Item - 2017.CD23.11

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council approve allocations for the following Investment Funding program, as recommended in Appendices A, B and C to the report (October 6, 2017) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, from the 2017 Approved Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration:

-  Total funding of $435,420 to seventeen community organizations for the Community Projects grant stream;

-  Total funding of $168,386 to nineteen community organizations for the Community Events grant stream; and

-  A combined total of up to $100,000 be held for Appeals for Community Projects and Events grant streams.
 

2.  City Council approve the reallocation of an additional $60,000 from Community Investment Funding to the Crisis Response Fund and authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to approve, issue and enter into agreements for Crisis Response Fund allocations.

3.  City Council allocate $16,670 to the Local Champions Pilot to continue the program to the end of the year and to realign the funding term to the calendar year.

4.  City Council allocate $155,000 to operate the Rexdale Community Hub Board of Management for one year.

5.  City Council allocate $50,000 to the Toronto Aboriginal Social Services Council to build the capacity of their member organizations as they play a key role in guiding and enabling the City's work with the Indigenous Community.

6.  City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to reallocate 2017 Community Investment Fund to eligible community organizations during the funding period.

7.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to report back to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on any reallocation of 2017 Community Investment Fund as part of the 2018 grants allocation recommendations report.

A comprehensive review of five Investment Fund grant programs, in consultation with the not-for-profit sector, was conducted over 2016/17. City Council approved the resulting three new grant programs in March, 2017: Community Projects and Events grants, Neighbourhood Micro Grants (rebranded to Neighbourhood Grants), and Capacity Building grants and several process improvements to grant administration. 

The new framework merges the previous five grant programs into three that will better support new and emerging groups, enhance sector resilience, encourage resident engagement and leadership development, and advance Council-approved social development strategies. Activities supported by former grant programs are still eligible for funding. The existing Community Crisis Response Fund was incorporated into the new grant framework as a component of the Neighbourhood Grant program.

The streamlined grant process significantly improved response time: Applicants are informed of the outcome of their application within one-month compared to the previous average of four months. The process increased the percentage of grassroots groups (groups with less than $249,000 in annual operating funding) short-listed. The new process also doubled the approval rate of organizations that submitted full proposals, now averaging 57 percent.

This report recommends the following 2017 allocations from Community Investment Fund under the new grant framework:

-  Community Projects and Events: Of the two hundred and two (202) eligible Letters of Intent submitted by community groups to the new Community Projects & Events grant program, sixty three (63) were shortlisted by City staff to proceed to the full application stage of the grant process. Thirty-six (36) proposals are recommended for funding by a grant review panel for a funding total of $703,806.

-  Neighbourhood Grant: A reallocation of an additional $60,000 to the Crisis Response Fund, created last year as a response to the heightened incidences of violence, for a total funding commitment from the City in 2017 of $110,000 to meet current community demand.

-  Capacity Building: $16,670 to the Local Champions Pilot, a certificate/college credit training program for residents from Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and Emerging Neighbourhoods to advance the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 and the Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy. A report on the future funding of this pilot will be submitted for Council approval in November, 2017.

-  Capacity Building: $155,000 allocation to operate the Rexdale Community Hub.

-  Capacity Building: $50,000 allocation to Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council to build the capacity of Indigenous organizations to take part in meaningful engagement and service planning with the City in support of the City's Statements of Commitment.
 

Grants help the City of Toronto achieve its social, economic and cultural goals for its residents. The City's goals are better achieved by supporting the work of organizations that are closer to the communities they serve.