October 1, 2024
City Manager's Office
DATE: October 1, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager – Community
Services
Patrick Seals, Administrative Chief
Nicholas Delgado, Associate Management Analyst
Guadalupe Morales, Associate Management Analyst
Kaitlen Burnom, Management Analyst
Subject:
2024 Richmond Fund for Children & Youth Community
Needs Assessment & Fiscal Year 2025-2028 Strategic
Investment Plan
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Richmond Fund for Children and Youth receives 3 percent of the City’s General Fund annually between FY
2024-25 and FY 2027-28. The total 3 percent allocation
for FY 2024-25 is approximately $7.5 million. The
proposed expenditure of $6.4 million, which is 85 percent of the $7.5 million allocation, will be used for grant
awards and is included in the approved fiscal year 2024- 25 budget for the Richmond Department of Children and
Youth. The remaining 15 percent or $1.1 million is to
support City staff costs and annual evaluations
(13371018-400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
November 17, 2020 and December 15, 2020 – City
Council approval of FY 2021-24 Community Needs
Assessment and Strategic Investment Plan
December 19, 2023 – Approval of Contract with Public
Works LLC
AGENDA
REPORT
October 1, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On June 5, 2018, Richmond voters approved Measures
E and K, known as the Richmond Kids First Initiative,
which approved a City of Richmond charter amendment
to create a Department of Children and Youth, require
that a portion of the General Fund be set aside to fund youth programs and services, establish an Oversight
Board, conduct a Community Needs Assessment (CNA),
and develop a three-year Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) which guides a grant-making process.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth
2024 Community Needs Assessment Report and the
Fiscal Year 2025-2028 Strategic Investment Plan – City
Manager’s Office (Patrick Seals 510-307-8016/LaShonda
White 510-620-6828).
DISCUSSION:
On June 5, 2018, Richmond voters approved Measure E and Measure K, known as the Richmond Kids First Initiative, which approved a City of Richmond Charter amendment (Article 15) and authorized the creation of the Richmond Department of Children and Youth (Department) and the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth (Fund) to provide increased and dedicated funding for children, youth, and young adult services. The ballot initiative also authorized the establishment of a 15-member Oversight Board and required that the Department conduct a Community Needs Assessment that would guide the development of a Strategic Investment Plan and the grant cycle of the Fund.
Additional information about the Department can be found at www.richmondyouth.org.
Community Needs Assessment
Department staff initiated a second needs assessment and strategic planning process in 2024 that sought to honor community voice and include a diverse range of youth and adults in order to develop a comprehensive, equitable investment plan that reflects community vision. For creating both the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) and the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), City staff committed to guiding principles rooted in community voices and includes a diverse range of youth and adults to develop a comprehensive, equitable investment plan that reflects community vision.
In 2024, Department staff partnered with Public Works LLC to facilitate a second CNA and develop the 2025-2028 SIP to guide grantmaking. The 2024 CNA revealed that while the needs identified in 2020 remained consistent, several have intensified, particularly in mental health support, educational assistance, access to basic needs, and safe recreational spaces. As one community member noted, “We really like what’s being done for our children and youth, but we just need more of it.”
The CNA report is now complete and is available to view on the Department website (Attachment 1). The CNA process provided an overview of current data and findings
October 1, 2024
related to children, youth, and their families in Richmond. Participants in the CNA process were offered multiple opportunities to weigh in, responding to questions regarding their thinking on where the greatest need was, and what kind of youth-serving programming would be most valuable in each core need.
Strategic Investment Plan: Core Needs, Strategies, and Allocations Article 15, Section 8 of the Charter describes that each SIP shall set forth funding priorities for a three-year period, and that those priorities shall be based on the CNA and input from the community. The Charter also states that the SIP shall set forth a plan for overseeing and evaluating the Fund and the programs supported by the Fund. The CNA included a wealth of information from outside data sources, and over 400 youth and adults were engaged in the process through 24 key stakeholder interviews, 104 focus group participants, 70 individuals engaged in our community forums, and over 200 survey responses were collected. Based on the information collected, five areas were identified as funding priorities; albeit staff recognizes that there is significant overlap in these categories.
During the community visioning event, a graphic illustrator captured important topics raised across multiple groups and subgroups and within the framework of the legislation informing the Richmond Kids First Initiative.
In the final SIP, programmatic strategies were attached to each of the core needs (Attachment 2). The five areas, not listed in order of importance, were then assigned a percentage allocation based on considerations of the urgency of the need and potential for equity impact. The core needs are as follows along with the allocation:
October 1, 2024
Core Needs Estimated % of Total Funds
Mental & Behavioral Health 30% = $1,911,000
Physical Health & Wellness 20% = $1,274,000
Learning Needs 30% = $1,911,000
Safety Community & Belonging 20% = $1,274,000
Connective Supportive Services
Total Annual Estimated Funding in FY 2025-28 100% = $6.37M
Once grant award decisions are finalized, the allocation amounts, as shown above, may vary slightly depending upon the type and number of grant applications submitted and grants awarded in each area. Also, it is important to note that per the Charter, any change in an approved SIP, which could include the core needs and allocations, shall be based on the community needs assessment and input from the community.
Next Steps
Department staff released the Request for Proposals (grant guidelines and application) on September 3, 2024, and will close on October 6, 2024. Over 120 individuals representing dozens of community-based and government organizations attended the two (2) information session held on September 11 and September 18. After the application deadline closes, City staff will review applications for responsiveness, completeness, and satisfaction of eligibility requirements. All eligible applications are forwarded to the RFCY review committee to review and score proposals, based on priority areas. Individual committee members provide scores, and the average of reviewer scores will be used to provide a ranking of proposals by core need. RFCY staff
October 1, 2024
will provide the committee with the average scores and ranking of proposals. RFCY Oversight Board will then review committee recommendations and will convene to approve funding decisions at a public monthly meeting. The RFCY Oversight Board will then present their funding recommendations to the Richmond City Council for approval and adoption in November 2024.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 – RFCY Community Needs Assessment
Attachment 2 – RFCY Strategic Investment Plan