The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved the Riverside County Park & Open Space District’s master agreement to retain eight professional grant writing firms to submit requests seeking state and federal funds that will benefit the agency.
In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on the agency’s request as part of its policy agenda Tuesday.
“Grant writing and application assistance will enhance the district’s capacity to pursue competitive funding and leverage local dollars for a range of park and facility improvement projects that benefit Riverside County residents,” according to a statement posted by district General Manager Kyla Brown.
Among grant awards sought in the current fiscal year will be Proposition 4 funding from the state, officials said. The Environment, Energy & Water bond measure approved by voters in 2024 makes up to $10 billion available for numerous local projects statewide until 2028.
The firms retained under the master agreement will be part of a “shortlist” of go-to grant writers serving the county for one year, though that length of service can be extended.
The entities listed by the Park & Open Space District are: El Segundo-based California Consulting Inc., Engineering Solutions Services of Laguna Hills, Evan Brooks Associates of Pasadena, FCS International Inc. of Irvine, MNS Engineers Inc. of Riverside, NCB Inc. of Little Elm, Texas, Townsend Public Affairs of Corona and TRC Environmental Corp. of Windsor, Connecticut.
Objectives include submitting grant applications to pay for urban forestry projects, land acquisition, energy conservation technology and overhead costs tied to keeping park rangers on staff.
The county has set aside $2.4 million to pay for the grant writers’ services. However, any allocation over $200,000 will require prior board authorization.
Payments will be made in arrears, after the district is invoiced for the grant writers’ work.