Recreation committee approves CSCA funding allocations and a new funding model update

Sally Lodato, recreation committee chair (appearing online), told the Spokane Parks Foundation that the recreation committee recommended and the board approved CSCA grant allocations totaling $638,578 on the consent agenda.

Lodato said the committee's work marks the first update to the funding model since 2013, undertaken after the 2024 closure of the Southwest Community Center. The revised approach includes an 80% baseline funding guarantee for all eligible centers and a 20% allocation distributed according to application scores and rankings to reward performance and community impact.

The committee discussed public questions about how the baseline was determined and how funding aligns with programming versus participation; Lodato said funding will remain focused on recreational program delivery and community impact and that the committee provided clarifications about the scoring process. Lodato thanked staff, scoring-group volunteers and Jennifer Papich for their roles in the ten-month review and implementation process.

The board approved the related items as part of the consent agenda earlier in the meeting; Lodato said staff will continue to provide updates and that the next recreation committee meeting is May 6 at Finch Arboretum.