CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting: September 20, 2022
Subject
Update on the Status of the Research from the City Council Subcommittee Meetings for the Cupertino Community Funding Grant Program Recommended Action
Receive an update on the status of the research from the City Council subcommittee meetings for the Cupertino Community Funding Grant Program and provide direction on next steps.
Discussion
Background
Through the Community Funding Grant Program, the City of Cupertino has been awarding funding to local non-profit organizations in the areas of social services, fine arts and other programs for the general public since 2013. Historically, City Council determined the organizations to be awarded funds through the Community Funding Grant Program. On June 5, 2018, City Council directed City staff to update the policy and process in which community funding updates were shared with the Parks and Recreation Commission first before presenting recommendations from the commission to City Council.
The current Community Funding Grant Program process consists of a January to February application period. City staff then review the received applications for completeness and compliance eligibility. The applications are presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission in March and April, where commissioners can evaluate and discuss the applications, and make a recommendation to the City Council. City Council will consider the Community Funding Grant requests at their Budget Study Session in May and make the final decision on grant amounts for each applicant as part of the budget adoption which typically happens in June. After the final budget is adopted, City Staff coordinates funding agreements with the awarded organizations. On July 15 of the following year, grant recipients submit a written report to the Parks and Recreation Department to show proof grant funds have been spent in the manner and for the purposes stated on the application.
The Community Funding Grant Policy (Attachment A) established a range of $70,000 to $90,000 in total available funding per year with awards not exceeding $20,000 per applicant, per year. For Fiscal Year 2022-2023, $69,461 was approved for the Community Funding Grant Program. Below is a breakdown of the City’s previously awarded funds through the Community Funding Grant Program:
FY 2017-2018: $52,400
FY 2018-2019: $52,400
FY 2019-2020: $109,800
FY 2020-2021: $110,000
FY 2021-2022: $115,900
FY 2022-2023: $69,461
At the June 4, 2021, City Council Special Meeting, Council voted to form a Council Subcommittee comprised of Vice Mayor Chao and Councilmember Moore to review the Community Funding Grant Program evaluation process and procedures for the upcoming funding cycle in the next calendar year. On March 9, 2022, City Staff met with the Council Subcommittee and was given guidance to research specific items and bring an update to City Council (Attachment B). Staff has prepared a historical funding report on the allocation of program funds during FY 2018-2023 (Attachment C & D), compiled a comparative analysis of other community funding programs within Santa Clara County (Attachment E), reviewed the General Plan Guiding Principles for additional eligibility criteria (Attachment F), categorized the most recent awarded recipients (Attachment G), and provided clarification on additional eligibility and evaluation criteria during the Community Funding Grant process.
To receive funding through the Community Funding Grant process, applicants need to meet the following eligibility criteria from the Policy:
Be made or sponsored by a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization with experienced members capable of implementing and managing the program/project/event.
Identify how the funds will be used to benefit the Cupertino community.
Be awarded only once per project.
For specific needs, not ongoing, operational costs.
Have more than 75% of the requested funds allocated for direct service costs versus administrative costs.
Be complete and submitted by the application deadline.
An option for eligibility criteria may be to require applicants to submit programs/projects/events that coincide with at least one of the General Plan Guiding Principles. It may also make the policy clearer to omit the most confusing eligibility criteria: Be awarded once per project.
Moving forward upon City Council direction, City Staff will update the Community Funding Grant Policy in addition to eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, and the City webpage.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
Fiscal Impact
If City Council approves to continue allocating funding to the Cupertino Community Funding Grant Program, this will be included in the annual budget for FY 2023-24. ________________________________________________________ Prepared by: Jacinta Liang, Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Rachelle Sander, Acting Director of Parks and Recreation Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Attachments:
A – Community Funding Grant Policy
B – Questions from Community Grant Subcommittee
C – Historical Funding Report (FY2018-2023)
D – Funding and Services Organizations Received (FY2018-2023) E – Comparative Analysis – Santa Clara County Community Grant Programs F – General Plan Guiding Principles
G – Community Funding Recipients by Proposed Categories (FY2021-2023)