The Alachua County Commission unanimously approved more than $1 million in funding for 31 nonprofit programs in a meeting Thursday.
The programs were narrowed down from about 70 by the county's Community Agency Partnership Program, which grants yearly reimbursement funding to local groups that aim to reduce poverty in Alachua County.
The application process began six months ago and required that all applicants take a training session, said board member Jennifer Tragash.
Out of about 70 programs, the board chose 38 to move to the second round of consideration, Tragash said.
Of those, 31 were selected to receive funding.
"We have collectively spent about 900 hours reviewing these 38 applications that could be up to 2 inches thick," Tragash said. "We do not leave the room until we all agree that the agency is getting what we are recommending."
Unfortunately, she said, the requests for funding exceeded the amount available by more than $1 million.
"It's increasingly a struggle to be able to provide funding for nonprofits, and there is a growing amount of need in our community for our social services," said County Manager Randall Reid.
Among the agencies that received funding are Big Brothers and Sisters of Mid-Florida, Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, Children's Home Society, ElderCare of Alachua County, Epilepsy Foundation of Florida, Florida Organic Growers, St. Francis House, the Hippodrome State Theatre, Planned Parenthood and Peaceful Paths.
The Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, which provides low-case care to residents of north central Florida, will receive $50,000 for its dental program and $74,172 for its medical program.
ElderCare of Alachua County will receive $75,000 for its Older Americans Act and $45,000 for its Alzheimers Disease Initiative.
The Early Learning Coalition, which focuses on school readiness for children, will receive $100,000.
A total of $45,000 will be awarded to St. Francis House, a Gainesville homeless shelter, for its case management, housing and food distribution programs.
"It's a grueling process for everyone, but I am completely satisfied with the vote," Tragash said. "The fact that it was unanimous - that doesn't happen often - means that the commission recognizes chronic poverty as a problem."
