Picking one or three or eight local organizations in a small city town to receive grant money will always be hard. Scrutiny will exist no matter what the choice. Jealousy will be around every corner. But the awarding of Beacon’s 2024 Community Investment Grant was just odd. Brazen, in fact. Of the $20,000 Community Investment Grant, $2,450 was left un-awarded. Saving the money for a rainy day? Two applicants were farmers. Farmers can use rain.

Let’s take a look at the five other organizations who applied for the City of Beacon’s $20,000 Community Investment Grant, but were denied. But first…

Background On The Scrutiny

(If you didn’t read yesterday’s article covering this in depth, a recap is below)

The following five Beacon local organizations applied for and were denied funding for this hyper local grant. The three organizations who were awarded funding by the City Council at the recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Committee either share an office with the Recreation Department, or are on the Recreation Committee itself who made the award recommendation.

Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White said half of the Recreation Committee members were not “interested in this task” of vetting and recommending organizations for awards. Yet, they recommended Recreation Committee Member Sarah Dwyer-Shick to get $7,550 for her organization The Sports Bra Project that a newspaper article says has an office in Beacon, but mainly ships sports bras to people all over the world. Sarah’s name was nowhere on the Application Log, nor on her organization’s website, nor brought up during the City Council Meeting, despite City Administrator Chris, Mayor Lee Kyriacou and Councilperson Amber Grant vouching that this was a Beacon-specific organization. The Sports Bra Project’s impact to adults and children living in Beacon, or how it exceeds the other applicants, has yet to be determined.

City Administrator Chris agreed with Beacon’s attorneys at Keane and Beane that Common Ground’s application, on behalf of its markets, which include the Beacon Farmer’s Market by way of the food benefits program Green4Green, which gives people with low income money to shop farm fresh produced and baked goods, would serve people outside of Beacon. It is not clear how the Sports Bra Project, which seems to ship product manufactured elsewhere to people primarily in other countries, is not not serving people “outside” of Beacon. If it is because the organization’s founder might live in Beacon (not confirmed), then it should be noted that the other leaders of the organizations who applied also live in Beacon, so this qualification does not seem dominant.

After City Administrator White pushed to close this part of the meeting so that it could move to a legislative vote, he mentioned that the Recreation Department needed to get back to bigger projects, like South Avenue (by Loopers basketball and tennis courts) and Wee Play (the tot park at Memorial Park that received City investment for upgrades). Of the applicants, both Land to Learn and Compass Arts work with kids and teachers at South Avenue Elementary in their programming. The financial diversity Parks and Recreation Director Mark Price speaks of doesn’t seem to be represented here, when published in his 2024 CIG Application Memo: “We have selected three applicants that we would recommend awarding funding to in 2024. This recommendation, I believe, allows for a diversity of funding across several initiatives.”

Organizations On The Recreation Department Cutting Room Floor

Bannerman Castle Trust
The Trust is dedicated to bringing together resources and funding to stabilize the buildings on Pollepel Island. The Trust raises awareness and educates the public and government organizations on the value and history of the island. The Trust raises funds for repairing the island, and creating a master plan and eventually stabilizing the structures.
Contact: Kelly Ellenwood
Purpose: 30th Anniversary Community Cruise to Bannerman Castle
Proposed Use Of Funds:
Community Outreach, Flyers, Postcards, Bulk Mailing, Community Outreach, Programming Tour guide
Requested Amount: $2,000

Common Ground Farm
Common Ground Farm supports and engages the community by fostering access and connection to fresh food and local agriculture through farming, education, and farmers’ markets. Common Ground runs the Beacon Farmer’s Market, located on Main Street in Beacon.
Contact: Sember Weinman
Purpose: Common Greens Partnership
From Common Ground’s website: “Greens4Greens is a food benefit incentive program, started in 2016, that creates greater food access for shoppers at the Beacon Farmers’ Market, the Newburgh Farmers’ Market, and the Common Greens Mobile Market. Eligible state funded food benefits are matched dollar for dollar through Greens4Greens, making the farmers’ market more accessible to a wider base of consumers. The program has been completely community funded through contributions made by local businesses as well as the annual 'Soup4Greens' event. Our 2024 Soup4Greens event raised over $8000 thanks to the generous soup and pottery donations.”
Proposed Use Of Funds:
Greens4Greens coupons to be redeemed across our markets, doubling the purchasing power of many people who use benefits
Requested Amount: $6,400

Compass Arts
The mission of Compass Arts is to create healthy, just, equitable, and resilient communities through arts based classes, performances, and events rooted in exploration, collaboration, creation, and play.
Contact: Gina Samaridge
Purpose: Free Community Arts Activities Table Program
Requested Amount: $6,500

Land To Learn
Land to Learn is growing a movement for food justice and community wellness through garden-based education. Land to Learn’s in-school program brings garden-based education to 2,000 k-2 students in 10 public elementary schools throughout New York’s Hudson Valley region.
Contact: Stefan
Purpose: SproutED Program for Beacon Schools
Proposed Use Of Funds:
South Avenue Garden Revitalization Spring/Summer 2024
Requested Amount: $5,000

Roll Out FBS
(Assuming this is Foundation For Beacon Schools (FBS), but it’s not indicated on the Applicant Log)
Foundation For Beacon Schools (FBS) vision is for Beacon’s public schools to be at the leading edge in creating a learning environment in which all students are able to find and cultivate their talents, live purposeful, fulfilling, and vibrant lives, and carry their gifts into the future.
Contact: Lauren Adelman
Purpose: Community Art Event
Proposed Use Of Funds:
School workshops, community workshops, public event, teaching artists, supplies
Requested Amount: $3,500

Grant Winners

Sports Bra Project
The Sports Bra Project increases access to sports for women and girls by removing barriers to participation. They provide sports bras to athletes who don’t have access to such a basic piece of equipment.
Contact: The contact on this was an email for the generic admin@thesportsbraproject. But we we now know is Recreation Committee Member Sarah Dwyer-Shick, thanks to a newspaper article mentioned by Councilperson Amber Grant. However, Councilperson Amber did not mention Sarah’s name when she referred to the article. No one spoke Sarah’s name during the meeting.
Purpose: Sports Bra Bank
Proposed Use Of Funds:
Storage bins, bras, support and outreach materials
Awarded Amount: $7,550

Beacon Repair Café
(Located inside of the Recreation Department Office)
The Repair Café idea was born in Amsterdam in 2009 and was brought to New Paltz by volunteer organizer John Wackman in 2013. His dedication, enthusiasm and success inspired others to launch Repair Café events in their communities.
Contact: fromer@sustainhv.org (Repair Café’s fiscal sponsor is Sustainable Hudson Valley)
Purpose: Repair Café
Proposed Use Of Funds:
Materials and Supplies, lunch for volunteers, outreach
Awarded Amount: $1,000

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County
(aka Green Teen, located inside of the Recreation Department Office, but nowhere in the Applicant Log does it specify Green Teen…This was only stated in the City Council Meeting…So it is not confirmed if this is going to Beacon’s Green Teen, or Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Positive Youth Development Program at large)
Contact: jr825@cornell.edu
Purpose: Positive Youth Development Program
Proposed Use Of Funds: Youth wages, Staff wages
Awarded Amount: $9,000