REPORT TO COMMUNITY EVENT AND NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT DISTRIBUTION SUBCOMMITTEE
SUBJECT
Title
Consideration of FY 2020/21 Grant Program Changes and 2021 Community Events and Neighborhood Grant Program Applications
Report
BACKGROUND
Each year City Council has allocated funding to support community and neighborhood events through the Community Events and Neighborhood Grant Program (CENGP). Community Events received $21,000 and Neighborhood Grants received $13,000 in FY 19/20 and a similar amount is budgeted for FY 20/21.
The Council Community Event and Neighborhood Grant Distribution Subcommittee (Subcommittee) provides the funding recommendations. The Subcommittee consists of three members of the City Council charged with conducting an annual grant review that includes: 1) reviewing the grant application process; 2) recommending changes to City Council for approval; 3) reviewing grant applications; and 4) presenting recommended funding levels to City Council for final approval.
At the July 15, 2020 Subcommittee meeting, the following recommendations were prepared and subsequently approved at the July 28, 2020 City Council meeting, RTC 20-0607:
1. Funding levels for the FY 2020/21 CENGP applicants, which included six Community Events Grants for $25,385 and eight Neighborhood Grants for $8,615 for a total of $34,000.
2. Changing the CENG application timeline from fiscal year to a calendar year.
3. Increasing the funding cap for Neighborhood Grants from $1,000 to $1,500.
The Subcommittee met on October 1, 2020 to review and approve the grant application materials for 2021. Based on feedback provided by the Subcommittee during this meeting, the application was updated to provide more flexibility relative to event alternatives and execution as it relates to COVID-19 protocols. The application period was open between October 5 and November 20, 2020 and we contacted former grantees, local non-profits, neighborhood associations and community partners to notify them of the opportunity.
The purpose of this report is to review modification requests for FY 2020/21 grants that were approved but not spent due to COVID restrictions, review the grant applications received for the 2021 funding cycle and seek direction from the Subcommittee on funding recommendations. The Subcommittee is scheduled to present its recommendations to City Council in January 2021.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 7.2.1, Community Engagement - Goals and Policies
Goal B: Achieve a community in which all community members can be actively involved in shaping the quality of life and participate in local community and government activities.
Goal C: Create a strong, positive community identity, rich in cultural diversity.
Council Policy 7.2.18, Special Events
D. Community Event Program
The City may fund community events through this program.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action considered does not constitute a “project” with the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4) in that is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
DISCUSSION
Status of Current FY 2020/21 Grant Cycle
Currently, we are five months through the FY 2020/21 grant cycle. Recognizing that COVID-19 could potentially impact planned events, staff reached out to all grantees in September 2020 to get an update and provide the following options:
1. Grantees may request, through application, a date change to their grant by providing an alternative date between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. The event would be funded at the originally approved level and be similar in scope and nature.
2. Grantees may request to host an alternative/modified event prior to June 30, 2021 (within the same grant cycle). To be considered for this option, grantees were to send an email outlining the alternative/modified event.
Of the 14 grantees, two completed their events, seven have events scheduled and five were unable to hold their original event. Of the five unable to hold their event, two grantees requested a date change to the calendar year 2021 grant cycle and three grantees requested to modify their events to be held before June 30, 2021 (within the current FY 2020/21 grant cycle). Staff estimates that $28,860 of the allocated $34,000 will be spent in the FY 2020/21 grant cycle. The table below provides an overview of the changes requested by the 5 grantees.
Table 1
|
FY 2020/21 Event |
FY 2020/21 Approved Funding |
|
Grantees Requesting Date Change to Calendar Year 2021 |
|
Sunnyvale Pet Parade - Duo Duo |
$4,500 |
|
Block Party - Valley Forge NA |
$640 |
|
Modification Request |
|
Autumn Moon Festival - Self Help for the Elderly |
$3,500 |
|
Movie Nights - SDA |
$3,000 |
|
National Night Out - SNAIL |
$1,500 |
Description of Changes Identified Above
Duo Duo and Valley Forge requested to move their originally planned events to the 2021 grant cycle. Self Help for the Elderly requested to change their event from an Autumn Moon Festival to a Chinese New Year celebration. Sunnyvale Downtown Association requested that the Movie Nights funding be used towards their Stronger Together campaign, designed to help support the downtown businesses. SNAIL, which has traditionally hosted successful National Night Out events in the past, is requesting to use the funds from their cancelled event to update their Red Bow Campaign that helps reinforce their sense of community. The Red Bow Campaign has previously been funded through the Neighborhood Grant Program. Red bows have been placed on the trees in the neighborhood since 2001. Attachments 1-5 are the applications for the date changes and modification requests.
Staff recommends that the Subcommittee approve the FY 2020/21 grantee modification and date change requests outlined in Table 1 above.
Calendar Year 2021 Grant Application Overview
Fifteen CENGP applications were received (seven CEGP and eight NGP applications) for a combined funding request of $154,910 as follows:
Table 2
|
Community Events Grants |
Event |
Funding Requested |
Rec. Funding |
|
California University Silicon Valley |
My Health Awareness |
$100,000 |
$0 |
|
Duo Duo |
Sunnyvale Pet Parade |
$4,500 |
$4,500 |
|
Sunnyvale Downtown Assoc. |
Holiday Tree Lighting |
$4,500 |
$4,500 |
|
Sunnyvale Downtown Assoc. |
Jazz and Beyond |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
|
Sunnyvale Downtown Assoc. |
Summer Series |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
|
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition |
Bike to Work/Wherever Day |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
|
Women Now |
Dilli Haat |
$20,000 |
$0 |
|
Community Events Total |
$144,000 |
$24,000 |
|
|
|
Neighborhood Grants |
Event/Project |
|
|
|
Charles Street Garden |
Garden Bed Rebuild |
$1,500 |
$1,500 |
|
Cherryhill |
Summer Block Party |
$1,400 |
$1,400 |
|
Cherry Chase |
Various Neighborhood Engagement Events |
$1,500 |
$1,500 |
|
Knitters in Silicon Valley |
Knitting for the Homeless |
$1,500 |
$590 |
|
Lakewood Village |
LVNA Picnic, NNO |
$1,370 |
$1,370 |
|
Sunny Arts |
Neighborhood Block Socials |
$1,500 |
$1,500 |
|
SNAIL |
National Night Out |
$1,500 |
$1,500 |
|
Valley Forge |
Neighborhood Block Party |
$640 |
$640 |
|
Neighborhood Grants Total |
$10,910 |
$10,000 |
|
CENGP TOTAL |
$154,910 |
$34,000 |
Attachments 1, 2, and 6-20 provide a summary of the grants received along with the additional grant applications for each group or organization. For privacy reasons, personal information of individuals submitting applications and project team members on pages one and five of the NGP applications has been redacted.
The Subcommittee’s recommendations for grant distribution is based on the $34,000 allocated for CENGP within the budget operating years FY 2020/21 and FY 2021/22. For the 2021 CENGP cycle, staff recommends approving all grant applications with the funding amounts outlined in Table 2 above. Due to the lack of information provided by two applicants, (California University Silicon Valley and WomenNow) their grant requests were not considered for funding in this grant cycle. WomenNow did not provide detailed information regarding the scope of their event and how they plan to execute a successful event. California University Silicon Valley did not provide a detailed event budget to clearly show how event grant funding would be used.
Additionally, under the neighborhood grants, Knitters in Silicon Valley was recommended for partial funding. As the neighborhood grant guidelines state, preference is given to neighborhood associations, mobile home associations, homeowner associations and neighborhood groups that are either registered or interested in registering to become a neighborhood association. Since Knitters in Silicon Valley is not a formal neighborhood group at this time, staff recommends that they receive reduced funding to initiate their program. Increased funding levels can be evaluated in future grant cycles.
Staff recommendation: Subcommittee recommends Council approve the 2021 CENGP grant applications and funding levels as outlined in Table 2 of this report.
FISCAL IMPACT
Subcommittee recommendations are included in the FY 2020/21 and FY 2021/22 Recommended Budget.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the Subcommittee agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board, on the City’s website, and the availability of the agenda and report in the Office of the City Clerk.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Subcommittee approve the FY 2020/21 grantee modification and date change requests outlined in this report.
2. Subcommittee recommends Council approve the 2021 CENGP grant applications and funding levels as outlined in this report.
3. Take other action as determined by the Subcommittee.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternatives 1 and 2: Approve the FY 2020/21 grantee modification and date change requests and recommend that Council approve the 2021 CENGP grant applications and funding levels as outlined in this report.
Staff
Prepared by: Tracey Gott, Community Services Manager
Reviewed by: Damon Sparacino, Superintendent of Community Services
Reviewed by: Cherise Brandell, Director of Library and Community Services
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. CENG 2021 and FY 20/21 Applications