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Staff Report
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Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: November 28, 2022 Report Number: CSD-015-22
Submitted By: George Acorn, Director of Community Services
Reviewed By:
File Number:
Mary -Anne Dempster, CAO Resolution#: GG-262-22
By-law Number:
Report Subject: Community Funding Program Deadline Update
Recommendations:
1. That Report CSD-015-22 and any related delegations or communication items, be
received;
2. That the proposed amendment to the Community Funding Program Framework, as
outlined in Attachment 1 to CSD-015-22 be approved; and
3. That all interested parties listed in Report CSD-015-22 and any delegations be
advised of Council's decision.
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-015-22
Report Overview
Page 2
The Community Funding Program provides opportunities to Clarington's not -for -profit and
volunteer -based organizations to grow and make a difference in our community. Our three -
streamed approach provides options for start-up funding, growth, and in -kind contributions,
providing annual grants of up to $5,000.
The current Program Framework was approved by Council in October 2020. Administered
through Community Development, eligible organizations are encouraged to submit
applications that align with the outlined community priorities. The intake period for annual
applications has been December 1 to 31, with submissions considered in January by a
review panel.
Feedback from applicants has made it evident the deadline of December 31 is not
accommodating. Extending the intake into January will allow organizations to properly
prepare applications and required documentation, while not impeding municipal
administrative processes and approvals.
As the interest in the funding program continues to increase, it is recommended to amend
the annual deadline for application as noted in Report CSD-009-20, from December 31 to on
or before the deadline established annually by the Director of Community Services.
1. Background
1.1 The Community Funding Program, administrated through the Community Development
team, provides financial assistance to volunteer organizations and not -for -profits that
provide a variety of services and programs for our residents.
1.2 Community Development staff work alongside applicants to submit applications for
funding that align with the three -streamed approach. They also must identify outlined
community priorities which include building strong community connections, contributions
to an environmentally sustainable community, creating an accessible community,
celebrating diversity and showcase innovative project ideas.
1.3 In 2022, the Community Funding Program funding review committee approved 13
organizations with over $45,000 of financial support distributed.
2. Proposed Changes to Application Timelines
2.1 Promotion and education of the Community Funding Program begins in November.
Community Development staff reach out to local organizations, host information
workshops (virtual and in -person) and assist in the application process. The portal for
applications opens on December 1 and has previously closed on December 31.
Feedback from the applicants in 2022 urged staff to review and consider extending the
deadline, citing a short turnaround for gathering information, and scheduling conflicts to
commit volunteers to work on the grant process during that time.
Municipality of Clarington
Report CSD-015-22
Page 3
2.2 Informal reviews of the deadline process from the applicants made evident that an
extended deadline of up to two weeks would provide the adequate time to
accommodate the details required, acknowledging that many of the applicant contacts
are volunteers, or working with a board or committee.
2.3 To reflect this, staff would suggest that Council amend the framework guidelines as
follows:
Application Process and Procedure #1 be amended to change "on or before
11:59pm on December 31" to be "on or before the deadline established annually by
the Director of Community Services"
2.4 Extending the timeframe of the open application process into January, would have little
to no impact on the review committee and budget process. The Community
Development team would utilize this time to support applicants and may result in
additional applications.
3. Financial Considerations
3.1 There are no financial implications for the extension to the application deadline.
4. Concurrence
4.1 This report has been reviewed by the Deputy CAO/Treasurer who concurs with the
recommendations.
5. Conclusion
5.1 It is respectfully recommended that the proposed changes to the Program be approved.
As part of our continuous improvement process, staff will review the Program and make
framework changes as needed. Should the Program require changes to the overall
objectives and/or funding allocations, a report will be provided to Council with specific
recommendations.
Staff Contact: Laura Knox, Community Development Supervisor, 905-623-3379 ext. 2564 or
Iknox@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 — Clarington Community Funding Program Framework — 2022 Update
Interested Parties:
List of Interested Parties available from Department.
Clarftwn
Attachment 1 to CSD-015-22
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 and others. If interested in learning more please connect with our team at
communitydevelopment(o)_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.
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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;
• 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. Clarington 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 Deputy CAO/Treasurer will make
recommendations on funding to the (CAO or Council pending ratification of the report)
for approval.
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The municipal review panel is comprised of:
• Director of Community Services, or their designate
• Deputy CAO/Treasurer, or their designate
• Director of Public Works, or their designate
• Community Development Staff
• Community Representative(s) to a maximum of 3
Application Process and Procedure
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 open December 1 and close on
or before the deadline established annually by the Director of Community Services.
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
communitydevelopment(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 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 the deadline
established annually by the Director of Community Services. 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.
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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
fund inaaclarinaton.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.
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.
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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?
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?
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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.
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