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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-14-018 - Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant Staff Report I rTC'.�► t .R Community Services Department wmkitchenerca REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: June 23, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director, Community Programs & Services (519-741-2200 x7687) PREPARED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director, Community Programs & Services (519-741-2200 x7687) WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: June 10, 2014 REPORT NO.: CSD-14-018 SUBJECT: NEIGHBOURHOOD MATCHING FUNDS GRANT RECOMMENDATION: That the Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant guidelines, attached to report CSD-14-018, be approved; and, That $10,000 per year, for three years, be budgeted for the grant program; and, That the Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant be funded out of the Community Assistance Loan reserve fund; and further, That staff evaluate and report back to Council on the effectiveness of the grant program at the completion of year three. BACKGROUND: A Community Assistance Loan reserve fund was established to provide interim financing to community organizations for the purpose of donating equipment and facilities to the City of Kitchener. Specifically, the loan was for one-time capital/ infrastructure projects and purposes related to services provided by the City and not those that are solely the responsibility of other levels of government. Applicants could not be individuals but had to be established not-for-profit organizations, preferably incorporated and, at a minimum, directed by an executive committee or board of directors. If the organization was unincorporated, one or more members of the organization had to be willing and have the legal capacity to sign a loan agreement. Individual loans were limited to the lesser of the fund balance and $200,000. Each loan had a fixed repayment schedule, with a maximum term of five years. No organization was able to have more than one loan outstanding at any point in time. 10 - 1 REPORT: Council directed staff to look at better utilizing the funding in the Community Assistance Loan reserve fund. The reserve has a maximum target balance of $500,000, but currently has a balance of $838,000. Recently, there has been minor activity in the reserve fund and is summarized below: • 2011 Activity +$15,000 repayment from Waterloo Boxing Academy • 2012 Activity +$15,000 repayment from Waterloo Boxing Academy • 2013 Activity -$15,000 Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (to be paid back $5,000/year in 2014-2016) +$15,000 repayment from Waterloo Boxing Academy Besides developing a communications and promotional plan to better utilize the current Community Assistance Loan reserve fund into the future, staff are suggesting to repurpose a portion of the loan funds (approximately 3.5%) as a Neighbourhood Matching Fund Grant program. Many municipalities offer similar grant programs across Canada and the United States, Seattle's matching fund program, developed by Jim Diers, perhaps being the most well- known. The complexity and size of the program (e.g. size of the grant and application process) varies significantly from each municipality. Some programs are relatively small easily accessible amounts for grassroots groups, while others are quite significant programs that can deal with small projects and infrastructure items (e.g. greater than $100,000) and require substantial application and reporting processes. Attached as appendix A are draft guidelines suggested by staff for a Neighbourhood Matching Fund Program for the City of Kitchener. The size of the program being suggested by staff, and supported by the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee, is smaller, looking at smaller place-based/grassroots initiatives. In the spirit of matching the city's investment into this grant program, the United Way of Kitchener Waterloo has agreed to match the city's contribution of $30,000 over a 3 year period ($10,000 X 3 years) for a total grant program of $60,000. It is expected that this $60,000 will be matched by grant recipients for a total investment into the community of $120,000 (in dollars, volunteer time, in-kind services, etc.), of which only $30,000 is municipal dollars. KEY POINTS OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD MATCHING FUNDS GRANT PROGRAM • It is proposed to be a one-time matching funds grant for neighbourhood and place-based initiatives - not city-wide initiatives. • Applicants can leverage their own funds, time, materials, in-kind hours, etc. with the grant request. • Applicants can be members who form a committee for the purpose of a project or event. • It can be a project (capital) or event. • Applicants must show neighbourhood support and involvement. • Requests can range from $500 to $5,000. • There would be an upset limit of$20,000 per year for the 3 years of the fund. 10 - 2 • This would be a grant administered throughout the year, given resource availability. • This grant would be administered by a committee made up of staff (Community Programs & Services), members of Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee, and a member of United Way KW. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Community Priority: Quality of Life — "Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a community that invests in maintaining basic services, in addition to amenities such as community centres, museums, theatres, art galleries, and leisure facilities ..." Strategic Directions-All voices matter; A city where everyone has a place; Nurture a sense of pride and community; Community programs and facilities. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The current balance in the Community Assistance Loan reserve fund is $838,000. Staff recommends repurposing $30,000 of this funding to the Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant. In addition to this, as a partner the United Way of Kitchener Waterloo is willing to contribute $30,000 ($10,000/year for 3 years) to this grant bringing the total grant program to $60,000. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The draft guidelines were vetted through the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee, agreed to at their meeting held on April 3, 2014. If approved, staff would begin introducing the guidelines to City of Kitchener affiliated groups and other partners and organizations in the community. A comprehensive communications and promotional plan will be developed and implemented for both the Neighbourhood Matching Fund program and for the Community Assistance Loan reserve fund to ensure better utilization of existing funding. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, Deputy CAO, Community Services 10 - 3 APPENDIX A NEIGHBOURHOOD MATCHING FUND GRANT (NMFG) 1. Preamble The City of Kitchener offers a one-time matching funds grant to provide support to neighbourhood and place-based grassroots initiatives. This grant will be administered by the Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant (NFMG) Committee, including Community Programs and Services staff and members appointed by the Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee. The grant committee will also include representation from United Way Kitchener Waterloo & Area (United Way KW), who will be contributing to the grant fund for the first 3 years. The partnership between the City of Kitchener and United Way KW will be reviewed prior to the completion of the third year to determine future opportunities. 2. Purpose The Neighbourhood Matching Fund Grant (NMFG) is intended to: 1. Provide support to neighbourhood groups and/or place-based grassroots initiatives that: • Renew or revitalize neighbourhood public and green spaces, contributing to neighbourhood beautification and celebration; • Foster neighbourhood pride; • Build stronger relationships between neighbours and neighbourhood groups; • Demonstrate capacity to improve the overall quality of life in a specific neighbourhood/community of interest; and • Improve safety, accessibility and/or mobility. 2. Leverage the City's financial support with community contribution from volunteer labour, donated materials, donated professional services, and/or cash. 3. Entrust citizens to become more actively involved in identifying, pursuing and funding opportunities to strengthen Kitchener neighbourhoods. 3. Applicant Criteria 1. Applications will be accepted from community groups in Kitchener neighbourhoods including: • community members who forma committee/group for the purpose of a specific project or event; and 10 - 4 • community groups already formed (e.g. not-for-profit groups, communities of interest, informal and grassroots neighbourhood groups) completing a project or event. 2. Applicants should: • demonstrate that they have actively sought involvement and support from neighbourhood residents, and are composed of a significant number of committed people who live and/or work in the neighbourhood; • demonstrate that there is strong support from the neighbourhood for the project, including approval of the project from all adjacent property owners (if appropriate); • be open to partnerships with other community groups, not-for-profit organizations to leverage additional funds/resources; • demonstrate the ability to match the value of the contribution requested from the NMFG with community resources (in-kind or in-cash), including voluntary labour or donations of goods or services as part of the budget for the project; • have a bank account with at least two people who are named as "signatories"; • provide an accurate accounting of all funds, including proof of purchases. 4. Project/Event Criteria 1. Project/event considerations will include: • Those that occur within Kitchener city limits and are geographically defined within a neighbourhood on accessible public land; • One-time neighbourhood and/or place-based projects/events not intended for a City-wide audience/purpose; • Those that are inclusive, encouraging broad-based and diverse neighbourhood involvement and participation of neighbourhood residents, community members and volunteers in the project/event development and process; • Those projects that contribute to neighbourhood identity; • Capital equipment acquisition; • Those projects/events that will enhance or celebrate unique social, planning and/or design features of a neighbourhood 5. Funding Requests 1. Allocations of$500 and up to a maximum of$5,000, given resource availability, will be made available for projects that meet the criteria outlined within the policy and are approved by the NMFG Committee. An upset limit of $20,000, in total grants, will be set for any one calendar year. 2. The total value of the match must equal or exceed the dollar amount requested. 10 - 5 3. The neighbourhood's matching contribution may include: • Match in cash or in-kind; • Cash donations; • Volunteer labour/time (valued at $20 per hour); • Donated professional or contractor services (valued at the reasonable and customary retail value of the product/service); • Donated materials and supplies (valued at retail prices); and • Borrowed equipment (valued at the cost necessary if it were to be rented). 4. The amount and type of match must be appropriate to the needs of the proposed project (applicant must be prepared to justify that each element of the match, in the amount proposed, is required to complete the proposed project). 5. At least 25% of the applicant match must come from the applicant group itself rather than from other granting bodies. 6. Funds from other City of Kitchener or United Way KW sources cannot be counted as match (e.g. projects that received funds through the City's budget process or any other of the City of Kitchener's grant programs will not be eligible for a NMFG). 7. Professional services are valued at the reasonable and customary retail value of the product/service. 8. Projects that bring additional external financing, material or human resources through partnerships are favoured over projects that are only sponsored by the City of Kitchener. 9. The City's matching contribution may include a combination of in-kind services (e.g. rental of space, staff wages) and cash. 6. Process for Applying 1. Applications will be accepted throughout the year, however, will be subject to funding and resource availability. 2. To be considered for this grant, the applicant must submit the following details in the form of a proposal to the NMFG committee and include: • Organizational structure of the association or community of interest or supporting partner(s); • Key contact names, including partners, etc.; • Project or event description; • Details of the project or event including evidence showing that the project or event meets the criteria outlined above; • Implementation plan and schedule; and 10 - 6 • Budget, including any other proposed funding sources, etc. 3. All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the NMFG Committee, made up of members of the Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee, City of Kitchener staff and United Way KW. 4. Organizations and groups receiving funds are advised that the grant being given is not to be regarded as a commitment to future assistance. 5. Where appropriate, neighbourhood and special interest groups receiving funds are expected to present a final report to the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee upon completion of the project or event or after the grant dollars are fully exhausted. 6. Applicants receiving funds from the NMFG must recognize the contribution of the City of Kitchener and United Way of Kitchener Waterloo on all materials. 10 - 7