Gaston County grants team: about $54M in outside funds last year offset roughly $0.18 of local tax rate

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Grants Manager Tanisha Manus and Grants Coordinator Ashley Rahm told county officials the Grants Development and Oversight Department oversaw roughly $54,000,000 in federal and state grant revenue last year, funds the department said helped offset about $0.18 on the county tax rate and paid for services across public safety, veterans’ treatment and education.

"My name is Tanisha Manus, and I am the grants manager with the grants development and oversight department," Manus said, describing the office’s role in ensuring county departments follow programmatic and financial grant guidelines. "We ensure that our departments are following the grant guidelines and ... making sure that we're keeping the county out of trouble and just on the straight path with our grantors."

Ashley Rahm, a grants coordinator, provided the revenue figure and framed the grants as a budget offset. "Last year, the county brought in about $54,000,000 of revenue, both from federal and state entities," Rahm said. "We are offsetting the tax rate by 18¢." Rahm added that grants are "not free money" and that the county has a fiduciary duty to taxpayers to manage and allocate those funds properly.

Manus and Rahm listed specific programs supported by grants: support for Hope United, a domestic violence shelter, including housing, transportation and food for survivors; grant-funded advocates and domestic‑violence deputies within the sheriff’s department; a Veterans Treatment Court grant, administered in partnership with the County DA office, to provide mental‑health and substance‑use services for veterans; and after‑school academic support funded through a 21st Century after‑school grant with Gaston County Schools to provide tutorials for students needing extra help.

Rahm described the department’s work across the full grant lifecycle: pre‑award activities such as research and application writing; taking awards to the Board of Commissioners for appropriation and approval; and post‑award programmatic and financial management, including reporting and reconciliations. "We do the award itself. We'll take grants to the Board of Commissioners for appropriation and approval," Rahm said.

Both staff members emphasized the practical demands of grant administration—heavy recordkeeping, reporting and interdepartmental coordination—and stressed the office’s role in maximizing funds for county services. Manus said the team is "small but mighty," doing much of the behind‑the‑scenes work that enables county departments to deliver services they could not otherwise afford.

No formal actions or votes were recorded in this presentation. Manus said the office follows county, state and federal guidelines in administering grants and works to preserve future funding opportunities for Gaston County residents.