Resolution/Council Policy 049 Community Grant Policy Page 1 of 2
RESOLUTION NO. 24-9411
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING COUNCIL POLICY 049 COMMUNITY
GRANT POLICY TO ENHANCE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
AND CRITERIA, PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY AND
INCREASE PROTECTIONS FOR THE CITY, AND INCLUDE
ADDITIONAL POST EVENT REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT
RECIPIENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM
WHEREAS, Council Policy 049 Community Grant Policy (Policy) establishes a standardized process for awarding grants to qualifying applicants for events, activities, and youth competitions and performances through the Community Grant Program; WHEREAS, the City provides such grant funds with the goal of supporting high impact events, activities, programs, community projects, and youth competitions and performances that benefit the City of Santa Clara and its residents, students, and schools; WHEREAS, the amendments to the Policy seek to encourage inclusivity and creativity by expanding the types of community events/activities and expenses eligible for funding under the Community Grant Program;
WHEREAS, the amendments to the Policy seek to enhance customer service, promote accountability, and streamline the grant process by providing clear and detailed instructions and requirements for applicants and grant recipients regarding the entire grant process, from the time of grant application submittal to post event procedures after the award of grant funds; and WHEREAS, through the amended Policy, the City will continue its promotion of community engagement and service through a further streamlined Community Grant Program to support high impact events and activities that benefit the Santa Clara community. //
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA AS FOLLOWS:
1. That Council Policy 049 "Community Grant Policy" attached here as Attachment 1, is hereby approved and adopted.
2. Effective date. This resolution shall become effective immediately.
I HEREBY CERTIFY THE FOREGOING TO BE A TRUE COPY OF A RESOLUTION PASSED
AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF HELD ON THE 3RD DAY OF DECEMBER, 2024, BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES: COUNCILORS:
NOES: COUNCILORS:
ABSENT : COUNCILORS:
ABSTAINED : COUNCILORS:
Attachment incorporated by reference :
1. Council Policy 049 Community Grant Policy
Becker, Chahal, Hardy, Jain, Park, and Watanabe,
and Mayor Gillmor
None
None
None
ATTEST:~
NORA PIMENTEL, MMC
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
CITY OF SANTA CLARA
Resolution/Council Policy 049 Community Grant Policy Page 2 of 2 City of Santa Clara
Council Policy Manual
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 1of 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 for grant funding for the use of supporting high impact events, activities, programs, community projects (collectively referred to in the Policy as “ Community Events/Activities”), and youth competitions and performances (“Youth Competitions/Performances”) in which the main purpose is to directly benefit the City of Santa Clara (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 availability of funds, shall not exceed $10,000 per applicant, per fiscal year. All grant requests, including those made directly to a member of the City Council, shall be referred to the City Manager’s Office for review. Applications 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 approve 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.
Additionally, if the event or activity being
requested for funding has been previously supported by the City of Santa Clara, the City Manager’s Office may evaluate the event or activity’s past success, measured by the applicant’s ability to meet attendance and/or grant goals, fundraising projections and the applicant’s ability to satisfy the requirements of this policy , when considering 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 the conclusion of their Community COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 2 of 7
ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA FOR
COMMUNITY
EVENTS /
ACTIVITIES
In addition to a timely and complete application, t he applicant must demonstrate that the Community E vent/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 the recognition and image of the City of Santa Clara
c) Provides a community benefit to the residents of Santa Clara Event/Activity or Youth C ompetition/Performance should any of the following occur:
• Misuse of grant funds,
• Failure to provide documentation demonstrating that 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 E vent/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.
The City Manager shall have discretion to provide additional time or waive minor discrepancies in the application or compliance process where circumstances reasonably warrant.
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 all cases, the City reserves the right to reject any and all a
pplications 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 distributions in accordance with applicable tax law.
Grant recipients, regardless of the type of activity, shall maintain sufficient books and records in accordance with 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.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 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/Culture/Representation/Equity
• Santa Clara Youth
• Community Service
f) Must be consistent with applicable 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 from the City of Santa Clara and other public agencies
• Venue rental fees and related insurance
• Food and non-alcoholic beverage (Food and beverage costs should not exceed 15% of the total grant request amount) • Trash and recycling
• Rental of stage, tents, and similar equipment
• Marketing and promotion of the Community Event/Activity, such as printing expenses of promotional materials and fees COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 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 complete 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 application must
include an itemized
budget for the Community Event/Activity, which must detail how the requested grant funds will be spent 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 approved by the City Manager’s Office, the applicant will be notified in writing.
5. Grant recipients shall 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 organized fashion that
clearly demonstrates that the grant funds have been
spent in the manner and for the purposes stated on the
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 5 of 7
approved application and identifies . Unspent grant
funds, if any, should be identified.
• Attendance numbers
• A community impact statement, that describes how the
event impacted the Santa Clara community (not to
exceed five hundred words). The community impact
statement may be used for the 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 returned to the City.
It is the
responsibility of the grant recipient to submit the required documentation within the required timeframe and return any grant funds to the City within thirty (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 lat e or incomplete documentation, failure to submit documentation , or late return or failure to return grant funds as required by the City.
ELIGIBILITY
CRITERIA FOR
YOUTH
COMPETITIONS/
PERFORMANCES
If the activity being funded is for 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 Youth Competition/Performance 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/Culture/Representation/Equity
• Santa Clara Youth
• Community Service
d) Must be consistent with applicable federal and state laws regarding limitation on use of public funds. Public funds shall not be used for the following:
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 6 of 7
• 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 requested will only be used for specific state, national, or international titles, competitions, or
performances
f) Grant funds requested should 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 complete 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 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 approved, the applicant will be notified in writing.
5. Grant recipients shall submit within in thirty (30) days after the Youth Competition/Performance documentation of:
COMMUNITY GRANT POLICY (cont.)
Adopted 12/03/2024 Council Policy 049 Page 7 of 7
• 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 confirming the number of students
and coaches/chaperones that attended the youth
competition/performance.
• A community impact statement, that describes how the
Youth C ompetition/Performance impacted the youth
groups/organizations or individuals (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 returned to the City.
It is the
responsibility of the grant recipient to submit the required documentation within the required timeframe and return any grant funds to the City within thi rty (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 lat e or incomplete documentation, failure to submit documentation , or late return or failure to return grant funds as required by the City.
Reference:
Policy and Procedure 049 (Adopted September 18, 2018)
Council Policy 049 Updated (Adopted May 24, 2022)