City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 1 of 7
PURPOSE
POLICY
To establish a standardized process to award grants to qualifying:
501(c)(3) non-profit community organizations;
Youth athletic groups or organizations;
Educational groups or organizations; and
Individuals,
that demonstrate a financial need fo r grant funding for the use of supporting high impact events, activiti es, programs, community projects (collectively referred to in the Poli cy as “Community Events/Activities”), and youth competitions and performances in which the main purpose is to directly benefit the City of Santa Cl ara (City) and its residents, students, and schools.
Annually, and subject to availability of funds, the City Council shall establish grant appropriation(s) as part of the budget approval process.
Community grants, subject to avail ability of funds, shall not exceed $10,000 per applicant, per fiscal year. Al l grant requests, including those made directly to a member of the City Council, shall be referred to the City Manager’s Office for review. Applicatio ns will be evaluated by the City Manager’s Office on a case-by-case and “first come-first served” basis, throughout the fiscal year.
The City Manager’s Office shall appr ove or deny an applicant’s request based upon the eligibility criteria, adherence to procedures set forth below, and subject to funding availability as approved by the City Council through the adoption of the budget. Ad ditionally, if the event or activity being requested for funding has been previously supported by the City, the City Manager’s Office may evaluate the ev ent or activity’s past success, measured by the applicant’s ability to meet attendance and/or grant goals, fundraising projections and the appl icant’s ability to satisfy the requirements of this policy, when c onsidering approval or denial of a request.
An applicant that receives grant funds (grant recipient) may be required to return awarded grant funds, in part or in full, and considered ineligible to submit a new grant request after t he conclusion of their Community COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 2 of 7
ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA FOR
COMMUNITY
EVENTS /
ACTIVITIES
In addition to a timely and complete application, the applicant must demonstrate that the Community Event/Activity submitted for consideration for the City’s grant will satisfy all of the following criteria:
a) Must be held within the City of Santa Clara
b) Contributes positively to t he recognition and image of the City of Santa Clara
c) Provides a community benefit to the residents of Santa Clara Event/Activity/ or Yout h Competition/Performanc e should any of the following occur:
Misuse of grant funds,
Failure to provide documentati on demonstrating t hat grant funds were spent in the manner approved by the City,
Failure to follow the terms outlined under this Policy and in the approved grant application; and
Material changes to the Community Event/Activity, or Youth Competition/Performance without prior City approval.
Grant recipients that are ineligible to apply for a Community Grant in the future due to incompliance with this Policy, may apply again one year after resolution of outstanding issues.
Submission of an application in no way obligates the City to award a grant and the City reserves the right to reject any or all applications, wholly or in part, at any time, without penalty. In a ll cases, the City reserves the right to reject any and all applications in the event the City Manager’s Office identifies a potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. Staff shall report any distribut ions in accordance with applicable tax law.
Grant recipients, regardless of the type of activity, shall maintain sufficient books and records in accordance wit h generally accepted accounting principles. The City shall have the right to audit the books and records of the grant recipient for up to four (4) years from the date of disbursement of grant funds for the purpose of verifying any and all reimbursement requests made by the grant recipient.
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 3 of 7
d) Must be open to the general public, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under state or federal law e) Aligns with one of the following grant focus areas:
Santa Clara Identity/Cult ure/Representation/Equity
Santa Clara Youth
Community Service
f) Must be consistent with app licable federal and state laws regarding limitation on use of public funds. Public funds shall not be used for the following:
Religious Purposes. Grant funds shall not be used to
conduct religious services or ceremonies. A grantee
shall not spend any portion of the grant to inhibit or
promote religion, nor to convey a religious message.
Political Purposes. Grant funds shall not be used for political purposes, such as political advocacy efforts
whether for or against a political candidate, ballot
measure, or bill.
g) If the event or activity is a fundraising event, the proceeds from the fundraising activity will support programs, services or events for residents of the City of Santa Clara.
Grant funds may only be used for the following eligible expenses for the Community Event/Activity:
Permits, fees and services fr om the City of Santa Clara and other public agencies
Venue rental fees and related insurance
Food and non-alcoholic bev erage (Food and beverage costs should not exceed 15% of the total grant request amount) Trash and recycling
Rental of stage, tent s, and similar equipment
Marketing and promotion of t he Community Event/Activity, such as printin
g expenses of promotional materials and fees
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 4 of 7
related to advertising to the public (excluding third-party services to design marketing materials)
Incidental, one-time expenses purchased specifically for the Community Event/Activity
Grant funds shall not be used for other costs, including but not limited to the following:
Gifts and giveaway items such as gift cards, raffle baskets, and prizes
Programmatic expenses such as staff time, overhead costs, consultant services, and payment of hired staff
Additionally, grants for Community Events/Activities shall not be provided for waiver of or reimbursement for already discounted permit fees nor shall they be provided to organizations that receive separate annual funding from the City.
PROCEDURE
FOR
COMMUNITY
EVENTS /
ACTIVITIES
1. Applicant submits timely and co mplete grant application to the City Manager’s Office for review at least ninety (90) days and no more than six (6) months before the planned Community Event/Activity. The applicati on must include an itemized budget for the Community Event/A ctivity, which must detail how the requested gr ant funds will be s pent on eligible expenses, if awarded.
2. City Manager’s Office reviews application for compliance with eligibility criteria and availability of funds. City Manager’s Office may seek additional information from the applicant as
necessary.
3. If an application is approved, the approved application, marked accordingly, shall be transmitted to the applicant with additional instructions, if any.
4. If an application is not approv ed by the City Manager’s Office, the applicant will be notified in writing.
5. Grant recipients shal l submit within in thirty (30) days after the Community Event/Activity documentation of:
Proof of all allowable expenses incurred (e.g., receipts and invoices
) submitted in an or ganized fashion that
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 5 of 7
clearly demonstrates that the grant funds have been
spent in the manner and for the purposes stated on the
approved application and iden tifies. Unspent grant
funds, if any, should be identified.
Attendance numbers
A community impact statemen t that describes how the
event impacted the Santa Cla ra community (not to
exceed five hundred words). The community impact
statement may be used for t he purposes of posting on
the City’s website.
Fundraising actuals, if applicable
6. City Manager’s Office will review the submitted documentation outlined above for compliance and notify the grant recipient to confirm if any funds must be re turned to the City. It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to submit the required documentation within the requir ed timeframe and return any grant funds to the City within th irty (30) days after the City’s confirmation. A grant recipient may be deemed ineligible to apply for future grant opportunities through the Community Grant Program for late or incomplete documentation, failure to submit documentation, or late return or failu re to return grant funds as required by the City.
ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA FOR
YOUTH
COMPETITIONS/
PERFORMANCES
If the activity being funded is individual or group attendance at a youth competition or performance, then the applicant must demonstrate that the activity being funded by the City’s grant will satisfy all of the following criteria:
a) Funding the activity provides a benefit to Santa Clara residents, students or schools
b) Contributes positively to the recognition and image of the City of Santa Clara
c) Aligns with one of the following grant focus areas:
Santa Clara Identity/Cult ure/Representation/Equity
Santa Clara Youth
Community Service
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 6 of 7
d) Must be consistent with app licable federal and state laws regarding limitation on use of public funds. Public funds shall not be used for the following:
Religious Purposes. Grant funds shall not be used to
conduct religious services or ceremonies. A grantee
shall not spend any portion of the grant to inhibit or
promote religion, nor to convey a religious message.
Political Purposes. Grant funds shall not be used for political purposes, such as political advocacy efforts whether for or against a political candidate, ballot
measure, or bill.
e) Grant funds reques ted will only be used for specific state, national, or international titles, competitions, or
performances
f) Grant funds requested s hould not exceed 20% of the
allowable expenses (registration, hotel, transportation, and food for participants and coaches/chaperones only) and
comport with the other requirements stated in the
application
g) Individuals, teams, or groups should either be from Santa Clara schools or have at least 50% of the students from the teams or groups be residents in the City of Santa Clara. h) Grant funds for travel related costs shall not be spent on more than one coach/chaperone for every six students.
PROCEDURE
FOR YOUTH
COMPETITIONS/
PERFORMANCES
1. Applicant submits timely and co mplete grant application to the City Manager’s Office for review. Due to short notice of advancement to state, national, or international
competitions/performances, applicant shall submit an
application within one week of advancement.
2. City Manager’s Office review s application for compliance with eligibility criteria and availability of funds. City Manager’s Office may seek additional information from the applicant as necessary.
3. If an application is approved, the approved application marked accordingly shall be transmitted to the applicant with additional instructions, if any.
4. If an application is not approved, the applicant will be notified in writing.
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
For Council Consideration 12/03/2024 CP 049 Page 7 of 7
5. Grant recipients sha ll submit within in thir ty (30) days after the Youth Competition/Performance documentation of:
Proof of all allowable expenses incurred (e.g., receipts and invoices) submitted in an organized fashion that
clearly demonstrates that the grant funds have been
spent in the manner and for the purposes stated on the
approved application. Unspent grant funds, if any, should be identified.
Attendance numbers confirmi ng the number of students and coaches/chaperones that attended the youth
competition/performance.
A community impact statement that describes how the
competition/performance impacted the youth
groups/organizations or indivi duals (not to exceed five hundred words). The community impact statement may
be used for the purposes of posting on the City’s website.
6. City Manager’s Office will review the submitted documentation outlined above for compliance and notify the grant recipient to confirm if any funds must be re turned to the City. It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to submit the required documentation within the requir ed timeframe and return any grant funds to the City within th irty (30) days after the City’s confirmation. A grant recipient may be deemed ineligible to apply for future grant opportunities through the Community Grant Program for late or incomplete documentation, failure to submit documentation, or late return or failu re to return grant funds as required by the City.