Olympia City Council approves over $3M in Inspire Olympia grants after lengthy debate

The Olympia City Council approved more than $3 million in cultural grants after a lengthy debate over transparency, oversight and the city’s grant review process that nearly derailed the funding package.

Three of the six council members present initially indicated they were unwilling to vote in favor of the grants, forcing last-minute procedural changes to avoid delaying funding for 85 organizations through the Inspire Olympia Cultural Access Program. 

The voter-approved program supports arts, culture, heritage and science organizations across Olympia. The city council made the decision at a meeting on  Tuesday, June 16.

For the current funding cycle, 85 of 94 applicants were recommended for grants, including 14 first-time recipients.

The comprehensive grant category awards approximately $1.2 million annually over two years to 16 organizations, with most receiving 90% to 100% of requested funding.

The impact grant category provides just over $2 million in one-year awards to 69 organizations. More than half of the organizations will receive 75% to 100% of their requests, while the remainder will receive 50%. Nine lower-scoring applicants were not recommended for funding.

Debate

Debate centered not on the value of the program, but on whether council members had sufficient information to approve the recommendations with confidence.

Council member Dani Madrone, Chair of the Community Livability and Public Safety (CLPS) Committee, said the committee’s recommendations were not unanimous.

She said demand for the program is expected to grow as other funding sources disappear. Madrone suggested the committee revisit the program’s criteria and funding goals later this year.

Mayor Pro Tem Yen Huynh reiterated concerns she first raised during the committee’s meeting on May 27, saying council members lacked information about how funding recommendations were reached, including original funding requests from applicants, their applications and the reasoning behind award amounts.

“I didn’t feel like I could speak intelligently to the process, and for me, that’s a holdup. I need to be able to know what’s going on,” Huynh said.

She also questioned how the city determines whether organizations based outside Olympia are primarily serving Olympia residents. Huynh said council members lacked clear information on the methodology used to verify service to Olympia, noting it was one of several gaps in the information provided during the review process.

While expressing support for the program and the value of funding community organizations, Huynh said she could not vote in favor due to unresolved structural concerns. Her initial decision was to abstain, while she expressed her willingness to participate in future process improvements.

Mayor Dontae Payne said he intended to abstain from the vote due to concerns about the process. He cited a lack of full understanding of how funding recommendations were developed, and how the council is expected to review and approve them.

“I’m going to be honest and tell you that my intention was to also abstain tonight for some of the reasons that we heard,” Payne said. “I don’t feel comfortable casting a yes vote.”

In response, Cultural Access Program Manager Marygrace Goddu said the funding process is designed around city priorities, using standardized application criteria, review panels and scoring rubrics.

She noted only three recommended organizations are located outside Olympia, and each demonstrated service to Olympia residents.

Among them, the South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group provides classroom education in Olympia schools, Nisqually Reach serves Olympia public schools through field trips, and Lacey MakerSpace documented strong participation from Olympia residents.

The proposal initially failed to secure enough "yes" votes, with two council members voting in favor, one against and two abstaining.

Council member Clark Gilman recused himself because he serves on the board of the Bridge Music Project, one of the grant recipients.

While acknowledging council members had identified gaps in the current process, Madrone expressed concerns about delaying approval of the funding, saying withholding millions of dollars from community organizations could create unintended consequences.

She said the process was developed by CLPS and could be improved in the future, but questioned whether those changes should delay the current award.

Madrone added that organizations are “waiting for this funding to come through to be able to do good work for our community.”

City Manager Jay Burney also cautioned against further delay, noting applicants had planned programs around existing timelines.

Gilman then proposed approving the funding package without the Bridge Music Project grant, allowing him to participate in the vote.

While acknowledging concerns about organizations located outside Olympia, Gilman said the city’s cultural institutions naturally serve the broader region and urged the council to allow “some latitude” while refining the program’s criteria.

The revised motion was passed, with Payne saying he changed his vote in order to avoid blocking funding despite his concerns about the process.

The city council also approved funding for the Bridge Music Project in a separate vote.