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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRPS-08-151 - Environment Comm Rec: Revised Community Enviroment Improvement Grant ProcessReport To: Councillor B. Vrbanovic, Chair and Members of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee Date of Meeting: September 29, 2008 Submitted By: Environmental Committee Prepared By: Colin Goodeve, Committee Administrator (741 - 2278) Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: September 12, 2008 Report No.: CRPS-08-151 Subject: ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: REVISED COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT GRANT CRITERIA & SUBMISSION PROCESS I r 1 That Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program - Community Environmental Improvement) be amended to repeal and replace Section 3 (Grant Criteria) and Section 4 (Grant Submission Process) with the revised criteria and submission process, as outlined in Corporate Services Department report CRPS-08-151; and further, That staff • directed to undertake a review of the Community Environmental Improvement Grant program to determine if the program continues to effectively meet its overall objectives and to identify options for moving forward. The purpose of the Community Environmental Improvement Grant (CEIG) program is to encourage residents to actively participate in environmental initiatives. $10,000. is budgeted annually to the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account to facilitate this program, with a maximum grant allocation of $3,000. for any one project. At the January 10, 2008 Environmental Committee meeting, a Sub-committee was established to review the CEIG program and put forward recommendations for improving the quality and number of grant applications. At the June 19, 2008 Environmental Committee meeting, the Sub-committee advised that when it was reviewing the existing CEIG criteria, it was determined that consideration should be given to the following questions: 1) does the current CEIG program still meet its original intent? 2) is the amount available in the fund sufficient to carry out its mandate in a meaningful manner? 3) since some groups that regularly apply for funding under this program do not meet all of the eligibility requirements should the program's criteria be changed? 4) who are the actual target groups for this grant? 5) would new programs, such as Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF), more effectively accomplish the purpose of the CEIG program given the disparity in funding? A lengthy discussion took place regarding the tenets of the CEIG program, with several members indicating a desire to retain the CEIG, but in a revised form. It was noted that the Sub-committee had identified several aspects of the grant program's criteria where it believed changes should occur and they agreed to circulate the proposed changes for the Committee's consideration. Members were requested to provide feedback to the Sub-committee, who would subsequently present the revised grant criteria at the September 11, 2008 Environmental Committee meeting; thereby allowing this year's CEIG promotional campaign to move forward in early Fall 2008. �014 At the September 11, 2008 Environmental Committee meeting, the members finalized the following revised grant criteria and submission process to replace Section 3 (Grant Criteria) and Section 4 (Grant Submission Process) of Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program - Community Environmental Improvement): 3. Grant Criteria: Eligibility: a) 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. A limit may be placed on the number of grant applications considered from schools or school related entities in a given year. b) Municipal Capital projects are not eligible for funding from the Community Environmental Improvement Grant Program. c) Organizations that are the responsibility of other levels of government (Municipal, Regional, Provincial, or Federal) are not eligible for grant funding. d) Organizations having received funding through the City's Budget process will not be eligible for a Community Environmental Improvement Grant. Criteria: e) Groups 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. f) Grant funding for consultants or professional salaries will only be eligible if provided within the context of a partnership with other funders. Organizations 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. g) Any organization receiving a grant from the City of Kitchener will recognize the City's contribution in any promotional literature or material that may be prepared by the organization. A copy of such literature or material must be submitted to the City and developed in accordance with the City of Kitchener Corporate Standards Manual. h) Grants under this program are intended for one-time funding only, for a specific project. Organizations seeking continual support are encouraged to seek other funding sources but may reapply every three years. i) Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance should be presented by the organization requesting the grant. j) All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the Environmental Committee and City of Kitchener staff. k) Organizations receiving a grant must submit a report to the Environmental Committee detailing grant expenditures and how funds contributed to achieving the intended purpose of the grant. Any changes to the nature and/or content of an approved project shall be subject to a revised proposal being submitted to the Environmental Committee; who will forward a recommendation to City Council as to whether the previously approved grant funding should be withdrawn. Failure to submit the revised proposal may result in the withholding of grant funds. 1) Applications 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. m) Community projects should build a level of capacity,, that is, knowledge and ability within the community to promote further stewardship initiatives. n) Applications should relate to one or more of the seven functional areas of Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment, namely: Water Resources, Pollution & Environmental Interference, Waste Management, Land Resources & Growth Management, Energy Systems, Natural & Recreational Amenity Areas and Resource Consumption. 4. Grant Submission Process: a) All requests for Community Environmental Improvement Grants must be submitted to the Environmental Committee Administrator, c/o Corporate Services Department, Kitchener City Hall, 2nd Floor, 200 King Street West. b) All grant requests should be in letter form, filled out by computer or typewriter and should clearly outline to the Environmental Committee: i. issue or problem identification; ii. organizational structure of the group, association or community of interest; iii. key contact names; iv. clear description of the proposed program or project. If available, a site plan or suitable drawings to show the impact of the planned project, should be included; v. outline of benefits to the Kitchener community of the program or project; vi. implementation plan and schedule; vii. budget outline; and, viii. other partnership or funding contributors. c) Any organization requesting a grant will be afforded the opportunity to address the Environmental Committee as a delegation. A copy of Council Policy 1-590 has been attached to this report as a reference. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: None at this time. Colin Goodev- • -- Administrator COUNCIL POLICY RESOLUTION POLICY NUMBER: 1 -590 POLICY TYPE: FINANCIAL DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2004 SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM — COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT POLICY CONTENT- 1 . Grant Purpose Grants are provided to organizations that operate within the City of Kitchener for community environmental improvement projects. 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 promote healthy lifestyles practices. ( c) To foster a sense of environmental stewardship. (d) To promote community environmental awareness. (e) To promote and initiate the development of short term, intermediate term and long term community based environmental programs. (f) To support environmental research. 2. Funding Source Funding is available to a maximum of $3,000 for any one project in a given year to be funded from the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account. 3. Grant Criteria (a) Applications will be accepted from non - profit groups, neighbourhood associations and communities of interest. A `community of interest' is a group of individuals who voluntarily associate with each other because they have identified common environmental concerns that impact on the City. KITCHENER Page 1 of 4 OCTOBER 2004 POLICY NUMBER- 1 -599 SllB.1FrT- 3. 9 GRANT PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT grant Criteria, cont'd COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL (b) Groups should 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. ( c) Municipal Capital projects are not generally eligible for direct funding from the Community Environmental Improvement Grant Program. (d) Grant funding for consultants or professional salaries will only be eligible if provided within the context of a partnership with other funders. Organizations must be operating for City of Kitchener residents. A pro -rated contribution may be considered where residence of participants is mixed with other municipalities. (e) Organizations who are the responsibility of other levels of government (Municipal, Regional, Provincial, Federal or Educational) and / or have had their funding cut or reduced by these levels of government are normally not eligible for grant funding. (f) Grant requests from organizations that themselves distribute grants to other organizations will not be considered. (g) Organizations having received a grant through the City's Budget process will not be eligible to apply for a Community Environmental Improvement Program grant. (h) Any organization receiving a grant from the City of Kitchener will recognize the City's contribution in any promotional literature or material which may be prepared by the organization. (i) Grants under this program are intended for one time funding only, for a specific project. Organizations seeking continual support are encouraged to seek other funding sources. Grant Submission Process (a) All requests for Community Environmental Improvement grants must be submitted to the Committee Administrator for the Kitchener Environmental Committee, c/o Corporate Services Department, Kitchener City Hall, 2nd Floor, 299 King Street West. (b) All grant requests should be in letter form, and should clearly outline to the Environmental Committee: KITCHENER Page 2 of 4 OCTOBER 2004 POLICY NUMBER: 1 -590 SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT 4. Grant Submission Process, cont'd COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL (i) issue or problem identification; (ii) organizational structure of the group, association or community of interest; (iii) key contact names; (iv) clear description of the proposed program or project; (v) outline of benefits to the Kitchener community of the program or project; (vi) implementation plan and schedule; (vii) budget outline; and, (viii) other partnership or funding contributors. ( c) Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance should be shown by the organization requesting the grant. (d) All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by members of the Environmental Committee and City staff. (e) Organizations receiving financial assistance are advised that the grant being given should not be regarded as a commitment for future assistance. (f) Organizations receiving a grant must submit a report to the Environmental Committee verifying that the grant funds were used for the purpose intended, and specifically how the grant funds were used. (h) Any organization requesting a grant will be afforded the opportunity to address the Environmental Committee, or appointed Sub - Committee, as a delegation. 5. Grant Processing Timetable �. Environmental Committee and City staff request grant January proposals, subject to funding being approve in that year's Capital Budget. 2. Council finalizes Capital and Current Budgets. March 15th 3. Application deadline for submission of grant requests. March 30th 4. Environmental Committee and City staff review grant April requests at special meeting. KITCHENER Page 3 of 4 OCTOBER 2004 POLICY NUMBER: 1 -590 SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM — COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT 5. Grant Processing Timetable, cont'd 5. Environmental Committee reviews grant requests, hears delegations and prepares recommendations for Development and Technical Services (DTS) Committee. 5. DTS Committee recommends grants to Council 7. Council considers grant requests. 8. Grant applicants are advised by letter of decision of Council. April Meeting April May May 1 June"' KITCHENER Page 4 of 4 OCTOBER 2004