First Tuesday Asheville

Buncombe County awards millions of taxpayer dollars each year through its Early Childhood Education and Development Fund. These grants are intended to support programs that promote school readiness — but who decides where the money goes, and are the results worth the cost?

Our Local DoGE Team is conducting a full review to ensure funding decisions reflect transparency, fairness, and fiscal responsibility.

•  Scoring and Selection Process
  Are grant applications reviewed fairly and consistently? Who sets the scoring criteria?
   
• Conflict of Interest Disclosures
  Are any committee members evaluating grants for organizations they’re personally connected to?
   
• Redundancy with Other County Funding
  Are any recipients also receiving funds through other county programs — including Helene disaster relief?
•  Program Impact & Accountability
  Do funded programs report outcomes? Are performance metrics aligned with the goals of school readiness? 

 We’ve already obtained:

• Meeting agendas and minutes
   
• Evaluation rubrics and scoring spreadsheets
   
• Conflict of interest forms
   
• Grantee applications and scenario analyses
   

We’ll be sharing summaries and findings here — stay tuned.