City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYO R AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: MAY 2, 2023
FROM: COMMUNITY AND ECONOM IC DEVELOPMENT WARDS: ALL
DEPARTMENT & HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
SUBJECT: INITIATION OF THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM BY THE
HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION IN PA RTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE’S NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT DIVISION
ISSUE:
Initiation of the Community Support Grant Progr am by the Human Rela tions Commission in partnership with the City of Riverside’s Neighborhood Engagement Division.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council approve the initiation of the Community Support Grant Program by the Human Relations Commission in partnersh ip with the City of Riverside’s Neighborhood Engagement Division.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
The Inclusiveness, Community Engagement, and Go vernmental Processes Committee met on February 1, 2023, with Chair Cervantes, and Member Condor present, to receive an update on the Human Relations Commission’s Community Support Grant Program with a recommendation to forward to City Council for approval and initiation of the program.
After discussion the Committee voted to recommend that the City Council approve initiation of the Community Support Grant Program.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Riverside Human Relations Commissi on (HRC) held a discussion at the monthly Commission meeting on October 28, 2021, in whic h members provided feedback on an earlier request from Commissioner Barth to submit allocation proposals for the remaining $5,000 in HRC funding on various community facing initiatives wit hin the City of Riverside. Commissioner Ayra proposed that $3,000 of existing funding be alloca ted towards Community Support Grants to invest in nonprofits, communi ty-based organizations, and comm unity organizations that were furthering the mission of the HRC within the City of Riverside.
Community Support Program Update ● Page 2
On March 24, 2022, Commissioners voted to create a separate Ad-Hoc Committee, comprised of Commissioners Ayra, Scoggins, and Shirley, to plan and implement the Community Support Grants. The Ad-Hoc Committee has met twice si nce then to develop the grant application and grant rubric, as well as brainstorm marketing and outreach efforts in order to make the application accessible to as many Riverside community members and organizations as possible.
On February 1, 2023, Ad-Hoc Committee Chair Ayra presented the proposed Community Support Grants Program to the Inclusiveness, Comm unity Engagement and Governmental Processes Committee with recommendations for the Committ ee to forward recommendations to the City Council for approval and initiation. Ad-Hoc Commi ttee Chair Ayra requested that the item be brought back to the HRC for feedback on the Community Support Grant application.
On February 23, 2023, Ad-Hoc Committee Chair Ay ra presented the Community Support Grant application and provided updat es to the HRC with feedback from the February 1 st meeting
incorporated. The HRC provided some minor grammatical and formatting edits for the Community Support Grant application which were implemented during the meeting and approved to go back to the City Council for a final vote.
DISCUSSION:
The HRC Community Support Grant aims to hav e an accessible, transparent, and accountable application process, open to as many community organizations and groups in the City as feasible within financial and reporting guidelines. The HRC Ad-Hoc Committee initially discussed splitting the total $3,000 dollar allocation into five separate grants of varying amounts. The Commissioners reviewed the existing City of Riverside Small Sparks grant program and assessed the current need in the community. After careful considerat ion, the Ad-Hoc Committee decided to move forward with splitting the total allocation into three $1,000 grants to better support ongoing community efforts and to simplify the grant request process.
The Ad-Hoc Committee will present the completed grant application, grant rubric, and marketing themes/materials to the general Commission at regularly schedul ed monthly meetings for final approval before working with relevant City of Riverside departments to implement the grant program.
The HRC will partner with the City of Riverside’s Neighborhood Engagement Division by receiving guidance and support from the division’s staff. They will provide t he HRC with an application template in both English and Spanish for use by the Community Support Program. The Neighborhood Engagement Division will also receive the applications internally and complete an initial review.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to Strategic Priority 2 – Community Well-Being and Goal 2.4 – Support programs and innovations that enhance comm unity safety, encourage neighborhood engagement, and build public trust.
The item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
1. Community Trust – The Community Support Grant program supports community programs and opportunities that benefit the City of Riverside.
Community Support Program Update ● Page 3
2. Equity – The Community Support program is inclusive to all eligible community members and provides funding opportunities to support their efforts.
3. Fiscal Responsibility – The Community Support Grant program uses existing budget allocations for the HRC repurposed for all eligible community members to provide community programs, events, and services.
4. Innovation – The Community Support Grant program uses partnerships to support local groups to extend and enhance programs/services.
5. Sustainability & Resiliency – The Community Support Gr ant program serves groups committed to supporting the community through current and future programs, events, and services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of the action is $3,000. The funds are budgeted and available in the General Fund, Mayor-Community Relations, Human Relations Commission account 0120000-450051.
Prepared by: Aram Ayra, Commissioner/Ad-Hoc Committee Chair, Human Relations Commission
Agueda Padilla, Project Manager Neighborhood Engagement Division Certified as to
availability of funds: Edward Enriquez, Interim Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer/City Treasurer
Approved by: Rafael Guzman, Assistant City Manager
Approved
as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Concurs with;
___________________________
Clarissa Cervantes, Chair
Inclusiveness, Community Engagement, and Governmental Processes Committee
Attachment: Community S upport Program Application