Record number of nonprofits apply for Chelan community grants

CHELAN — A record number of local nonprofits have applied for Chelan’s community benefit grants this year, a milestone city leaders say is both encouraging and sobering.

City Administrator Laura McAloon told the Chelan City Council at its Jan. 13 meeting that 13 organizations submitted applications before the deadline, the highest number the program has seen.

“We had a record number of applicants, 13,” McAloon said. “So we are going to do a preliminary review for you of those applications.”

Under the city’s process, McAloon said staff were looking for two councilmembers to volunteer to join the initial screening of applications, with the goal of bringing recommended proposals back to the full council for discussion at a workshop meeting scheduled for Feb. 2.

Councilmembers Terry Sanders and Agustin Benegas volunteered almost immediately to serve on the review group.

McAloon said staff would also like to invite the applicant organizations to give short presentations to the council to help inform the final decision, since the ultimate funding choices rest with elected officials.

While the high number of applicants reflects a strong and active nonprofit community, Mayor Erin McCardle said it also points to a deeper need.

“It’s awesome, but also saddening, both sides of that, that we have that many agencies needing support,” McCardle said.

The city has set aside a specific amount in the 2026 budget for community benefit grants, meaning not every request can necessarily be funded in full. McCardle said the volume of applications will require careful prioritization.

“We don’t have enough budget to fund all of the requests in there,” she said. “So there’s going to need to be some choices and hard decisions to be made.”

The community benefit grants are intended to support local nonprofit organizations that provide services and programs to Chelan residents, and the record number of applications underscores both the breadth of that work and the demand for help sustaining it.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media