Local nonprofits providing essential services ranging from pediatric dental care to transportation for seniors will receive more than $360,000 in city funding following a unanimous vote by the Carson City Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
The board voted 4-0 to authorize the disbursement of Community Support Services Grant (CSSG) and Quality of Life initiative funds for fiscal year 2026. Supervisor Stacey Giomi abstained from the vote due to professional and volunteer conflicts of interest with several recipient organizations.
Grants Administrator Yesenia Pacheco presented the funding recommendations, noting they were determined by an application review work group based on “funding available, application scores and how well the program meets Carson City’s critical needs.”
Identified critical needs for this funding cycle included dental services, unhoused identification services, and transportation.
The approved funding package totals $360,911. The largest single allocation directs $120,000 from the Quality of Life Fund to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada. While the other grants specified exactly what the money was earmarked for, the expenditure for the B&G Club is listed as “operations,” so it’s not immediately clear if this is for a particular program or just the running of the B&G in general.
Another $163,120 was awarded to existing non-competitive programs currently in the final year of a five-year funding cycle, including support for Meals on Wheels, the Ron Wood Family Resource Center, and Advocates to End Domestic Violence.
For the competitive grant cycle, the board awarded $77,791 to five specific programs.
Nevada Health Centers received full funding of $45,000 to support mobile pediatric dental services, which covers exams, cleanings, and fillings for uninsured or underserved students.
The Nevada Rural Counties RSVP Program was awarded $13,791 to purchase a hybrid SUV for its “Safe Roads for Seniors” project, ensuring safe transportation for seniors and veterans.
St. Vincent de Paul Society received $10,000 to assist seniors and disabled adults with vehicle maintenance and DMV costs to help them maintain independence.
While the board largely accepted the staff recommendations, Mayor Lori Bagwell introduced an amendment regarding a $5,000 grant for Friends In Service Helping (FISH) to provide emergency dental services. The review group had recommended earmarking $500 of that grant specifically for grant writing training, but Bagwell argued the entire amount should go toward patient care.
“That does not meet the critical needs … I’d rather the $500 go to direct dental services,” Bagwell said, moving to strike the training requirement.
The board approved the grant with the stipulation that the full $5,000 be used for dental services. FISH also received a separate $4,000 grant to help unhoused individuals obtain identification documents such as birth certificates and Nevada IDs.
Prior to the vote, Giomi disclosed that he serves as a volunteer board member for RSVP and Advocates to End Domestic Violence, and is employed by Nevada Health Centers. Citing a fiduciary duty to each, he stated that a reasonable person might view him as materially affected by the relationships and recused himself from the item.
The remaining members of the board approved the grants unanimously.
