Explanation
BACKGROUND: This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Women’s Alliance, a non-profit corporation, to provide support for the She Leads program.
Ohio Women’s Alliance is a power-building Reproductive Justice organization providing programming, resources, and education for women, gender-expansive folks, and youth throughout Ohio. Rooted in the foundations of Reproductive Justice, the mission of the Ohio Women’s Alliance is to transform Ohio into a state where all people can truly thrive through access to safe communities, equitable education, holistic health care and wellness, inclusive and representative democracy, and economic prosperity.
She Leads is a program designed to equip educators, social workers, and community leaders who are passionate about serving young girls with professional development, tools, resources, a curriculum, and a wellness community needed to implement and sustain programming for girls of color. She Leads, curated and facilitated through She Imprints, fills a gap in educator professional development as schools lack professional development and curriculum designed specifically to address the unique needs of girls of color.
This comprehensive program directly serves both educators and girls of color in Columbus. Funds will support program expansion and will be used to support program operations, staff, resources, curriculum, community engagement and materials. She Leads expects to contribute to a decrease in disciplinary referrals, increased academic engagement, and an increase in restorative practices in partner schools.
Since the organization lacks the funding necessary to operate the program fully on a reimbursement basis, funds will be advanced to the Ohio Women’s Alliance to support a timely launch of the She Leads program. A portion of the funds will allow for reasonable food and non-alcoholic beverage expenses that support the program. Additionally, this ordinance authorizes a reimbursement to the Ohio Women’s Alliance for expenses incurred from 6/1/2026 to the present and associated with the execution of She Leads program. Only eligible, non-food and non-beverage expenses shall be reimbursed.
Fiscal Impact: Funding ($10,000.00) is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Emergency Designation: An emergency is requested in order to ensure timely issuance of funds in support of She Leads, which began on June 1, 2026.
Title
To authorize the City Clerk to enter into an advanced payment grant agreement with the Ohio Women’s Alliance to provide support for the She Leads program; to authorize the reimbursement of qualifying expenses incurred prior to the creation of the purchase order; to authorize an expenditure within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($10,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the mission of the Ohio Women’s Alliance is to transform Ohio into a state where all people can truly thrive through access to safe communities, equitable education, holistic health care and wellness, inclusive and representative democracy, and economic prosperity; and
WHEREAS, this grant will provide support for the She Leads program, which is designed to equip educators, social workers, and community leaders with professional development, tools, resources, a curriculum, and a wellness community needed to implement and sustain programming for girls of color;
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City Clerk in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Women’s Alliance in support of the She Reads program to ensure timely issuance of funds in support of She Leads, which began on June 1, 2026, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Clerk is hereby authorized to enter into an advanced payment grant agreement with the Ohio Women’s Alliance in support of the She Leads program, in the amount of $10,000.00, and to authorize the reimbursement of qualifying non-food and non-beverage expenses incurred prior to the creation of the purchase order to June 1, 2026.
SECTION 2. That per the action authorized in Section 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $10,000.00 or so much thereof as may be needed, is authorized in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That funds shall be paid in advance to the Ohio Women’s Alliance in order for the organization to have the resources necessary for a timely launch of She Leads.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this legislation.
SECTION 6. That the distribution of food and beverages associated with the execution of this grant agreement are deemed to be for a proper public purpose.
SECTION 7. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.