Town of Yucca Valley announces 13 non-profits receiving Measure Y funding
The Town of Yucca Valley’s Measure Y Partnership program announced a list of non-profits that will be receiving revenue from the half-cent sales tax used to fund the measure. The Measure Y partnership program distributes funds to non-profits and projects that are dedicated to improving the lives of Yucca Valley residents through public safety, art, infrastructure and other programs.
Finance Manager Jordan Gumbush led the presentation at Tuesday’s Yucca Valley Town Council meeting. There were a total of 26 applications submitted for the funding cycle requesting $758,000 in total. Half of those were chosen for funding, with 13 organizations receiving a total of $298,300 spread over two-years.
Gumbush says that the two-year funding cycle was chosen to improve nonprofit stability and planning. During the review process, applicants must submit financial documentation including audited financial statements, tax returns, board of directors lists, and verification of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status to “ensure transparency and proper reporting,” according to Gumbush.
Each awarded partner is required to complete an agreement at the beginning of the grant period, and they are also expected to submit progress reports and a final report at the end of the two-year period. These reports include photos, project summaries, and detailed expenditure documentation as requested by Town staff.
Non-profits were chosen on a number of criteria:
Are they a local service that existis primarily in the town of yucca valley for public purposes? How many residents does the program reach? Is the program unique and would the Measure Y funds impact the cost to participants? The nonprofit’s stability and history with the town is also reviewed, along with any previous measure y funding that the program may have received.
The applications are reviewed by the towns revenue oversight committee, and Town Manager Curtis Yakimow says that funding these non-profit programs help fill gaps in the Town’s services.
“These organizations really have found a way to take relatively limited resources and expand the programming and expand the services that are available in our community and they do that through their nonprofit organizations. So while the (funding) increase is substantial from $100,000 to $150,000 per year it is providing services that the town cannot provide and that these non-profits are able to provide much more reach than if they were not available,” Yakimow said during the presentation.
The recipients of Measure Y funds over the next two years are:
Reach Out Morongo Basin
The High Desert Pregnancy Clinic
The Boys and Girls Club of the Hi-Desert
Rescue Residence
The Basin Wide Foundation
The Morongo Basin Tennis Association
Yucca Valley Lobos Youth Football
Mil-Tree
The Yucca Valley Material Lab
Dance Mojave Performance Collective
The Morongo Basin Competitive Dance Team
The Yucca Valley Airport District
Hope through Housing Foundation
It was a full house at the meeting with many of the applicants on hand to express their gratitude and explain how the funds will help their non-profits.
The next round of Yucca Valley Measure Y funding is expected to open up in February of 2028.