City Issues First Grants to 24 Non-Profits; the Agencies Each Received $10,000 for Their Social Programs

Beginning of article

Byline: JEFF BRUMLEY

Jacksonville's Office of Faith and Community Based Partnerships issued its first grants on Monday, spreading $240,000 evenly among two dozen ministries and non-profit agencies.

With a grinning Mayor John Peyton looking on, office administrator Pete Jackson handed $10,000 checks to 24 agency representatives gathered in a conference room at City Hall.

Those checks represent half of the total $20,000 each organization will receive and half of the $480,000 the office has to distribute this year.

The mood in the room was jovial, with agency directors laughing and joking with each other as they returned to their seats, checks in hand.

But Peyton, after a few congratulatory words, urged …