REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Review and Approve Recommended Changes to the Community Event and Neighborhood Grant Program Eligibility Guidelines
Report
SUMMARY OF SUBCOMMITTEE ACTION
As part of its annual grant award deliberations on June 20, 2017, the City Council approved a recommendation from the Community Event and Neighborhood Grant Distribution Subcommittee (Subcommittee) to review the eligibility guidelines for both the Community Event Grant Program (CEGP) and the Neighborhood Grant Program (NGP). This recommendation was made primarily in response to four questions that had arisen during the Subcommittee's FY 2017/18 grant review process:
1. Is the CEGP provision that requires a 500-person minimum level of attendance
so restrictive that it creates an artificial barrier for potential applicants? (CEGP)
2. Is award eligibility determined by the nature of the applicant organization, by the nature of the proposed project or both? (NGP)
3. Should neighborhood grant proposals that span multiple neighborhoods be eligible for funding? (NGP)
4. Should neighborhood grants that seek to build community by advocating for a policy position be eligible for funding? (NGP)
The Subcommittee was asked to convene a special meeting prior to the end of the calendar year so that the review could take place prior to any changes in the Subcommittee composition that might occur in January. As such, a special meeting of the Subcommittee was held on September 20, 2017. The Report to Subcommittee and draft minutes from that meeting are enclosed as Attachments 1 and 3 respectively.
In order to clarify the issue of program eligibility, staff requested written guidance from the City Attorney. A copy of the memorandum from the Office of the City Attorney (Memorandum) that was provided to the Subcommittee is also enclosed as Attachment 2. The central finding of the City Attorney was that it is within the discretion of the Subcommittee to establish any guidelines they deem appr...
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