Proposed Changes to City of Winter Haven’s Grant and Aid Process Raises Concerns
by James Coulter
Proposed changes to the process that helps the City of Winter Haven determine which local non-profit organizations receive grants and aid have raised concerns from some residents.
At their meeting on Mon. Mar. 25, Winter Haven City Commissioners considered a request from the Grant & Aid Application Review Committee (GAARC) for guidance concerning proposed changes to their Grant and Aid process.
On Nov. 1, 2024, the GAARC met and requested that the City Commission provide them with feedback on four recommendations:
1. Update the application timeline to allow for an opportunity for applicants to submit corrections if any requirements were not met. This would consist of a two-week application window, two weeks for staff review, and two weeks for the applicants to correct errors.
2. Eliminate the $40,000 Single-Initiative funding category. Historically, there have not been funds available to award an applicant in this category.
3. Request clarification from the City Commission on how to address funding requests from schools and other organizations with established foundations.
4. Request clarification from the City Commission on their desires regarding funding levels for legacy agencies prior to the next review cycle. These agencies include Winter Haven Public Education Partnership’s PEP After School Center ($20,000), the Neighborhood Service Center ($20,000), the Boys & Girls Club of Polk County ($45,000), Meals on Wheels ($20,000), and the Haley Center ($20,000).
On November 25, 2025, the City Commission discussed the four recmmendations and voted to approve recommendations one and two. Both were implemented by staff during the application process which began in February 2025. The City Commission deferred making a decision on three and four until closer to the next application process.
On Feb. 19, 2025, City Commissioners discussed recommendations three and four again and offered the following guidance for the GAARC:
• On Recommendation Three:
a. No longer provide funding to schools through this program. These organizations have access to other governmental funds and benefit from other forms of support from the City. Continue funding efforts from separate not-for-profit organizations providing additional services to students and schools such as KidPACK and PEP.
b. Avoid funding organizations with well-established foundations that receive support from the City through other means. Instead, focus support on not-for-profit agencies without existing, robust funding mechanisms already in place. In the event there is a small or new foundation not yet well established, discretion should be used in considering funding to help get the foundation started.
• On Recommendation Four:
a. Wait until the FY26 application window closes to provide feedback on number four in order to take into consideration the volume of applicants this year.
Additional guidance to be provided after the close of the FY26 application window on the question of should the committee prioritize funding the largest number of applicants, even if the awards are smaller, or focus on providing higher funding to specific initiatives.
The FY26 application window closed on March 15, 2026 with 76 total applicants requesting $777,500 in total funding. Of those applicants, five are schools requesting a total of $55,000 and 11 are organization that are, or have, established foundations requesting $63,800. The FY25 total funding provided through the Grant and Aid process was $316,146.
On March 24, at their regularly scheduled City Commission meeting, the City Commission revisited the GAARC recommendations three and four in order to vote on formal guidance for the committee before they begin reviewing the FY26 applications to make their recommendation of awards back to the City Commission.
However, several local residents took to the podium during public comments to express their opposition to these proposed changes. Some claimed these changes would hurt local non-profits that help the community, and thus hurt the community.
Dr. Kris Newman-Lake, Principal and CEO of Cypress Gardens Montessori, argued that the proposed cut to grant funding would directly affect schools in Winter Haven, specifically her school’s preschool program.
Cypress Junction Montessori received $3,000 in grant funding from the City of Winter Haven in FY25 and has applied for $20,000 in the FY26 cycle.
Newman-Lake claimed the funding her school receives from the city has made a “critical difference” to ensure access to high-quality early childhood education to families living within the city. As such, this funding serves as an invaluable “investment” to the city’s future.
“Removing funding from our programs like ours does not just affect one’s school,” she argued. “It affects families. It affects access and it widens the gap that we have all worked so very hard to close. We urge the city to reconsider this decision, not just for us, but for the families and the children of Winter Haven. They deserve options, opportunity, and support. Preserving this grant funding is an investment in a brighter future for our entire community.”
One commissioner, Dantzler, was so moved by Dr. Newman’s plea that he asked if the commission could offer some “flexibility” toward schools concerning the process.
“She changed my mind on this,” he said. “What she said is exactly what this pot of money is for, it is for children and preschool. End of the day, that makes me feel good to know preschoolers are going to have preschool.”
However, Commissioner Yates said the process should remain in place, as the city’s own budget is limited and many schools have other sources and opportunities for funding.
“Because we are on a limited budget, I would move that we exclude schools from this process as well as establish foundations,” he said.
Addressing the question of legacy organizations, one resident, David Barry, who has worked with several non-profits for nearly 20 years, argued that such organizations ought not receive preferential treatment over new organizations.
“You have these groups and few organizations that have consistently been funded at a higher amount, grandfathered in, when you have 40 new applications coming in…[and] they wonder how that makes sense that they do not need to apply and they are thrown in the pot like everyone else,” he asked. “So why not just open up the pot and let everyone apply and let everyone get a fair shot?”
City Manager T. Michael Stavres clarified that legacy agencies do have to apply and are held to the same standards and review through each annual funding process, so it is not “arbitrary.”
Another resident, Betty Smuthers, took to public comments to commend the city commission for their support of local seniors. She claimed while helping children was vital, so, too, was assisting the local elderly.
“We appreciate you all working with our youth, but we must consider our elderly,” she said. “And so we just appreciate whatever you all do for the seniors here in Winter Haven.”
The Commission voted unanimously to provide guidance to the GAARC to exclude schools and established foundations from the FY26 consideration of funding. The City Commission voted unanimously to provide guidance to the GAARC to continue to fund the legacy organizations at the same level as the previous year and to increase the total budget for grants by 10%.
