Salt Lake Council looks at nonprofit funding

Nonprofit groups flooded a Salt Lake City Council meeting Tuesday night, some to ask for more money and others to thank Mayor Rocky Anderson for his recommendations.

The City Council held a public hearing Tuesday in advance of deciding which Salt Lake City nonprofit groups should get a slice of federal money for housing, staffing and building improvements.

Sharif Kaharaba, executive director of Somali Community Development, pleaded with the council to grant more than the $5,000 Anderson recommended. Kaharaba requested $67,000 but said even a little more than $5,000 would help the group expand its housing and employment search services to African refugees.

"We helped 125 people in 2005 and 2006," Kaharaba said. "Fifty-three of those people are now working."

The city received requests for nearly $11 million; it has $4.7 million of community development block grant money to distribute and approximately $1.5 million in other federal money for a total of $6.2 million. The council will hold a briefing at its meeting Thursday night and will decide sometime in April how much money to give and to which groups.