Agenda Item A.6
CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Jaime A. Valdez, Neighborhood Services Director
CONTACT: Melissa Cure, Management Analyst (Acting)
SUBJECT: Initiation of 2024-2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Goleta City Grant Programs
RECOMMENDATION:
A. Initiate the 2024 -2025 application cycle for both the CDBG and Goleta City Grant Programs; and
B. Approve the Grading Rubric for the Goleta City Grant Program Guidelines.
BACKGROUND:
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is administered by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Consistent with program regulations, each ye ar the City Council allocates 15 percent of its CDBG funding on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations that provide services to low-income residents and those experiencing homelessness in Goleta. In the current 2023 -24 program year, the City of Goleta allocated $41,407 (15%) of its total CDBG grant award to subrecipient nonprofit organizations. In addition to CDBG funds, the City Council allocates $250,000 annually from the General Fund to the Goleta City Grant Program. The Goleta City Grant Program awards funding on a competitive basis to nonprofits providing public services, special events, edu cational programs, recreational activities, and cultural activities benefiting the residents of Goleta.
Starting in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 -15, City Council approved combining the CDBG Program and Goleta City Grant Program application cycles. This combined grant process utilizes a single application for both programs and has been successfully implemented each year. Due to the prescribed timelines of the federal CDBG Program, staff is asking to initiate the combined grant application cycle for the upcoming 2024 -25 grant program year to begin on December 15, 2023.
Beginning with the most recent grant cycle in FY 2023-24, the City began to pursue a more decentralized grant review process. City Grant applications were reviewed by the
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
Grant Funding Review Standing Committee, the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee, and the Parks and Recreation Commission. For FY 2024-25, the newly created Human Services Standing Committee (Human Services Committee) and the Economic Development and Revitalization Committee will also be reviewing City Grant applications. The Grant Funding Review Standing Committee will be abolished . The change to the review assignments is reflected in the chart below:
Grant Category 2023
Committees
Grants
Amount
2024
Committees
Educational Programs Grants $25,000 Human Svc
Community Engagement Grants $25,000 Econ Dev
The Arts Grants $25,000 Econ Dev
Services for Seniors Grants $25,000 Human Svc
Food/Nutrition Grants $25,000 Human Svc
Youth Services Grants $25,000 Human Svc
Homeless Services/ Homelessness $25,000 Homelessness
Recreational Activities Parks & Rec $25,000 Parks & Rec Environmental/Wildlife/Animal
Programs
Parks & Rec $25,000 Parks & Rec
Miscellaneous Grants $25,000 Council
Total $250,000
CDBG applications which had previously been reviewed by the Grant Funding Review Standing Committee, will now be reviewed by the Human Services Committee, consistent with the focus on benefiting low- and moderate- income populations.
At its July 18, 2023, meeting, Council approved staff’s recommendation to hold a CDBG/City Grant Application workshop in January during the application period. This workshop will take place on January 9, 2024, and will allow applicants to ask questions and seek guidance on th eir applications. Staff will also be available to assist applicants throughout the NOFA period.
DISCUSSION:
Grading Rubric
At their August 7, 2023, meeting, the Grant Funding Review Standing Committee recommended a grading rubric for the Goleta City Grant Program Guidelines, which would be utilized by all review groups. Staff recommends that Council adopt the proposed grading rubric as shown below:
“Applications will be reviewed, and funding determined based on the below criteria:
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
To what extent does the organization’s mission or the project/program/service meet a Strategic Plan or General Plan goal? 10 points
To what extent will the grant funds be utilized for the benefit of the residents of the City of Goleta and will the program or project clearly be able to demonstrate that the services provided are of benefit to Goleta residents? Is the applicant located in Santa Barbara County? (e.g., consider how many Goleta residents will be served by the applicant) 20 points Is the amount of funding requested appropriate/reasonable for the project/program/service? 10 points
To what extent does the project/program/service satisfy an unmet or under- met need in the community? 20 points
To what extent does the applicant or organization appear to be staffed and equipped to effectively carry out the project/program/service? 10 points Will the applicant’s program/project/event provide a service that the City does not or cannot provide? 20 points
To what extent does the project or program further or advance the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals? Is it committed to ensuring equity, inclusion, and access for all participants? 10 points”
Application Cycle
Staff proposes that the CDBG and Goleta City Grant Program application cycle be initiated effective December 15, 2023, with an application deadline of January 2 6, 2024.
The City will advertise this funding opportunity through the release of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for both programs. The NOFA will be placed in both the Santa Barbara Independent and El Latino and promoted on the City's website. It will also be physically posted on the City’s public notice board in front of the entrance to City Hall and made available at the City Hall reception area. In addition, the NOFA will be emailed directly to prior grant applicants and recipients, as well as newly interested organizations that have requested to be added to the City’s grant outreach list.
Following the application cycle, the CDBG-eligible applications will be reviewed by the Human Services Committee. After their recommendations on CDBG applications are made, the remaining CDBG -eligible applications and the City Grant applications will be disbursed by staff among the designated Committees and Commission (as reflected in the table above).
Funding recommendations will be deliberated and made by the Committee s and Commission in February/March of 202 4, with approval by the full City Council i n early May 2024 (tentative dates listed in the table below).
Continuing the updates to the grant application process begun in 2018, the City will once again use the ZoomGrants online grant application program. Below is a general timeline summarizing the upcoming 2024-25 grant year cycle.
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
Activity/ Action Item Timeline/ Dates
City Council Initiates Grant Application Cycle for FY 2024-25 December 5, 2023 NOFA Release for 2024-25 Published in the weekly
Independent newspaper
December 14, 2023
NOFA Release for 2024-25 Published in the bi-weekly El
Latino newspaper
December 14, 2023
Application Cycle Opens for 2024-25 CDBG and Goleta City Grant Programs
December 15, 2023
Informational Grant Applicant Workshop January 9, 2024
Application Submission Deadline January 26, 2024
Committee and Commission meetings to review applications and recommend funding awards
February and March,
2024
Public Hearing on Needs, Goals, and Funding Priorities for the 2024-25 CDBG Action Plan and City Council consideration of the Human Services Committee’s funding recommendations
March 19, 2024
30-day public review period of draft 2024-25 CDBG
Action Plan
March 21, 2024 – April
19, 2024
City Council approval of 2024-25 CDBG Action Plan May 7, 2024 2024-25 CDBG Action Plan due to HUD May 15, 2024
GOLETA STRATEGIC PLAN:
City-Wide Strategy: 2.1 - Provide community development for neighborhoods and social welfare assistance for disadvantaged and/or marginalized groups.
City-Wide Strategy: 2.2 - Support programs that enhance quality of life in the Goleta community such as recreation, public safety, human services, and cultural arts.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The City utilizes ZoomGrants as its online grant program operator. There are sufficient funds to continue that partnership.
The City Grants contribution amount from the General Fund has been set at a fixed amount of $250,000 for FY 2024-25 out of the General Fund (101-10-1100-54012). Grant awards for the CDBG Program are paid out of CDBG (4 02-60-6300-54011). The City’s CDBG allocation from HUD for FY 2023-24 was $276,047. This translates to $41,407 for CDBG public service grants (15%). Staff estimates there will be a similar CDBG allocation amount for FY 2024-25.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may choose to change the dates of the NOFA application period, including the duration and deadline. However, staff recommends proceeding with the grant cycle schedule as proposed in order to ensure that funding recommendations for the CDBG program in particular get adopted in time for inclusion in the 2024 - 2025 Action Plan due to HUD by May 15, 2024.
Meeting Date: December 5, 2023
Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Robert Nisbet
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager