City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 20, 2023
FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARDS: ALL
DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: FISCAL YEAR 2023/2024 CITY SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM, JULY 1, 2023 – DECEMBER 31, 2023, VALUE OF $127,904, AND BIANNUAL TABLE
SPONSORSHIP UPDATE
ISSUE:
Receive and approve staff recommendations for the City Sponsorship Program in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $127,904 for charitable and community events, by local non-profit organizations for the six-month period of July 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023, and receive and file City Department Table Sponsorship summary for July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
1. Approve recommendations for the City Sponsorship Program for the six-month period of July 1 – December 31, 2023, in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $127,904 for charitable and community events, by local non-profit organizations;
2. Authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute any necessary financial or legal documents with the approved organizations, including making minor, non-substantive changes necessary in order to implement the sponsorship funding program; and
3. Receive and file City Department Table Sponsorship report for July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Economic Development, Placemaking and Branding/Marketing Committee (Committee) met on May 18, 2023, with Chair Fierro and Member Hemenway present, to consider staff recommendations regarding City Sponsorships for events or projects scheduled from July 1 – December 31, 2023. After discussion, the Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council approve City Sponsorship Program support in the form of monetary funding and/or in-kind contributions of $127,904 for charitable, community events and projects by local City Sponsorship Program – Fall 2023/2024 Page 2
non-profit organizations; and authorize the City Manager or his designee to execute any necessary financial or legal documents with the approved organizations, including making minor, non-substantive changes necessary to implement the sponsorship funding program.
BACKGROUND:
The City Sponsorship Program (Program) Agreement and Guidelines are posted on the City’s website and are included as Attachment 1. The Program provides local non-profit organizations with the opportunity to apply for City funds and/or in-kind services twice each fiscal year.
As a part of the Program schedule, the July 31 application pool deadline includes charitable events, community events and other meetings that would occur from January 1 – June 30 of the annual funding cycle. The January 31 application pool deadline includes charitable events, community events and other meetings occurring from July 1 – December 31 of the annual funding cycle.
To solicit applications for the Program, the Arts & Cultural Affairs team sends invitations to a comprehensive list of nonprofit organizations for Sponsorship 101 webinars in June and December of each year. Email notifications are also sent prior to the application deadlines as reminders. Generally, the Mayor and City Council receive these notifications as well, in the event they wish to recruit applicants from their wards.
The Program is administered by the Community & Economic Development Department (CEDD).
Funds are included in the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division budget for the Program, as follows:
Arts & Cultural Affairs Budget
City Sponsorships
Fiscal Year 2023/2024
Arts & Cultural Affairs Budget
Proposed Cash Sponsorships
Fall 2023/2024
$135,545 $65,150
DISCUSSION:
City Sponsorship
The sponsorship applications were evaluated by various City departments, based on each organization’s ability to create, or enhance its events, as indicated in the Sponsorship Program Agreement. Other factors that were considered include projected attendance (virtual or live, as appropriate), event/organization history, event budget, City Sponsorship history, and location of project in an underrepresented ward.
Forty-eight (48) local, non-profit organizations have applied for monetary and/or in-kind sponsorship during the current application process for events to be produced from July 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023, and forty-seven (47) organizations are recommended as sponsorship recipients (Attachment 2); one application was declined because it was outside the appropriate project period. A component of the recommendations for sponsorship includes funding from Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), which is included in its budget, as well as in-kind sponsorship awards from the Fire Department; Library; Police Department; Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD); Public Works; and Riverside Public Utilities.
New applicants for this funding cycle include: a Kids’ Day event produced by Boys & Girls Clubs City Sponsorship Program – Fall 2023/2024 Page 3
of Greater Redlands-Riverside; Mercy House’s National Night Out event; Deaf Riverside Community’s Deaf Awareness Day; and Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Services’ Jacob’s Spirit of Giving holiday event. The community knows these groups, but this is their first time applying to the City Sponsorship program.
A summary of the recommended sponsorship values for Fall 2023/2024 appears below:
Fall, 2023/2024 Recommended Funding
Cash
Sponsorships
(Arts & Cultural
Affairs)
Cash
Sponsorships
(RPU)
Total Cash
Sponsorships
Total Value of
In-Kind
Sponsorships
Total Value of
Sponsorship
FALL 2023/2024
$66,000 $6,950 $72,950 $54,954 $127,904
All impacted Department Heads concur with this report: Chief, Fire Department (RFD); Director, Library; Chief, Police Department (RPD); Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD); Director, Public Works, and General Manager, Riverside Public Utilities (RPU).
Last spring, the City Council Economic Development, Placemaking and Branding/Marketing Committee requested an opportunity to review the criteria used by City Departments during the evaluation process. ACAD Staff surveyed the participating departments and created a universal form, to be used by all participating departments during the review of eligible applications. That form includes the following criteria:
1. Projected Attendance
2. Previous Attendance (if applicable)
3. History of Service to Community (Y/N)
4. Connection to Specific Sections of the Strategic Plan
5. Eligible Monetary Request (50%, 35%, or 20%, based on Sponsorship Guidelines)
6. Projected Cost per Participant
7. Cultural Program (Y/N)
8. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (Ability/Culture/Ethnicity/Families/Seniors/Children & Youth)
9. Council Ward
10. Availability of Requested Resource (Y/N)
City Sponsorship Program – Fall 2023/2024 Page 4
Table Sponsorship
City Council approved a policy on March 12, 2019, authorizing the City Manager to review and approve department requests for table sponsorships. The policy was implemented immediately, with process and tracking completed in the City Manager’s Office. Included in this report is the reporting cycle for table sponsorship from July 1 – December 31, 2022 (Attachment 3). Two events received a combined total of $1,155. During the pandemic, there were no applicable events, but event activity continues to increase. Staff provided an update on the City Table Sponsorship Program to City Council on December 13, 2022 reporting that one event received a $600 table sponsorship.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
The City Sponsorship Program supports Strategic Priority 1 – Arts, Culture, and Recreation and Goals 1.1 and 1.2: learning, arts, culture, recreation, senior programs, and partnerships, as well as facilitation of requests for in-kind sponsorship related to various City amenities.
Because of the diversity of requests, the Program also addresses Goal 1.5: programs and services related to literacy, health, and education for all ages. Strategic Priority 2 – Community Well-Being (Goals 2.3 – 2.5) are addressed through programs related to development of a sense of community, community engagement, neighborhoods, and partnerships.
This item aligns with each of the five Cross-cutting Threads as follows:
1. Community Trust:
Each round of City Sponsorship funding is documented fully in the reports that are presented to the Economic Development, Placemaking & Marketing/Branding Committee and to the City Council, including each request item and each staff recommendation item
Sponsorship 101 workshops are offered to prospective applicants every six months to ensure that they are informed of the processes and requirements
2. Equity:
As staff members evaluate applications, they give particular attention to organizations that seek to serve populations representing the diversity of Riverside Access is a key factor in the evaluation process; each event or project must include significant outreach, with a preference for events and projects that are offered at no cost to the participants, and those applicants that cannot do that must eliminate significant barriers to entry, usually by offering free or reduced admission prices for specific populations (children, students, veterans, and seniors)
3. Fiscal Responsibility:
The City Sponsorship program is included in the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division operating budget, placing it directly within the sphere of accountability that encompasses each staff member’s work, through the supervision of City Management, to the City Council
The events and projects do not, generally, provide revenue directly to the City budget; however, sales tax revenue is generated through budget expenditures related to the City Sponsorship Program – Fall 2023/2024 Page 5
production of each event or project and through the commerce generated by an event or project participants
Additionally, these Sponsorship dollars are leveraged through the funded projects to provide community-enhancing activities throughout the calendar year, which multiply the value and impact of those dollars
On average, the nonprofit organizations that spend the City’s Sponsorship dollars utilize about one City dollar per each person who receives services, based on the estimated number of individuals served through these Sponsorship-funded programs and across a broad spectrum of causes
4. Innovation:
Because the Program operates through two rounds of funding each year, there is broad opportunity for applicants to innovate in response to community needs, new trends, and fresh inspiration
The frequency of the application process encourages innovation, because it mitigates risk in a way that a project of longer duration cannot, and that frequency also allows for flexibility in response to emerging needs in the community The Program provides opportunities (primarily during the Sponsorship 101 Training) for nonprofits to interact, opening doors to innovation through collaborations and partnerships
5. Sustainability & Resiliency:
Funded projects promote the health of our nonprofit community, which makes this an investment in the capacity of the nonprofit community, as well as an investment in each life served by that community
The nonprofit organizations in our community represent such broad and diverse areas of interest that they serve as a barometer of need in the community
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is $127,904, with $72,950 in monetary contributions ($66,000 from the Arts & Cultural Affairs Division of the Community & Economic Development Department and $6,950 from Riverside Public Utilities), and in-kind services (including facilities) valued at $54,954. Upon Council adoption in June 2023 of the FY 2023/24 budget, sufficient funds are available in the General Fund, CD-Arts & Cultural Affairs, Sponsorships account number 2850000-450302 and in the Electric Fund, PU Customer Engagement, Community Outreach account number 6020000-456022. Table Sponsorship expenditures of $1,155 have no fiscal impact in this funding period.
Prepared by: Jennifer A. Lilley, Community & Economic Development Director 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
City Sponsorship Program – Fall 2023/2024 Page 6
Concurs with;
___________________________
Ronaldo Fierro, Chair
Economic Development, Placemaking and Branding/Marketing Committee
Attachments:
1. Program Agreement/Guidelines
2. Staff Funding Recommendations for Fall, 2023/2024
3. Table Sponsorship Summary