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Staff Report
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Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: October 19, 2020 Report Number: CSD-009-20
Submitted By: George Acorn, Director of Community Services
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#: GG-362-20, C-436-20
File Number: By-law Number:
Report Subject: Community Funding Program
Recommendations:
1. That Report CSD-009-20 be received;
2. That the Community Funding Program, as outlined in Attachment 1 to this Report,
be approved;
3. That Council direct staff to review applications and recommend funding to either:
a. The CAO for approval following the recommendations made by the Funding
Review Committee; or
b. To Mayor and Council for approval following the recommendations made by
the Funding Review Committee
4. That staff report annually to Council with the details on the funding provided to the
community agencies; and
5. That all interested parties listed in Report CSD-009-20 and any delegations be
advised of Council's decision.
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-009-20
Report Overview
Page 2
In Fall 2019, Council directed staff to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing
Community Grant and Community Event Sponsorship funding programs and report back in
the Fall of 2020 with a program for implementation in 2021. Many challenges have been
recognized in the existing programs, including a lack of clear priorities and purpose, an
objective evaluation criteria, maximum funding thresholds, accountability, the opportunity to
provide feedback to our applicants and for our applicants to provide feedback to the
Municipality.
The proposed program provides an updated, transparent and objective process to review
applications and to make funding recommendations. The goal of the new program is to
ensure municipal funds are disbursed in meaningful, equitable and measurable ways that
achieve maximum impact for the community and provide value for the investment provided.
To achieve this, it is proposed that a Funding Review Committee be created and directed to
review all eligible applications and make appropriate funding recommendations.
By consolidating the two existing funding programs and revising the application intake
period, the new Program will better align with the annual Municipal budget timelines. We
recognize the unique relationship the Municipality has with the various arena and hall
operating boards, and are recommending any annual requests they have made to our grant
and event programs, be submitted and considered during the annual operating budget
deliberations by Council.
As the Municipality continues to grow, we are also recommending incremental increases to
the annual allocation for the Community Funding Program starting in 2022. Currently a total
of $95,000 is budgeted and staff will be requesting a target of $1.00 per capita by 2023.
1. Background
Current Programs
1.1 Currently, the Municipality of Clarington provides financial assistance to community
agencies and volunteer organizations that provide a variety of services, events and
programs to Clarington residents. The Community Grant Program offers support for
applicants to cover the operational expenses of their organization such as program
supplies, staff wages, office equipment and utilities. It also offers support for some
minor capital expenses such as building repairs or equipment purchases. The
Community Event Sponsorship Program offers support for organizations to host events
that bring the community together for purposes such as fundraising, awareness raising
or community building.
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Report CSD-009-20
1.2 The current programs have been in place for many years with minimal updates. There
are challenges associated with the current programs that have been expressed by both
Council and those organizations submitting applications. These include a lack of clear
funding priorities, evaluation criteria and the requirement for follow up and
accountability. This concern became evident during the most recent funding
deliberations as COVID-19 created much uncertainty as to whether funds would actually
be used and if so, as originally intended. As well, our current process does not allow for
feedback to applicants that is valuable in building capacity in our volunteer community.
1.3 At the General Government Committee meeting of May 6, 2019, Council approved
Resolution #GG-293-19:
That Staff report on a review of the Community Grant process to include, but not be
limited to, the following:
a) That, once a Community Grant applicant has received $10,000 in aggregate
over a number of years, any future applications be required to provide a
balance sheet, regardless of the amount applied for;
b) Whether Hall Boards should be removed from the Community Grant process
and considered in the Budget process; and
c) Consideration of applicants with large surpluses.
1.4 Subsequently, on November 25, 2019, Council directed staff through Resolution #GG-
540-19 to conduct a comprehensive review of the two programs (Community Grant and
Community Event Sponsorship) and report back during Fall 2020 for a 2021
implementation.
1.5 This report and its associated recommendations have been prepared to address these
challenges as identified by Council. It will propose a novel program that also addresses
concerns recognized by staff through research and consultation with the community.
2. Research and Development of New Program
Project Management Approach
2.1 Staff developed a project charter to help provide focus and guide the direction of this
review. The objectives of the project were to:
• Clarify and update the intent of the Community Grant and Community Event
Sponsorship Programs by developing a novel program;
• Address concerns with the current funding program;
Municipality of Clarington Page 4
Report CSD-009-20
• Improve community capacity building;
• Improve customer service — e-submission, tracking and notifications; and
• Improve efficiency — enable electronic workflows and data management
2.2 Staff took the opportunity to consult with representatives from various community
organizations and Hall Boards who had applied through current Community Grant
and/or Community Event Sponsorship Programs about their experience with the
programs and process. Some of the highlights of these conversations were:
• Develop and relate funding priorities to the goals of the community;
Develop an open and transparent scoring system to evaluate the applications;
and
• The financial information as currently required can be daunting and difficult to
interpret and submit for some applicants, the requirement for accountability was
supported by those interviewed
2.3 Certain teams of staff who have direct or indirect involvement with the current
Community Grant and Community Event Sponsorship Programs were also consulted for
their input to this review. Through these conversations with staff, the common themes
that emerged were:
• Support projects that have greater community impact;
• Define funding priorities and project evaluation criteria; and
• Accountability on behalf of the applicants by way of submitting a follow up report
2.4 Mayor Foster and Members of Council were invited to participate in interviews with staff
to share their thoughts on the challenges and successes of the current programs and to
provide input to the development of this new program. From these interviews the
following suggestions were made:
Applicants in a healthy financial position should not be eligible for funding; rather
groups with a demonstrated financial need should be prioritized;
To encourage sustainability and build capacity in community organizations, some
limits to the amount of times a group can apply for funding should be considered;
and
Supporting merit -based projects was also identified as an important
consideration
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-009-20
Research and Benchmarking of other Municipalities
Page 5
2.5 There are various models of community funding programs across municipalities in
Ontario and beyond. To compile best practices, staff did a scan of funding programs in
similar sized Ontario municipalities to compile best practices and identify opportunities
to address the challenges outlined above.
2.6 Staff considered funding programs in the other four lakeshore municipalities in Durham
Region as well as Peterborough, Guelph, St. Catharines, Kingston, Waterloo, Port Hope
and the Town of Lincoln.
2.7 Some common themes that emerged through the research included:
• Use of a scoring system to evaluate and rank applications;
• Connection of funding priorities to community priorities; and
• Approval process completed through a staff team, and in some instances adding
community involvement to the process
Development of New Program
2.8 When developing the new program, staff considered information gained through
interviews with applicants, staff and Council as well as best practices learned through
research. The result is an updated, transparent and objective process to review and
allocate money that ensures municipal funds are disbursed in a meaningful, equitable
and measurable way that achieves maximum impact for the community and investment
provided.
2.9 The Community Funding Program (Attachment 1) details the purpose, eligibility criteria,
administration and approval process, application procedure follow up reporting and
scoring criteria.
2.10 To build capacity in our community, the application process should be as much a
learning experience for the applicant as well as an opportunity to secure much needed
funds for their organization. By incorporating an objective scoring system that is
capable of highlighting strengths and weaknesses of a project, feedback on how to
improve an application can be shared with the applicant. This feedback will be provided
by our Community Development Team, and will be beneficial to applicants in the
future.
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-009-20
Page 6
2.11 Funding streams have also been developed to prioritize applications based on need and
further create sustainability in our non-profit community:
Start -Up: Provides one-time start-up funding related to the development of a
new group, initiative or event
Growth: Provides funding related to organizations and/or event organizers who
make a commitment to sustainable expansion or growth
In -Kind: Refers to and highlights services currently offered by municipal staff to
support our non-profit community such as consultation, cross -promotion of
services or events and more
2.12 To continue to foster the sustainability of a community organization, the following
requirements have been included:
Organizations must:
• Have less than two years' equivalent operating budget in unreserved cash
demonstrated through a submitted annual financial statement;
• Operate without a deficit for more than two years in a row;
• Not receive funding through the municipal budget process; and
• Not be a beneficiary of a fundraising event hosted by the Municipality of
Clarington (i.e. Mayor's Golf Classic, For the Love of Art Gala) in the same
calendar year of the funding request.
In addition:
• A three-year waiting period is initiated once an organization receives $20,000 in
aggregate funding through this new program
Note: The $20,000 in aggregate has been assessed based on an applicant receiving
the maximum award of $5,000 per year over four years before entering the required
waiting period.
2.13 To support projects that have greater community impact, the following community
priorities were identified:
Connected: Building strong social connections, an active community
encouraging social and civic engagement;
• Environment: Making contributions to an environmentally sustainable
community;
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Report CSD-009-20
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• Inclusive: Creating an accessible community where people feel welcome and
they belong; celebrating diversity; and
• Innovation: Support and showcase unique project ideas; previously untested or
pilot projects; research a new concept
2.14 To further support an objective process, a funding review panel comprised of municipal
staff and selected community representatives is recommended in the new program.
Community representatives will be selected by staff to represent the broader community
and will be chosen from established community organizations and / or former
applicants. Involving the community in the review of funding requests ensures
allocations through the funding program meet new and emerging issues and trends.
2.15 While Council will retain approval of the program policy and monies allocated to the
funding program, Community Services staff will be responsible to coordinate the review
of all program submissions by the Funding Review Committee and the Director of
Community Services and the Director of Finance will make final funding
recommendations to the CAO or Council, pending resolution, for final approval. It is
proprosed that the Funding Review Committee will be comprised of:
• Director of Community Services
• Director of Finance
• Director of Public Works, or their designate
• Community Development staff
• Community Representative(s) to a maximum of 3
2.16 Should Council choose to retain the responsibility of reviewing all eligible submissions,
staff will complete the review and scoring as outlined in the Program and will prepare a
report with recommendations for funding for Council's approval. Ideally the timing of this
annual report will be the first General Government Committee meeting after ratification
of the annual budget.
2.17 To encourage accountability, applicants will be required to submit a follow up report that
outlines how the funds were spent and the impact achieved in the community. This
report must be submitted by December 15 of the same year for which the funding was
awarded. Failure to complete and submit the follow-up report will disqualify an applicant
from future funding until such a time that the Municipality is satisfied that the report has
been submitted in full. The follow-up report template will collect valuable information
that will be collected through this addition and provide a means to evaluate the impact of
the program on the community.
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Report CSD-009-20
2.18 The application process has remained manual with some limited addition of technology
support over the years. As the new program was developed, a new online platform is
being created to support application to the program which will create efficiencies, free
up staff time from the administration of the program and reduce the opportunity for
errors. This technology was approved through the 2020 budget and the online platform
is currently being designed. The platform can be altered and finalized once the program
has been approved.
Proposed Budget Changes for New Program
2.19 The Community Grant Program has been in existence for many years. Staff have
attempted to revisit the timelines and history of the program. In 1995, through Report
CS-09-95, the Municipality of Clarington Grant Policy identified a maximum funding for
that grant program year of $116,100, an amount equal to $2.00 per capita based on a
population of 58,082.
2.20 In reviewing the list of applicants at that time, it is evident that municipal funding for
many of the organizations has transitioned to be included in the External Agencies
annual operating budget process. What remains today in this funding program is
$60,000 for the Grant Program and $35,000 allocated for the Community Event
Sponsorship Program for a total of $95,000.
2.21 As part of the program review, staff were asked to consider whether Hall Boards should
be removed from the Community Grant process and considered in the annual budget
process. As Arena and Hall Boards operate and maintain municipally owned buildings,
it is proposed funding requests, previously considered in the Grant or Event
Sponsorship intakes, now be considered during the operating budget. The Director of
Community Services will work with the Director of Finance to finalize a process and
inform the appropriate groups in advance of the the deadline for submissions. Based on
the funds awarded for 2020, it is estimated this amount will be approximately $20,000.
2.22 As no additional funding is being requested for 2021, any dollars allocated to operating
Boards in the annual budget will need to come from the $95,000 total funding. However,
staff are recommending that the funding program model move towards a $1 per capita
allocation amount. Clarington's Planning Department estimates our current population
is 105,000 which is based off the Region of Durham's Monitoring of Growth Trends
document (April 2020) and is forecasted to reach 112,000 by 2023. Any incremental
funding increases will be identified as part of the 2022 operating budget.
2.23 Finance staff are working on a policy for the provision of loans to not -for -profit
organizations which is consistent with past practice. This will provide guidance for the
factors to consider and the conditions for providing loans to not -for -profit organizations
such as the hall boards.
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-009-20
Page 9
2.24 The Community Funding Program will launch December 1 and the application period
will close December 31. This would be a consistent intake period for applications for
programs, services or events occurring February 1 to January 31 annually. Submissions
will be considered each January with funding decisions to be announced, following
Council ratification of the budget.
3. Concurrence
3.1 This report has been reviewed by the Director of Finance/Treasurer who concurs with
the recommendations.
4. Conclusion
4.1 It is respectfully recommended that the Community Funding Program be approved for
implementation for 2021 and that Council advise staff of the preferred approval process.
Following approval, communication will go out to our community partners advising them
of the new program and new deadline dates.
4.2 Staff are confident the proposed changes to the exisiting grant and event sponsorship
programs have addressed the concerns expressed by Council as well as funding
applicants. By developing funding streams and identifying funding priorities, it is
expected the available dollars will be distributed to the areas where they will have the
most impact in our community.
4.3 In order to keep up with the needs of our growing community, it will be important to plan
incremental increases to the new Community Funding Program for 2022 and beyond in
order to achieve the $1 per capita funding model.
Staff Contact: Lee -Ann Reck, Manager, Client Services, 905-623-3379 ext. 2508 or
Ireck@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 — Clarington Community Funding Program Framework
Interested Parties:
List of Interested Parties available from Department.
Clairbgton
Attachment 1 to CSD-009-20
Municipality of Clarington
Community Funding Program
Purpose
The Clarington Community Funding Program provides financial support to eligible organizations
who contribute towards one or more of the following community priorities:
• Connected: Building strong social connections, an active community encouraging social
and civic engagement
• Environment: Making contributions to an environmentally sustainable community
• Inclusive: Creating an accessible community where people feel welcome and they belong;
celebrating diversity
• Innovation: Support and showcase unique project ideas; previously untested or pilot
projects; research a new concept
Clarington's Community Funding Program accepts applications:
• through one application intake per year;
• up to a maximum of $5,000 per application; and
• an aggregate maximum amount of $20,000 per organization (once maximum reached,
eligible organizations may reapply after a three-year waiting period).
Funds are awarded to organizations and projects that meet the criteria in one of the following
streams:
• Start -Up - Provides one-time start-up funding related to the development of a new
group, initiative or event
For a project or initiative (within the mandate and scope of the applicant) that is new to the
applicant (not previously attempted by the applicant) to try something new or untested. The
outcomes are unknown and aimed at achieving greater impact in our community. The
funding will also be applicable for applicants who have been in operation for less than a year.
Examples:
✓ Provide support or services for an emerging issue
✓ Develop or pilot a new idea
✓ Research a new concept or assess feasibility
• Growth — Provides funding related to organizations and/or event organizers who
make a commitment to sustainable expansion or growth
For a project or initiative that takes an organization or event to another level, increases reach in
the community, increase attendance and/or diversifies the demographics of the
audience/participants. An effort to increase the cultural diversity would also be a focus of this
stream. For applicants who have been in operation for greater than one year.
Examples:
✓ Provide support or services that branches out into a new sector
✓ Make changes to or expand an existing program, service or event
✓ Sustainable increase in the attendance/membership or reach of the organization
In -Kind Support
In -kind services are available to Community Groups through the Community Services
Department and other municipal departments such as consultation (i.e. how to manage a
volunteer board, volunteer recruitment strategies, effective fundraising techniques, grant writing
support), not -for -profit printing, cross -promotion of programs, services or events, meeting space
for Annual General Meetings and others. If interested in learning more please connect with our
team at comm unitydevelopment(a)-clarington.net.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply to the Community Funding Program, applicant organizations and their funding
request will be rated by a Committee comprised of municipal staff and community members (as
required) according to established criteria:
• Applicant is a registered not for profit organization, business improvement area (BIA) or is a
volunteer not for profit organization or group operating under the authority of a board of
directors.
• The organization must have a written constitution and by-laws that establish the framework
that the group will operate within.
• The organization must have an elected Board of Directors of not less than three members
who are democratically elected by the membership.
• The organization must hold an Annual General Meeting.
• The organization must have less than two years' equivalent operating budget in unreserved
cash demonstrated through a submitted annual financial statement.
• Be in good financial standing with the Municipality of Clarington. All outstanding debts to the
Municipality of Clarington must be paid in full at the time of the group's application.
The Community Funding Program will not fund the following:
• General operating expenses that support the day to day operation of an organization (i.e.
utilities, rent, insurance, etc);
• Individuals;
• For profit organizations;
• Political organizations;
• Local Boards and Committees of Council, including Hall Boards (for the purposes of or
whose mandate is to operate and / or maintain municipal property);
• Religious organizations, except where the program or service benefits the broader
community, does not involve religious teachings and is not generating revenue for the
organization;
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• Organizations that receive funding through Clarington's municipal budget process or are the
designated beneficiaries of a fundraising event hosted by the Municipality of Clarington, in
the same year of the funding request (i.e. Mayor's Golf Classic, For the Love of Art);
• Organizations that make donations or charitable contributions;
• Organizations that operate with a deficit for more than two years in a row;
• Programs or organizations that other levels of government have legislated responsibility for
providing funding. This includes "top up" of shortfalls for government mandated programs or
services. Examples include educational programs, public health programs, housing
services, provincially mandated childcare services or social assistance programs and health
care services; and / or
• Organizations whose activities may breach the Ontario Human Rights Code or Charter of
Rights.
Administration and Approval
The Community Funding Program purpose and criteria have been approved by Council;
program funds are allocated by Council during the annual budget process.
The Community Funding Program is administered by the Community Services Department.
Community Development staff will be responsible to coordinate the details of the Program and
conduct a thorough review of the submitted applications for eligibility.
All eligible applications will be reviewed and scored according to established criteria by a panel
of municipal staff and appointed community members (where applicable). The Director of
Community Services and the Director of Finance will make recommendations on funding to the
(CAO or Council pending ratification of the report) for approval.
The municipal review panel is comprised of:
• Director of Community Services
• Director of Finance
• Director of Public Works, or their designate
• Community Development Staff
• Community Representative(s) to a maximum of 3
Application Process and Procedure
1. The Municipality of Clarington will advertise an annual call for funding on the municipal
website www.clarington.net and other relevant media. The funding call will occur once per
year, and the application period will be December 1 to December 31.
2. Organizations are required to read the full Community Funding Program Policy to ensure
their eligibility. Organizations must submit their application to the Community Funding
Program and any supporting documents through the online portal at
www.clarington.net/funding. For assistance with the online portal, contact
funding(a�clarington. net.
3. All organizations must complete the application form in full and all the requested supporting
documentation must be submitted. Incomplete applications may not be considered. The
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Municipality reserves the right to contact any organization for information which requires
clarification.
4. Community Funding Program applications must include signed support by a minimum of two
members of the organization's executive, one of which needs to be the President / Chair or
Vice -President / Vice -Chair of the executive and any other one board member.
5. Applications must be received by the municipality on or before 11:59pm on December 15.
No late applications will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure
that the municipality receives completed applications. An email notice will be sent to the
applicant within 2-3 business days upon submission of the application.
6. Eligible organizations can submit only one application per year to any one of the three
streams.
7. There is a maximum of $5,000 per application. Applicants will be required to submit
financial statements as part of the application process.
8. There is an aggregate funding amount of $20,000 per organization. After this limit is
reached, organizations may reapply after a three-year waiting period.
9. Once all funding decisions are finalized, applicants will receive notification via e-mail of
whether their application was successful.
10. The Community Funding Program does not have an appeals process for unsuccessful
applications, however groups can discuss how to improve future applications with the
Community Development staff by sending an email to funding(a-)_clarington.net.
Reporting Requirements
Successful applicants who receive funding from the program must report on how it was spent,
and the impact achieved. Reports must be submitted to the municipality by December 15 of
the same year for which the funding is awarded.
If the funding recipient fails to fully complete and submit the report to the municipality within the
stated time, that organization will not be eligible for future funding until such a time that the
municipality is satisfied that the report has been submitted in full.
a
Scoring Scheme:
Step 1: Determine Eligibility (Community Development team)
Eligibility (Yes or No — Yes moves on to scoring; No is ineligible and does not move
through process):
• Does the organization or project meet the criteria of one of the three streams:
Start -Up, Growth or In -Kind?
• Is there a direct link with the project and the community priorities of Connected,
Environment, Inclusive and / or Innovation?
• Applicant is a registered not for profit organization or is a volunteer not for profit
organization or group operating under the authority of a board of directors.
• Have a written constitution and by-laws or documented operating procedures that
establish the framework within which the group will operate.
• Have a democratically elected Board of Directors of not less than three
members.
• Hold an Annual General Meeting.
• Have less than two years' equivalent operating budget in unreserved cash.
• Be in good financial standing with the Municipality of Clarington. All outstanding
debts to the Municipality of Clarington must be paid in full at the time of the
group's application.
Step 2: Score application based on criteria (Municipal Review Panel)
The ranking criteria is as follows (each section ranked out of 3 for a total out of 18):
Organization Capacity (10% of final weight)
• Does the organization have stable management and credibility in the kind of work
they are applying for funding for?
• Is the application well organized, logical in progression of ideas and process,
etc.?
• Is the program, service or event as proposed aligned with the mandate of the
organization?
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Project Concept (20% of final weight)
• Does the project seem interesting, innovative, original and not redundant with
other projects?
• Are the proposed methods, approaches, etc. realistic, reasonable, effective, and
outcomes oriented?
• Is the project sustainable?
Program or Service Plan (20% of final weight)
• Is there enough planning and does the timeline make sense?
• Has an intended audience been identified and have the date, time and venue
been set?
• Are the tasks, timelines, and outcomes clear and measurable?
Collaboration (10% of final weight)
• Does the proposal include partnerships & collaborations?
• Are there letters of support and does the proposal show a clear, collaborative
effort?
• Are there in -kind contributions or matches (i.e. funding, staffing, equipment, etc.)
from the organization?
Budget (10% of final weight)
• Is the budget logical and reasonable?
• Is the organization operating at a deficit?
• Can the project be successful if partially funded? Have funds been requested
from other sources?
Clarington Impact (30% of final weight)
• Does the project serve and involve the community? How many Clarington
residents will benefit from it?
• Does it serve a particular segment of the population? Will it benefit an
underserved or marginalized population?
• Does it address a community need?
Funding Award:
Organizations / projects with a score of 80% or higher are awarded funding. Funding
amounts are determined based on the number of eligible requests received to the
program.
it