TO: NEIGHBORHOOD
SERVICES AND
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
FROM: Jon Cicirelli
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: August 26, 2024
Approved Date:
9/5/2024
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUBJECT: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the report on the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit, including an overview of how the City invests and partners with community-based organizations to serve our residents through grantmaking.
BACKGROUND
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services’ (Department) vision of building healthy communities that inspire belonging is guided by the Department’s strategic plan ActivateSJ.1 ActivateSJ is a people-focused, service-driven plan where Stewardship, Equity & Access, Identity, and Public Life drive the work of our grantmaking efforts. The work of the Grantmaking for Community Impact team is specifically related to the Stewardship guiding principle. Grantmaking works to diversify the Department’s funding for a sustainable system by continuing to strengthen relationships with our nonprofit partners.
The Department administers five grant programs2: 1) BeautifySJ Grant, 2) Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together, 3) Opioid Overdose Prevention Grant, 4) Safe Summer Initiative, and 5) Older Adult Health & Wellness partners. Over 120 communitybased organizations and neighborhood groups (see Attachment B for a list of grant funded agencies) are funded to provide services for vulnerable youth and families, older 1 For more information see the ActivateSJ Strategic Plan 2 For more information on Department funding opportunities and procurements:
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/parks-recreation-neighborhoodservices/get-involved/funding-opportunities-procurements COMMITTEE AGENDA: 9/12/2024
ITEM: (d)1
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
adults, and a variety of neighborhoods in San José. The grants programs are intended to compliment and further enhance the effort of existing programs offered by the Department’s Community Services and Recreation Divisions for better community outcomes. This memo will primarily include effort and outcomes from four of the five grant programs for the 2022-2023 program year as Opioid Overdose Prevention Grant was newly implemented in 2023-2024.
ANALYSIS
Reaching the desired community impact requires the Department to partner with funded agencies to exchange knowledge and insights and combine resources. The Grantmaking for Community Impact team encompasses four key areas when partnering with community groups and stakeholders; 1) Focus on equity and access, 2) Support and strengthen relationships with partners, 3) Create an environment for feedback and continued learning for process improvement, and 4) Collaborate for a greater impact.
Contract deliverables are monitored through the Department’s Grant Monitoring Guidelines and outputs and outcomes are tracked annually. Grantmaking also involves a phased administrative process to ensure the following:
1) application process is fair and equitable,
2) grant recipients are providing quality programs to areas in most need, 3) service delivery aligns with contract deliverables to meet intended outcomes.
Through community group partnerships and grant monitoring and evaluation, the Department can capture service outputs, outcomes, and areas for continuous improvement so that the limited resources available for grant funded services are used efficiently and effectively.
Grant Program Descriptions
The following descriptions provide a general overview of each grant program. Each program serves a specific target population with a unique scope that is intended to meet outcomes related to implemented services and activities. More details for each program are outlined in Attachment A - Grant Program Descriptions.
BeautifySJ Grant Program
BeautifySJ Grant supports existing efforts led by the BeautifySJ Neighborhood Blight Reduction team which provides graffiti, blight and litter removal and encampment abatement along with trash services for people experiencing homelessness. The program funds neighborhood groups, including new emerging groups and community groups that support neighborhoods with beautification projects like tree planting and mural installation and neighborhood engagement such as National Night Out, cultural festivals, and community building events.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together (BEST) Grant Program The BEST Grant Program is the funding arm of the San José Youth Empowerment Alliance (SJYEA) which funds agencies that provide gang prevention and intervention services to San José schools, youth and families. The BEST Program developed a scope of services to reflect this approach using five Service Strategy Areas; 1) Youth Development and Leadership, 2) Place-Based Intervention and Diversion Services, 3) Vocational & Job Training Services,4) Family and Neighborhood Strengthening Support, and 5) Individual and Whole Family Supportive Services.
Older Adult Health and Wellness Grant Program (OAHW)
The Older Adults Wellness Grant Program funds agencies that reduce social isolation and improve the health and wellness of individuals ages 50 and older through the provision of supportive services and activities at various City of San José Community Centers, primarily Santa Clara County-sponsored Senior Nutrition Program sites.
Opioid Overdose Awareness Grant Program
The Department in collaboration with the City Manager’s Office, community-based organizations, and Santa Clara County partners, supports efforts to decrease opioid poisonings and deaths including enhancing linkage to care for people with opioid use disorder and risk for opioid overdose, partnering with public safety, and implementing other innovative prevention activities to support public outreach and education.
Safe Summer Initiative Grant Program (SSIG)
SSIG Grant Program along with the BEST and Opioid Overdose Prevention grants support the efforts of the San José Youth Empowerment Alliance to reduce youth violence through prevention, intervention, diversion and re-entry, and healing strategies.
SSIG aims to provide and enhance recreational or educational opportunities not normally available to the San José Youth Empowerment Alliance Target Population during the summer months. Thereby providing youth a safe environment while keeping them active and engaged in positive activities.
Priority Service Areas
Priority service areas for grant programs are areas that have been identified as having the highest concentration of underprivileged populations, including households with low incomes, people of color, limited economic opportunity, and inequitable education resources. These areas are prioritized when allocating grant resources as these communities are still experiencing the impact of historic underinvestment and limited access to resources and opportunities. Priority service area determination draws on
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
crime and census data, stakeholder focus groups, and historical grant award data.
Depending on the grant program other factors may be considered when determining priority service areas, such as locations with high overdose deaths areas impacted by blight, or areas with higher concentration of older adults who have the greatest economic and social needs.
Program Service Outputs
For the 2022-2023 program year, Department grant programs were allocated a total of $3,794,757 and funded 120 community partners including nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations, and emerging neighborhood groups.
Figure 1: 2022-2023 Total Grant Funding Allocation by Grant Program3 Figure 2 below outlines the number of participants served by each grant program.
Community partners served a total of 12,431 participants and volunteers that range from children as young as six to older adults above the age of 65. For the BEST Grant Program, 77% of participants were served in priority neighborhoods4. 3 The total 2023-2024 SSIG allocation is $579,638. The $429,638 included in the Figure 1 is the portion of the allocation that is awarded to nonprofit agencies. The remaining $150,000 is distributed to San Jose Community Centers for summer program scholarships.
4 Priority Neighborhoods are San José neighborhoods with higher level of youth violence and a greater need for resources and services. See Priority Neighborhoods Map.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
Figure 2: 2022-2023 Total Program Participants by Grant Program5 The BEST, SSIG, Older Adult Health and Wellness, and Safe Summer Initiative Grants use a formula to measure the amount of services provided by each nonprofit partner.
This formula, which uses the number of participants, sessions, and time per session to measure service delivery, yields Units of Service (UOS)6. The BeautifySJ Grant counts volunteer hours instead of UOS. In 2022-2023, Department grant programs provided a total of 388,649 hours of service. Figure 3 outlines the total number of UOS by grant program.
5 Beautify SJ Grant Program counts total number of volunteers who participated in events or projects instead of total participants served.
6 Units of Service (UOS) = Total Number of Sessions x Average Number of Participants per Sessions x Average Number of Hours per Session.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
Figure 3: 2022-2023 Total Units of Service by Grant Program7 Program Outcomes
The Performance Measurement Framework used by the Grantmaking for Community Impact Unit is designed to capture each grant’s impact on its participants based on type and level of service provided to the specified target population. To evaluate program outcomes, BEST, Older Adult Health and Wellness, and Safe Summer Initiative Grants administer a participant survey that assesses participant changes in knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. To assess impact for the BeautifySJ Grant Program, neighborhood groups track the number of beautification projects and neighborhood engagement events conducted.
BeautifySJ
117 Beautification Projects (dumpster days, gardening, public art). 452 Neighborhood Engagement events (National Night Out, community engagement, cultural events).
Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together
87.9% of surveyed BEST participants felt they had developed a relationship with a caring adult.
Over 87% of surveyed BEST participants also reported confidence in their ability to resolve challenges or problems in their life.
7 The BeautifySJ Grant Program tracks volunteer hours instead of Units of Service.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
Older Adult Health and Wellness
97% seniors reported they feel an overall improved sense of health and wellness. 97% of participants reported increased knowledge in accessing supportive services (legal aid resources, how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and the use of technology).
Safe Summer Initiative
95% of participants felt SSIG was a safe program.
92% reported learning about other resources as a result of participating in SSIG. 94% felt connected to a caring adult through SSIG.
Looking Forward
The Grantmaking for Community Impact team will continue to prioritize work to improve equitable outcomes for communities served through Department grant programs. The nonprofit agencies in which the Department collaborates with are increasingly relied upon to implement evidence-informed programs and deliver results for disadvantaged, under privileged communities. These challenges created an opportunity for grant funded agencies and the Department to come together and discuss solutions. In our evaluation process and continued discussions with our valued partners, we identified areas upon which to build our grantmaking process to better support our nonprofit partners:
Prioritizing racial equity so that San José residents, primarily those that are in disadvantaged communities, have access to resources or opportunities to participate in economic, social, and civic life.
Increase the opportunities for smaller, community-led organizations with staff who have lived experience to build stronger infrastructures. This item was recommended by Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits through continued feedback discussions.
Support community-based organizations by investing in capacity building through a Community of Learning program. Community of Learning works to provide trainings and sharing of best practices amongst funded agencies. The partner convenings are powerful tools to build trusting relationships and establish a true partnership that extends outside of the traditional funder and grantee relationship.
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
COORDINATION
This memo was coordinated with the City Manager’s Budget Office and City Attorney Office.
/s/
Jon Cicirelli
Director, Parks, Recreation, and
Neighborhood Services
For questions, please contact Petra Riguero, Program Manager at [email protected] or (408) 793-4198.
ATTACHMENT A- GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
ATTACHMENT B- GRANT FUNDED AGENCIES
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
ATTACHMENT A- GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Grant
Program
Who is
program
serving?
Funded
Agencies
2022-2023
What services are
provided?
What is impact of
program?
BeautifySJ San José
Residents
73 Beautification
projects
Neighborhood
quality of life and
organization
building events
Neighborhood
support &
capacity building
activities
Strengthen
neighborhood
groups
Improve
neighborhood
conditions through
beautification
Engage with
neighbors to
reduce trash,
graffiti, and other
sources of blight
BEST Ages 6-24 and
their families
14 School-based
youth support and
leadership groups
Street outreach
and intervention in
priority
neighborhood
Pro-social
activities and field
trips
Parent life skill
training
Basic needs met
Access to
resources
improved
Improved
relationships with
adults
Better school
attendance
Reduce risky
behaviors
Increased
social/emotional
skills
Older Adult
Health &
Wellness
Ages 60 and
above
9 Support Services
Health and
Wellness
Promotion and
Educational Class
Age-Friendly
Programming
Improved sense of
health & wellness
Participants will
learn more about
their oral health
Participants will
improve their
physical functioning
Participants will
report a boost in
mood elevation
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
*Opioid Overdose Prevention Grant was first implemented in 2023-2024.
Opioid
Overdose
Prevention
Ages 6-24,
families, and
residents
4 (2023-
2024)*
School based
substance use
prevention groups
and parent
assemblies
Adult trainings
including Narcan
distribution
Community-based
youth and parent
workshops
Social Media
Awareness
Campaign
Increased
awareness of
opioid/ fentanyl
misuse
consequences
Access to
additional
resources which
address
opioid/fentanyl
misuse
SSIG Ages 6-24 27 Educational
programs to
increase math
and reading
achievement
Youth
development
Recreation,
health, and fitness
Participants will
feel safe during
their involvement in
program
Participants will
learn more about
services that
benefit them or
their peers
Participants will
report a connection
to one or more
caring adult
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
ATTACHMENT B- GRANT FUNDED AGENCIES
BeautifySJ- Cycle 5 Grantees
Neighborhood Group Name
1 Alma Neighborhood Association
2 Almaden Valley Community Association
3 Alum Rock Village Action Committee (ARVAC)
4 Alviso Neighborhood Group
5 Baker West Neighborhood Association
6 Beautiful Day - through Westgate South Hills church
7 Berryessa Citizens Advisory Council
8 Blossom Valley Neighborhood Association
9 Brahms/Edgeview Neighborhood Association
10 Buena Vista Neighborhood Association
11 Cadillac/Winchester Neighborhood Association
12 California Native Plant Society - Santa Clara Valley Chapter G1 13 California Native Plant Society - Santa Clara Valley Chapter G2 14 Campus Community Association
15 Cassell Neighborhood Association
16 Comanche Blossom Valley Neighborhood Association
17 Communications Hill Neighborhood Association
18 Cory Neighborhood Association
19 Cottle to Lean Neighborhood Association
20 Creekside Evergreen Neighborhood Association
21 District 1 Leadership Group
22 DISTRICT 10 Leadership Coalition
23 District 5 Leadership Group
24 District 8 Community Roundtable
25 Doerr Neighborhood Association
26 Eden Neighborhood Association
27 Erikson Neighborhood Association
28 Evergreen Estates Neighborhood Association
29 Evergreen Leadership Neighborhood Association
30 Foxdale Neighborhood Association
31 Friends of Santa Teresa Park
32 Gardner Neighborhood Association
33 Girl Scouts of Northern California
34 Goodyear/Mastic Neighborhood Association
35 Great Oaks Neighborhood Association
36 Hellyer Neighborhood Association
37 Hill Park Drive Neighborhood Association
38 Japantown Neighborhood Association
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
39 Kirkwood Neighbors on Watch
40 Kooser Woods Coalition Neighborhood Association
41 Little Branham Rosswood Neighborhood Association
42 Lone Bluff-Senter Neighborhood Association
43 Los Paseos Neighborhood Association
44 Lyndale Neighborhood Association
45 Mayfair NAC
46 McLaughlin Area Tenants
47 Moreland West Neighborhood Association
48 Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Association
49 North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association
50 Norwood Neighborhood Association
51 Oak Grove Neighborhood Association
52 Olinder Neighborhood Association
53 Palm Haven Restoration Committee
54 Penitencia Neighborhood Association
55 Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association
56 Poco Way Apartments
57 Primrose Neighborhood Assoc.
58 Rosemary Gardens Neighborhood Association
59 Rubino Park Neighborhood Association
60 Seven Trees Neighborhood Association
61 Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association
62 Silverleaf Neighborhood Association
63 South University Neighborhood Association
64 Spartan Keyes Neighborhood Action Coalition (NAC)
65 Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association
66 Tropicana Lanai Neighborhood Association
67 University Neighborhoods Coalition
68 Welch Park Neighborhood Association
69 West Evergreen Community Action Team
70 West Evergreen Neighborhood Association
71 Westgate Village Neighborhood Association
72 Willow Glen Garden Club
73 Willow Glen Neighborhood Association
Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together- 2022-2023 Grantees Agency Name
1 Alum Rock Counseling Center
2 Bay Area Tutoring Association
3 Bill Wilson Center
4 Caminar
5 Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
6 ConXion to Community
7 Fresh Lifelines for Youth
8 New Hope for Youth
9 Pacific Clinics
10 San Jose Jazz
11 Shine Together
12 The Art of Yoga Project
13 The Tenacious Group
14 Ujima Adult and Family Services
Safe Summer Initiative- Summer 2023 Grantees
Agency Name
1 Alum Rock Counseling Center, Inc.
2 AWO
3 Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley
4 Breakthrough Silicon Valley
5 CamCamp
6 Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
7 ConXion to Community
8 Compassion point Mentorship
9 Empowering our Community for Success
10 Joyful Learning Educational Development Center
11 Life Skills Training and Educational Programs, Inc.
12 Mama D 2nd Chance
13 New Hope for Youth
14 PARTI
15 San Jose Jazz
16 San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild
17 San Jose Museum of Art Association
18 Saved By Nature
19 School of Arts and Culture at MHP
20 Shine Together
21 Silicon Valley Education Foundation
22 The Art of Yoga Project
23 The Tenacious Group
24 To Be Empowered
25 Ujima Adult and Family Services
26 Valdes Math Foundation
27 Vietnamese American Roundtable
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
August 26, 2024
Subject: Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Grantmaking Unit Status Report
Older Adult Health and Wellness – 2022-2023 Grantees
Agency Name
1 Bay Area Community Health
2 Breath California of the Bay Area
3 Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
4 Health Mobile
5 Korean American Community Services
6 Portuguese Organization for Social Services & Opportunities (POSSO) 7 Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA)
8 The Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO)
9 Yu-Ai Kai
Opioid Overdose Prevention - 2023-2024 Grantees
Agency Name
1 Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
2 New Hope for Youth
3 Sunday Friends
4 The Tenacious Group