Item - 2017.CD18.5

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve reframing the existing five (5) Community Investment Funding (CIF) grant programs: Access Equity and Human Rights Investment Funding, Community Safety Investment Funding, Community Festivals and Special Events Investment Funding, Community Recreation Investment Funding, and Service Development Investment Program into three (3) Community Investment Funding grant programs: 1) Community Projects and Events grants; 2) Neighbourhood Micro-grants; and 3) Capacity Building grants.

2.  City Council approve the new Community Investment Funding framework to advance Council approved social development strategies and support City divisional service plans.

3.  City Council approve the new Community Investment Funding grant framework with a focus on:

a.  Time limited grants for projects and events, including the introduction of Neighbourhood Micro-grants;

b.  Capacity building grants including building the capacity of not-for-profits to govern effectively;

c.  Two stage application process to reduce the administrative burden of applicant groups;

d.  Separate grants processes for new and emerging groups to increase access; and,

e.  Community representatives on grant review, allocation and appeals panels to increase transparency and accountability in grants processes

4.  City Council approve distribution of funds included in the 2017 Social Development, Finance  and Administration Community Investment Funding budget, to the new Community Investment Funding grant programs: $1,000,000 for community projects and events grants; $250,000 for neighbourhood micro-grants; and $450,000 for capacity building grants to support the not-for-profit sector and the remaining $1,315,000 for the final year of multi-year grants in the former Community Investment Funding grant programs (Access Equity and Human Rights, Community Safety, Community Recreation and Community Festivals and Special Events), and continuing Identify N Impact grants and Community Crisis Response grants.

5.  City Council approve the distribution of Community Investment Funding program allocation in 2018 and onward: 60 percent for the project/event/micro-grant program, and 40 percent for the capacity building grant program.

6.  City Council delegate authority to the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to approve, issue and enter into agreements for neighbourhood micro-grants to selected proponents and report back to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on awards made to the selected grant recipients.

7.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration and the Director, Equity Diversity and Human Rights to work with City of Toronto Grants Co-ordinating Committee (TGCC) to review and recommend changes to the Toronto Grants Policy and report to the October 23, 2017 meeting of the Community Development and Recreation Committee.  Recommended changes to include the City’s Statement of Commitment to the Aboriginal community (approved by Council on July 6, 2010) and the Statement of Relationship (pending) and any other changes the Toronto Grants Co-ordinating Committee deems necessary to reflect the City’s responsiveness to Indigenous Peoples and Equity Diversity and Human Rights.

8.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to report to the September 11, 2017 meeting of the Community Development and Recreation Committee on the social, economic, employment and public health impacts and outcomes of Community Grants.  The report should include any available disaggregated data on the individuals who participate in the events, projects, programs and are employed through the City's Community Grants program.

This report responds to Council direction to review five grant programs under Community Investment Funding Program (CIF): Community Recreation, Community Festivals, Access, Equity and Human Rights (AEHR), Community Safety Investment (CSI), and Service Development and Improvement Program (SDIP), to ensure that they:

-  align with and advance the City's strategic priorities
-  better support new and emerging community groups
-  respond to the changing needs of the community sector.
 

As a result of a comprehensive review process that engaged over four hundred and sixty (460) respondents through an online survey, key informant interviews, literature reviews, round table consultations and town hall sessions, a new funding framework is recommended that will merge the five (5) CIF grant programs into three (3) new CIF grant programs:

1.  Community Projects and Events grants

2.  Neighbourhood Micro-grants

3.  Capacity Building grants.

The implementation of the new CIF will be phased in over two years commencing in 2017 at which time the outstanding balance of the original 2016 CIF grant programs will be restructured into the new CIF, subject to Council 2017 operating budget approval. The full allocation of funds to the new CIF grant programs will begin in 2018 with 60 percent of funds allocated for projects, events and neighbourhood micro-grants and 40 percent of funds for capacity building grants. The Identify 'N Impact (INI) and Community Crisis Response grant programs will remain unchanged, but will form part of the new CIF.

The new CIF improves transparency and accountability by including community representatives on grant review and allocation panels. A summary chart of the proposed grant changes is included in Appendix A.