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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-08-087 - Cummunity Investment Policy1 ,+~- I~T~i ER '' Community Services Report To: Community Services Committee Date of Meeting: November 17, 2008 Submitted By: Pauline Houston, General Manager, Community Services Prepared By: Ingrid Pregel, Manager, Cultural Development (ext. 3383) Wards) Involved: All Date of Report: November 12, 2008 Report No.: CSD-08-087 Subject: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT POLICY RECOMMENDATION: That the Community Investment Policy, dated November 17, 2008, as attached to Community Services Department report CSD-08-087, be approved and replace current Policy I-594, Grants-Annual Operating, and Policy I-596, Grants-General Provision. BACKGROUND: Since June 2007 a Steering Committee and staff project team have been developing a "Community Investment Strategy" (CIS) that will ensure future municipal support of community groups is optimally aligned with the community's overall goals and the City's strategic priorities. The first phase of work, discussed with Council and approved in principle in February 2008, outlined 18 fundamental policy directions under these six themes: • Evolutionary, not revolutionary • Alignment with City priorities • Funding to grow • Three tiers of support • Transparency and accountability • Collaboration and partnerships REPORT: Since that time phase II work has included the development of an overall framework to articulate the various sources of support and funding for the community. In total, fourteen sources of support have been identified. A diagram outlining these sources together with brief descriptions of applicability is contained in the Appendix to this report. Report No. CSD-08-087 Page 2 This phase of work has also focused on the detailed development of policy, processes and procedures associated with Community Grants, one of the fourteen funding sources. Community Service Committee has received Report Numbers CSD-08-070 and CSD-08-078 covering portions of this work. The attached articulates the resulting policy. Copies of the current annual and general provision grant policies are also attached for reference. Further, noted below are the timelines for 2009 community grants, the processes for which were outlined in Reports CSD-08-070 and CSD-08-078 and approved by Council. Tier 1 (formerly annual grants) ^ information regarding new process sent in late September to those groups/organizations who have been approved as Tier 1 grant recipients ^ 2009 grant equals 2008 annual operating grant plus 2% increase, unless another agreement is in place ^ to receive funding, letter of intent, current financial statement and 2009 budget to be submitted by November 21 ^ in 2009 staff will work with Tier 1 grant recipients to develop multi-year agreements to begin i n 2010 ^ any Tier 1 organization/group wishing to be considered for more than 2% funding must apply through the Tier 2 application process Tier 2 (formerly General provision grants) ^ information/application package regarding new process was developed and sent to all potential applicants in late September or upon request ^ public information session was held in October ^ application deadline was Friday, November 7 ^ from late November torrid-January, a Peer and Staff Review Committee, comprising community representatives and staff, will review applications, recommend grant allocations and recommend improvements for 2010 community grants process ^ Peer and Staff Review Committee recommendations will be brought forward to Community Services Committee in February and/or March 2009 for consideration In early 2009 we anticipate seeking Council approval for additional components of the Community Investment Policy that may require no new study or research, such as Community Gardens and Playground Equipment. Those requiring further study or research will be assigned priority over the course of 2009. COMMUNICATIONS: The Community Investment Strategy Phase I report has been available on the City's website since February 2008. We communicated with all those groups invited to participate in Phase I and invited feedback on the Phase I report. We also communicated the availability of the Phase II report to these same participants after the June 16, 2008 CSC meeting and invited feedback as well as providing an invitation to the meeting held on July 8, 2008 for feedback purposes. We met with ten grant recipients to understand services provided in greater detail and apprised them of staff recommendations contained in Report CSD-08-070. Report CSD-08-070 also contained grants processes for 2009 that included a communications plan that would be rolled out in fall 2008. We communicated the Tier 1 requirements for 2009 to all Tier 1 organizations by email and communicated Tier 2 requirements, processes and timelines to all Tier 1 Report No. CSD-08-087 Page 3 organizations, previous recipients of general provision grants and all organizations indicating an interest in grants with contact information maintained by staff. An information session was held in October for all interested groups. Feedback regarding the new Community Grants framework was very favourable. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no financial implications directly related to this report. It should be noted that the overall budget allocation for 2009 has been set based on the criteria outlined in the attached policy. As a result, 2009 Tier 2 funding allocation is $100,000. Since the grant approval process has been separated from the budget process, any grant approvals in excess of the funding allocation will result in an overexpenditure of the budget. CONCLUSION: Community Grants are one important way that the City uses to invest in our community. This Community Investment Policy outlines the purpose, criteria and process for providing Community Grants in support of important services for the residents of Kitchener. 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There is a framework of fourteen (14) different investment sources, each with its own governing policy and accountability structure. The objectives of the Community Investment Framework are to: • Rationalize the many ways the community accesses funds from the City • Make transparent the mechanisms available • Align with Council priorities funds for different purposes • Hold the program funding owner accountable for the use and impact of the funds • Enable Council to weigh the competing priorities for scarce pool of community grants • Champion City's strategic direction for efficient and effective government 2.0 Community Grants Rationale for Community Grants A healthy and vibrant City embraces and nurtures its not for profit organizations and community groups. It views them as partners in the quest to serve residents. It realizes how important is the grassroots desire for people to feel that they belong; to be engaged with others in accomplishing meaningful activity. And, it knows the relationships between engagement, relationships and healthy, safe communities. These organizations and groups exist to do important work with no motive of financial gain. They come into existence because volunteers see a need and rally support from the community to create and deliver new programs, services and facilities. They are a channel for the human desire to help one another, to give back to a community that has enabled healthy, high quality living. The City of Kitchener recognizes the fundamental importance of working side by side with these groups and organizations, continually reaffirming the appropriate roles for all parties. Sometimes the municipality is best able to marshal and deliver community wide services. In other circumstances community groups and organizations are much closer to understanding the evolving needs and interests of residents, and hence better able to provide services specifically tailored to those needs. As well, they can innovate because they can take risks not appropriate for a municipality. Engaging residents as volunteers involves them more directly with their community and enables them to contribute to community building. In the end, not only is a greater range of services made available to residents than the municipality could provide on its own, but individual citizens are provided with opportunities to become involved, contribute, be better connected to their neighbourhood and in their own way help to shape the community for future generations. Community Investment Policy Page 3 Three Types of Community Grants Tier 1, called foundational or core services, comprise services that are considered by the community to be essential to a healthy and vibrant community and are provided by longstanding, credible organizations. Support will be confirmed in a multi-year operating agreement. These have traditionally been known as annual grants. Tier 2 services are projects or programs selected for support based on Council strategic priorities through an annual peer review process. These have traditionally been known as general provision grants. Tier 3 services are innovative projects requiring seed funding. These will be collaborative projects funded with other funders in the community based on collective priorities and a need for innovative approaches. Funding Formulae for Community Grants The funding pool for community grants (all Tiers) for 2010 and subsequent years will be increased, subject to annual budget deliberations, by the following factors: increased cost measured by Bank of Canada inflation target, plus population growth measured by assessment base growth, plus community complexity factor of approximately 1 2.1 Tier 1 Purpose, Criteria and Process Purpose Community Grants Tier 1 are intended to provide operating support for organizations/groups providing services essential to a healthy and vibrant community. Only organizations/groups providing municipal services in the areas of arts and culture/special events, sports and recreation, and community support and development and funded by the City for at least 5 years through Community Grants will be considered for funding. Criteria Tier 1 services must meet the following criteria: 1. Must demonstrably meet Council's strategic objectives as documented in the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan and other policy documents: quality of life, diversity, community engagement, development, dynamic downtown Grant requests for Council's `environment' strategic objective are to be handled through environmental grant programs processed by the Development & Technical Services Department) 2. Must be the responsibility of the City of Kitchener, i.e. not be the responsibility of other levels of government; services such as health care, social services, training and education are not eligible 3. Must not be precluded under the Municipal Act, e.g. religious services 4. Are not already being provided by the City of Kitchener or by other groups funded by the City of Kitchener 5. Are services provided directly to the citizens of Kitchener (e.g. services provided to raise funds will not be supported) Community Investment Policy Page 4 Organizations/groups receiving Tier 2 funding who wish to be considered for Tier 1 funding must meet the following criteria: 1. Must be incorporated as a not for profit corporation; for profit corporations and individuals are not eligible 2. Must have received continuous support by the City of Kitchener for five (5) years or more (providing other Tier 1 services or Tier 2 programs/projects) Process Staff will work with Tier 1 organizations to develop multi-year agreements (between one (1) and five (5) years depending on the needs of the community, the nature of the services and the stage of development of the organization). These agreements will outline the responsibilities of the service organization and the City of Kitchener and will be approved by Council. 2.2 Tier 2 Purpose, Criteria and Process Purpose Community Grants Tier 2 are intended to provide assistance to organizations/groups that provide services within the City of Kitchener for the common good of residents. Only organizations/groups providing municipal services in the areas of arts and culture/special events, sports and recreation, and community support and development will be considered for funding. The intent is to target a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 40% of the total funds available for each of these three sectors. The purpose of Tier 2 grants is to provide funding for: ^ operating support ^ project support ^ special event support ^ equipment purchase, repair or maintenance support ^ capacity building and/or transition support (for groups/organizations currently receiving Tier 1 funding only) Criteria Tier 2 services must meet the following criteria: 1. Services provided by the organization/group for which funding is requested must demonstrably meet Council's strategic objectives as documented in the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan and other policy documents: quality of life, diversity, community engagement, development, dynamic downtown (Grant requests for Council's `environment' strategic objective are to be handled through environmental grant programs processed by the Development & Technical Services Department) 2. Services provided by the organization/group for which funding is requested must be considered a municipal responsibility and not be the responsibility of other levels of government; services such as health care, social services, training and education are not eligible 3. Services provided by the organization/group for which funding is requested must not be precluded under the Municipal Act, e.g. religious services Community Investment Policy Page 5 4. Services provided by the organization/group for which funding is requested must not already be provided by the City or by other groups funded by the City of Kitchener; requests from organizations/groups that provide similar services as provided by the municipality must be assessed as to whether there is a duplication of services; the municipality will not issue grants for services that conflict with or are in direct competition with programs operated internally 5. Services provided by the organization/group for which funding is requested must be provided directly to the citizens of Kitchener, i.e. grants are for direct programs only; grant applications from organizations that themselves distribute grants to other organizations will not be considered 6. Grant applications submitted by individuals or `part groups' of an organization/group will not be considered 7. Volunteer organizations/groups planning an event to raise funds to support an organization/group that is receiving a City of Kitchener grant will be not considered for Tier 2 funding 8. Organizations/groups applying for funding who offer services to residents outside of the City of Kitchener must also approach all other relevant municipalities for funding 9. Organizations/groups wishing to be considered for community grants Tier 2 do not need to be incorporated as not for profit corporations; however, budgets and subsequent accounting must not show an excess of revenue over expenses; applicants must demonstrate the capability to manage and govern the program or project, usually evidenced by the existence of an executive committee or coordinating board 10.Organizations/groups are encouraged to ensure as much inclusive public participation and access as possible, e.g. minimum charge or no admission charge whenever possible 11. Any organization/group applying for funds will give regard to the inclusion and accommodation of persons with a disability Process Organizations/groups applying for funding to the City of Kitchener for the first time or those who have received Tier 2 grants (formerly known as general provision grants) in previous years are eligible to apply for: ^ operating support ^ project support ^ special event support ^ equipment purchase, repair or maintenance support Organizations/groups currently receiving Tier 1 (foundational) funding are eligible to apply for the above noted support as well as for: ^ capacity building and/or transition support Community Investment Policy Page 6 A Peer and Staff Review Committee will review applications as per a variety of assessment areas such as community need, organizational need and capacity, partnership support and financial analysis. The Peer and Staff Review Committee will allocate resources within budget availability and make recommendations to Council. Applicants are welcome to request feedback/debriefing from staff regarding the Peer and Staff Review Committee's grant recommendations prior to the Community Services Committee meeting when grants will be considered. 2.3 Tier 3 Purpose, Criteria and Process Purpose Known as the "Community Services Innovation Investment Fund", Tier 3 programs and projects will be sponsored by the City of Kitchener in partnership with other community funders. Criteria Tier 3 services: ^ Respond to a recognized and identified new or emerging need ^ Provide anew/innovative service to the community ^ May support users and/or potential benefits accruing to residents in neighbouring municipalities as well as in the City of Kitchener Process Council will approve a budget for Tier 3 grants annually during the budgeting cycle. As a result of periodic meetings among funders in the community (e.g. United Ways, Community Foundations, private foundations, other municipalities and other levels of government), staff will investigate opportunities to collaborate on innovative projects with other funders and will provide recommendations to Council for support.