on to answer follow-up questions,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “I have a lot of concerns and questions. Today, I don’t know much, other than there are a few holdouts. I don’t know what the holdouts are about, I don’t want to speculate.”
Other requests tied to LGBTQ issues
ARPA Advisory Council meeting minutes indicate the advisory committee also tabled the application from Men’s Chorus of the Ozarks at its meeting Oct. 13. Then on Oct. 20, the committee voted 4-2 to recommend $9,900 in funding for the chorus, but did not receive any of the funds announced February 9.
The Men’s Chorus is described on its website as a performing arts group, “celebrating diversity, with an emphasis on the LGBT community.”
“Membership is open to all, regardless of age, economic means, gender, musical ability, political affiliation, race, religion, or sexual orientation,” part of the site reads.
The chorus has historically performed at public events tied to LGBTQ advocacy, including Springfield Black Tie and Ozarks Pridefest, but has also performed at more general events, like the Springfield-Greene County Park Board’s Gardens Aglow event.
In a previous piece for the Daily Citizen, Foster, Greene County’s ARPA Grant and Equity Specialist, clarified the percentage clause as it relates to funding for Greene County at the commission meeting. He explained how the clause caused further review for the GLO Center’s request for funding.
“What the advisory council also noted is that they do have a line that says they would make sure that the funds were used 100 percent for Greene County residents,” Foster said. “There was a situation where it wasn’t recommended for full funding; they just felt like some of the services they proposed — they wanted to make sure that the pandemic connection was really apropos.”
According to the federal law, all ARPA funds must be allocated by Dec. 31, 2024, and all projects funded through local government allocations must be complete by Dec. 31, 2026.
AIDS Project of the Ozarks asked for $257,830 to pay the salary of a psychiatrist and salary for “other staff members,” according to committee minutes. The committee recommended a $150,000 funding allotment, which the group received approval for on Feb. 9.
HIV/AIDS is not unique to the LGBTQ community. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show in 2018, about 81 percent of the new HIV infections in the United States occurred in men, and that about 81 percent of those infections are believed to have occurred through male-to-male sexual contact.
The county commission made one funding allocation in February that was double what the ARPA Advisory Committee recommended. The commission turned a $150,000 recommendation from the advisory committee, according to its minutes from Dec. 1, 2022, into a $300,000 funding award for the Ebenezer Historical Society. The Ebenezer School will be renovated into a community center. The building already serves as a gathering place for parades and other outdoor events.
Editor’s note: This headline was changed from “denied ARPA funds in second round” to “still doesn’t get ARPA funds in second round” after further comment from a county commissioner spokesperson, who said it was possible GLO could be awarded funds in future rounds.
ARPA funding announced for Greene County nonprofits, Feb. 9, 2023
$100,000 to Advocates for Healthy Community (Jordan Valley Community Health Center) to implement the ‘Family Connects’ program, which provides services to mothers and infants after birth, post-natal and pediatric care, nurse training, and transportation costs
$150,000 to AIDS Project of the Ozarks to maintain and expand mental health services by funding the salary of a psychiatrist and other positions, if possible
$86,400 to the Betty & Bobby Allison Ozarks Counseling Center to fund two additional full-time therapists
$200,000 to Care to Learn for resources to meet the health, hunger, and hygiene needs of Greene County students
$20,000 to Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to continue to provide housing, gas, and utility assistance, sober living fees, and meals for families
$276,940 to the Child Advocacy Center for personnel support to match caseload needs and prevention education programming
$150,000 to Community Foundation of the Ozarks to fund the ‘Let’s Get to Work’ program that assists people getting back into the workforce
$90,000 to CASA for the salary of a Clubhouse Director
$450,000 to the Developmental Center of the Ozarks to purchase and replace assistive and mobile technology
$275,000 to the Drew Lewis Foundation to renovate six homes purchased in the Grant Beach area for individuals at or below 200% FPG or Zone 1 area citizens
$250,000 to Drury University to preserve and renovate the Benton Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Church and Civil Rights Museum
$60,000 to Dynamic Strides Therapy to cover the salary of one new employee
$300,000 to the Ebenezer Historical Society to rebuild a one-room schoolhouse into a community center
$32,000 to the Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society to preserve a historical area, including retaining wall repair, pavilion lighting, and construction of rail fencing
$158,845.65 to the Family Violence Center (Harmony House) to add an Outreach Victim Advocate to work in partnership with the Republic Police Department and fund initial startup costs, including furniture and equipment
$352,928 to the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch to assist with the construction of a 36,000-square-foot donation center to help older youth aging out of foster care by providing furniture, appliances, and other home essentials
$100,000 to I Pour Life to fund the ‘LifeStrengths’ program for at-risk youth
$133,000 to the James River Basin Partnership (additional partnership with three other organizations) to develop a homeowner education program and replace up to 15 septic systems
$187,000 to the Lost & Found Grief Center to expand existing services, provide on-campus grief support groups and grief education, and increase staff education
$150,000 to Mercy Hospital to expand its behavioral health program
$100,000 to Missouri State University to expand and renovate Blunt Hall
$75,000 to NAMI of Southwest Missouri to hire one additional staff member for one year
$45,000 to New Growth Ministries International Church to expand its ‘Practical Needs’ program by upgrading the kitchen and offering dedicated case managers for household assistance
$184,926.76 to North Point Church to cover costs of the Dream Center Academy, RISE, and other adult education and stability programs
$105,000 to SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging to purchase a freezer truck to deliver meals to seniors
$45,000 to the Springfield Regional Arts Council for overhead costs of the Creamery Arts Center and technology, transportation, and equipment costs for community events
$390,995 to the Gillioz Center for Arts & Entertainment to replace failing HVAC equipment with ultraviolet sanitizing light systems
$91,971.59 to The Victim Center to hire a full-time adult therapist to address a waitlist
$150,000 to the United Way of the Ozarks to create the Springfield-area Talent Attraction & Retention (STAR) Project to increase workforce and talent attraction capacity
$50,000 to the Vietnam War Memorial (American Legion Post 639) for building maintenance, including improving floors, kitchen, parking lighting, and wiring
$40,000 to the Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks to replenish the benevolence fund for specialty vision services
