HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 5a. Selection of 2025-26 DEI High Impact Grant Review Subcommittee Item 5a
Human Relations Commission
Agenda Report
For Agenda of: 8/6/2025
Item Number: 5a
FROM: Samantha Vethavanam, DEI Administrative Specialist
Phone Number: (805) 781-7064
E-mail: svethava@slocity.org
SUBJECT: SELECTION OF 2025-26 DEI HIGH IMPACT GRANT REVIEW
SUBCOMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION
Select up to three (3) Commissioners to participate in a subcommittee to review the 2025-
26 DEI High Impact Grant applications and provide preliminary funding recommendations
to the full Human Relations Commission.
BACKGROUND
The Human Relations Commission (HRC) is tasked with reviewing the applications for
the DEI High Impact Grant program and providing funding recommendations to City
Council. To ensure a comprehensive and equitable recommendation process, a
subcommittee of the full HRC is formed to review and discuss each application in depth.
The subcommittee then makes initial recommendations for f unding to the full HRC who
then deliberates during a public hearing before their final funding recommendations are
sent to City Council.
The DEI High Impact Grant provides financial support to non-profit organizations to
enhance the sense of belonging for all people in the community of San Luis Obispo. This
funding allocation is an effort to uplift and support local projects, programs, and initiatives
that contribute to creating a San Luis Obispo that is welcoming, inclusive, equitable, and
safe. The scope of equity and inclusion work is inherently broad and complex, and the
funding seeks to support initiatives that show an understanding of root cause issues and
intractable problems, can demonstrate measurable success, and will contribute to some
aspect of systemic change.
While funded projects may focus on specific underserved and underrepresented
communities, all projects, applications, and concepts must provide access to the entire
City of San Luis Obispo community-at-large.
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