Community Human Service Partnership (CHSP)

Notice of the FY25 & FY26 CHSP Funding Opportunity and Mandatory Application Workshop

The City of Tallahassee and Leon County invite all interested non-profit human service organizations to participate in the FY25 & FY26 funding cycle of the Community Human Service Partnership (CHSP) grant process. To apply for funding, the organization must provide direct human services to residents of the Tallahassee/Leon County area.

Each year, Leon County and the City of Tallahassee provide funding to non-profit human services organizations to provide safety net services to vulnerable citizens. 

The primary mechanism for supporting human services is through the Community Human Service Partnership (CHSP), which provides investment in a broad range of human service programs implemented by local nonprofits. The City and County fund human services programs with general funds, supplemented by federal and state grants such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Change for Change (CFC), a City utility customer donation program. 

All agencies that intend to apply for the FY25 & FY26 funding cycle must attend ONE of the mandatory workshops listed below. 

Deadline to register is March 19, 2024, using the CHSP Portal. 

All workshops will be held at the Leon County Office of Human Services and Community Partnerships, 615 Paul Russell Road, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Mandatory Application Workshop Schedule

Applications will only be accepted from agencies that meet the CHSP eligibility criteria at the time of application and have documented attendance at one of the mandatory application workshops. The CHSP grant eligibility criteria is listed in the CHSP portal.  

If you have a disability requiring accommodations, please call 850-891-6566 or the TDD telephone number, 711, at least 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) prior to the start of the workshop. If you have questions, please contact CHSP staff at HumanServices@Talgov.com or HumanServices@LeonCountyFL.gov.

*Agencies applying on both Teams 11 and 12 should attend both workshops.

What is the Community Human Service Partnership?

Initially implemented in 1997, the Community Human Service Partnership is an innovative collaboration between Leon County and the City of Tallahassee. It was established to most effectively distribute community funds for human services.

An Overview of the Process

1. Training is provided through mandatory workshops for interested non-profit agencies. Afterward, access to the online application is provided to eligible agencies with technical assistance available up until the application submission date. 
2. The application includes financial, managerial, programmatic, and performance information. 
3. Solicitation and training of volunteers that conduct the program reviews. 
4. Dividing volunteers into 10 teams to review application grouped into funding categories such as children's services, substance abuse, youth education, and elderly services. 
5. Each volunteer team reviews the applications, conducts site visits, and recommends priorities and funding. 
6. Agencies may appeal the funding recommendations. 
7. Final recommendations are submitted to the County and City commissions for approval. 
8. Volunteers and agencies evaluate each year's process and make recommendations for improving the program for the next funding cycle.

How does it benefit our community?

Prior to CHSP, the County and City conducted similar but separate processes for allocating human service funds. There were isolated funding decisions; less effective, sometimes politically sensitive funding recommendations; and no coordination of application reviews, funding implementation, or planning for services. Benefits of the CHSP process include:

• Non-profits file only one application. 
• Elimination of over-funding of some agencies for the same services (i.e. 'double dipping'). 
• Identification of gaps in service delivery. 
• Effective use of knowledgeable community volunteers. 
• Extensive volunteer training. 
• Less potential for political influence in funding recommendations. 
• Evaluation of funding process by volunteers and non-profit agencies. 
• Dialogue on community-wide planning and coordination of human services. 
• Shared administrative processes between the County and City.

Awards and Recognition

• A report by the 21st Century Council, a private non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Tallahassee/Leon County, concluded "One of the most successful coordinated efforts in the community has been the collaboration of the United Way of the Big Bend, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County, ...."
• Awarded the John J. Gunter Blue Ribbon in Best Practices in Government from the U.S. Department of Housing and Human Development. 
• CHSP was one of the three showcased projects in the All-America competition. 
• Model replicated by other local governments. 
• Selected as a case study by the International City County Management Association Universities Best Practices 2000.
• Published in several government publications.

For more information or to register as an agency or volunteer, please visit the CHSP website.