Supervisors approve $99,550 South 32 community investment for free summer camps

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted April 15 to accept a community investment agreement with South 32 Inc. that will provide $99,550 to support free summer-camp programming run by the superintendent’s office. The agreement covers funding for the 2026 summer season and reserves funding for 2027 to reduce annual reapplication needs.

Superintendent Maya Donnelly (introduced during the meeting) explained the county’s decade-long summer-camp program, which has grown to roughly 30 camps across the county. She told the board that $49,000 funds the 2026 camps and another $49,000 would be held for 2027 under the new community investment agreement; the county supplements those amounts with other grants and partner funding as available.

Board members asked about registration and outreach. Staff said registration materials and flyers will be distributed May 1 and shared across schools and social media, and that the camps are free to participating students. "They're free," staff confirmed during the briefing.

Supervisor Fanning moved to approve the agreement; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The board congratulated district staff and students on the program’s success.

Implementation details: staff will launch promotional materials on May 1, open registration via the county and school channels, and coordinate partner funding where necessary. The agreement allows the county to hold funding for a second year to provide program continuity without repeating the full application process annually.