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Home My WebLink AboutEnv - 2012-03-15 - Community Environmental Improvement Grant Sub-CommitREPORT TO:Environment Committee DATE OF MEETING: March 15, 2012 SUBMITTED BY: Environmental Committee – CEIG Policy Sub-Committee PREPARED BY: Carrie Musselman, Senior Environmental Planner x 3148 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: February 28, 2011 REPORT NO.: CSD-12-041 SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: REVISED COUNCIL POLICY I-590 (GRANT PROGRAM - COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT) RECOMMENDATION: That Council Policy I-590 (Grant Program – Community Environmental Improvement) be repealed and replaced with the proposed Council Policy I-590 (Grant Program – Community Environmental Improvement Grant) dated March 15, 2012 attached to Community Services Report CSD-12-041. BACKGROUND: The Community Environmental Improvement Grant (CEIG) was created in 2004 to foster a sense of environmental stewardship throughout the City. The aim of the CEIG program is to encourage residents to actively participate in environmental initiatives by undertaking projects. REPORT: In accordance with the recommendations of the 2008 Advisory Committee Review, the Environmental Committee, with the assistance from staff, is carrying out its approved work plan. A review of the CEIG Policy was identified as a work plan item for 2012. th At the February 16 Environmental Committee meeting a sub-committee was created to review Council Policy I-590 (Grant Program – Community Environmental Improvement) with the assistance of staff and to make revisions if necessary. The Committee requested that the sub- committee review be completed and Council approval sought as soon as possible so that CEIG applications may be available this spring. Upon review of Council Policy I-590 it was found that revisions were warranted. The majority of the revisions occurred within the ‘Criteria’ and ‘Grant Submission Process’ Sections. In order for applicants to better understand what is required Section 3 -‘Criteria’ was restructured. The section now includes criteria under each of the following five sub-headings: a) Applicants; b) Projects; c) Financing; d) Revisions; and e) Recognition í ó ï Previously Section 4 - ‘Grant Submission Process’ outlined quite extensively the application format, required information and submission requirements. It was decided to remove ‘Grant Submission Process’ and replace it with criteria under Section 3 – ‘Criteria / Applicants’. Previous Section 5 - ‘Grant Processing Timetable’ is now renamed Section 4 - ‘Grant Submission Process’ and is updated to reflect current timeframes. Overall, the revisions maintain the intent of the program and are consistent with other City Grants. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The CEIGsupports the community priorities ‘leadership and community engagement’ and ‘environment’ of the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan and the recommended projects support initiatives found within the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Air Quality in Kitchener. The CEIG also helps achieve the Citizens’ Vision for the Environment (2027), in which our community focuses significant energy and resources on becoming more environmentally friendly. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: To facilitate this program, annually $10,000 is budgeted to the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: No community engagement was required. REVIEWED BY: Brandon Sloan, Manager Long Range and Policy Planning ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Deputy CAO, Community Services Department í ó î ÐÑÔ×ÝÇÒËÓÞÛÎæ×ëçð ÍËÞÖÛÝÌæÙÎßÒÌÐÎÑÙÎßÓ¬ÝÑÓÓËÒ×ÌÇÛÒÊ×ÎÑÒÓÛÒÌßÔ×ÓÐÎÑÊÛÓÛÒÌ COUNCIL POLICY RESOLUTION POLICY NUMBER: I-590 DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2004 AMENDED: OCTOBER 6, 2008 AMENDED: MARCH 15, 2012 POLICY TYPE: FINANCIAL SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM - COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT POLICY CONTENT: 1.Purpose Grants are provided to organizations that operate within the City of Kitchener. The purpose of the program is: a) to increase people’s awareness of how they view and treat air water and land resources and encourage them to be involved in solutions to improve the quality of those resources; b) to foster a sense of environmental stewardship; c) to promote community environmental awareness; d) to promote and initiate the development of community based environmental projects; e) to support environmental research. 2.Funding Source Funding is available to a maximum of $3,000.00 for each project in a given year to be funded from the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account. 3.Criteria a) Applicants: i. Applications will be accepted from non-profit groups, neighbourhood associations and communities of interest. A community of interest is defined as a group of individuals who voluntarily associate with each other because they have identified common environmental concerns that impact the city. ii. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to initiate and follow through on projects by having an organizational structure in place to lead and manage the activities and to account for finances. ÓßÎÝØîðïî Õ×ÌÝØÛÒÛÎÐ¿¹»ï±ºì í ó í ÐÑÔ×ÝÇÒËÓÞÛÎæ×ëçð ÍËÞÖÛÝÌæÙÎßÒÌÐÎÑÙÎßÓ¬ÝÑÓÓËÒ×ÌÇÛÒÊ×ÎÑÒÓÛÒÌßÔ×ÓÐÎÑÊÛÓÛÒÌ iii.Applicants must submit a completed community environmental improvement grant application form, along with all supporting documents as noted in the application form, by the deadline to the City of Kitchener. iv. Applicants are encouraged to deliver projects that provide as much public participation and access as possible, e.g. minimum charge or no admission charge whenever possible. v. Applicants seeking continual support for a project are encouraged to seek other funding sources but may reapply every three years. vi. A limit may be placed on the number of applications considered from schools or school related entities in a given year. b) Projects: i. Each project for which funding is requested must demonstrably meet Council’s strategic objectives as documented in the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for the Environment and other policy documents, namely: Natural Heritage Systems and Recreational Amenity Areas, Water Resources, Air Quality, Land Resources and Growth Management, Energy Systems, Resource Consumption and Waste Management, and Environmental Education and Public Awareness. ii. Projects must consider inclusion and accommodation of persons with disabilities. iii. Projects should normally be completed within one calendar year from the date the application is approved. iv. Projects that conflict with or are in direct competition with projects performed by the City will not be supported. v. Projects provided by the applicant for which funding is requested must be provided directly to the citizens of Kitchener. c) Financing: i. Projects that bring additional external financing, material or human resources to a project through partnerships are favoured over projects that are only sponsored by the City of Kitchener. ii. Funding for consultants or professional salaries will only be eligible if provided within the context of a partnership with other funders. Applicants must be operating for City of Kitchener residents. A pro-rated contribution may be considered where residence of participants is mixed with other municipalities. Such fees may be allowed to a maximum of $500.00. ÓßÎÝØîðïî Õ×ÌÝØÛÒÛÎÐ¿¹»î±ºì í ó ì ÐÑÔ×ÝÇÒËÓÞÛÎæ×ëçð ÍËÞÖÛÝÌæÙÎßÒÌÐÎÑÙÎßÓ¬ÝÑÓÓËÒ×ÌÇÛÒÊ×ÎÑÒÓÛÒÌßÔ×ÓÐÎÑÊÛÓÛÒÌ iii.Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance should be presented by the applicant requesting the grant. iv. Projects that are the responsibility of other levels of government Municipal, Regional, Provincial or Federal will not be eligible for a Community Environmental Improvement Grant. v. Projects having received funding through the City’s Budget process, Tier 1 or 2 Community Grants or Community Garden Grant will not be eligible for a Community Environmental Improvement Grant. vi. Community Environmental Improvement Grants are intended for one time funding only for a specific project. vii. Projects that distribute funds to other organizations will not be considered, e.g. fundraising events. viii. Costs that are associated with ongoing business activity and not a specific requirement of the proposed initiative will not be eligible for a Community Environmental Improvement Grant, e.g. office supplies, telephone/internet fees, salaries, in-kind donations or volunteer time, travel and accommodation costs etc. d) Revisions: i. Any changes to the project timeline, nature and or content of an approved project shall be subject to a revised proposal being submitted to the Environmental Committee which will forward a recommendation to City council as to whether the previously approved funding should be withdrawn. ii. Failure to submit a revised proposal may result in the withholding or repayment of funds. e) Recognition: i. Applicants receiving funds from the City of Kitchener will recognize the City’s contribution. The City will provide its corporate logo and corporate name for use in promotional literature and material that may be prepared by the organization/group for which a grant has been received. Such promotional material and literature is to be developed in accordance with the City’s Corporate Standards Manual. The format of the recognition will be negotiated by staff and the organization/group. ii. Applicants receiving a grant must give a presentation to the Environmental Committee at the June Committee meeting. A final report detailing grant ÓßÎÝØîðïî Õ×ÌÝØÛÒÛÎÐ¿¹»í±ºì í ó ë ÐÑÔ×ÝÇÒËÓÞÛÎæ×ëçð ÍËÞÖÛÝÌæÙÎßÒÌÐÎÑÙÎßÓ¬ÝÑÓÓËÒ×ÌÇÛÒÊ×ÎÑÒÓÛÒÌßÔ×ÓÐÎÑÊÛÓÛÒÌ iii. All project documentation and photographs become the property of the City of Kitchener for use on its website or other educational material or events. 4.Grant Submission Process a) All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the Environmental Committee and City of Kitchener staff. b) Community Environmental Improvement Grant applications will be received once per year, normally in mid-September (specific deadline dates will be published annually). c) A sub-committee of the Environmental Committee will make grant recommendations based upon input from Environmental Committee members to allocate resources within budget. d) Applicants will be notified of the sub-committee’s grant recommendations prior to consideration by the Environmental Committee, normally in October (specific deadline dates will be published annually). e) Applicants who request a grant will be afforded the opportunity to address the Environmental Committee or appropriate Standing Committee of Council as a delegation pursuant to Council’s Procedural By-law; delegations are permitted to address the Committee for a maximum of five (5) minutes. f) Generally, grant recommendations will be brought forward for consideration by Council at an appropriate Standing Committee of Council meeting, normally in November or December (specific date will be published annually). g) All decisions made by the appropriate Standing Committee of Council must be ratified by City Council before they are final. The Committee’s decision from this meeting will be considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting of City Council. h) Formal notification of successful grant recipients and amounts will be sent to applicants following decisions by Council. i) Payment of grants will occur after Council approval. ÓßÎÝØîðïî Õ×ÌÝØÛÒÛÎÐ¿¹»ì±ºì í ó ê