New Albany's Community Grants Subcommittee will review nonprofit grant applications for the first time in nearly a year when it meets Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. at Village Hall.

The three-member panel of council members Matt Shull, Marlene Brisk and Mike Durik will first elect new leadership, then evaluate applications submitted for fiscal year 2027 funding, according to the meeting agenda. Their recommendations will go to the full City Council for a final vote.

The subcommittee last met Sept. 22, 2025. In that cycle, the panel received $116,000 in requests and unanimously approved $96,000 in grants on a $100,000 budget, according to council minutes from September 2025.

New leadership to be chosen

The Aug. 19 agenda calls for electing a chair, vice chair and secretary. Shull has chaired the subcommittee since at least 2025, with Brisk as vice chair. Former council member Chip Fellows previously served as secretary but no longer appears on the panel; Durik replaces him on the roster.

Modernized application process

This is the first grant cycle since the city opened applications online rather than mailing paper forms only to past recipients. At the June 2 council meeting, Shull proposed the change, telling colleagues an online download "would reduce the administrative burden." Council supported the move along with promoting the program on social media for the first time.

The application deadline was July 31.

Applications went to Jennifer Mason, clerk of council.

What's funded and what's changed

The grants draw from hotel/motel bed tax revenue and are meant to support quality of life and the visitor experience in New Albany. One notable shift: arts and culture grants are no longer handled by the city. The New Albany Community Foundation now administers those separately, with its own deadlines.

Mayor Spalding acknowledged at the June 2 meeting that the program's focus had shifted in recent years and that some confusion existed about the change in direction.

How to follow the process

The meeting is open to the public in the Council Chambers Conference Room at 99 W. Main St. The specific organizations that applied and the amounts they requested have not been publicly released. The subcommittee's recommendation will advance to full council, though no date for that vote has been confirmed.