In this latest episode of Inside Pima County with Supervisor Rex Scott, we shine a spotlight on a department whose work often happens behind the scenes but makes an enormous impact on how Pima County can serve its residents: the Grants Management and Innovation Department, known as GMI. Joining the podcast is GMI’s director, Ken Walker, along with Dorothee Harmon, who manages the division responsible for countywide grant development. Both bring decades of experience in nonprofit and governmental work, and both play critical roles in ensuring that Pima County can identify, secure, manage, and monitor the grant funding that supports so many essential public services.

We discuss the mechanics of grant development, grant compliance, and the partnerships that make these funds possible. Learn how Ken’s and Dorothee’s backgrounds help shape the County’s grant strategy, how GMI supports departments large and small, and how their roles connect directly to the public good. We explore what makes federal and state grant opportunities so complex, why indirect cost recovery matters, and how GMI’s partnerships with dozens of nonprofit subrecipients strengthen the countywide network of services residents rely upon. You’ll also hear about recent grants that have benefited District 1 and Pima County as a whole, from FEMA-funded improvements to flood control infrastructure to innovative water conservation upgrades at Arthur Pack Park, as well as the essential human services delivered by organizations like Interfaith Community Services and IMPACT.