Item - 2018.CD28.3

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council approve allocations for the following Community Investment Funding (CIF) program, as recommended in Appendices A and B to the report (April 18, 2018) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, from the 2018 Approved Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration:

-  Total funding of $788,563 to twenty (20) community organizations for the Community Projects grant stream;

-  Total funding of $198,610 to twenty-two (22) community organizations for the Community Events grant stream;

-  A combined total of up to $112,800 be held for Appeals for Community Projects and Events grant streams.
 

2.  City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to allocate, issue and enter into agreements for up to $1,075,000 in Capacity Building Pilot Project grants through calls for proposals to selected proponents and open calls and to report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on awards made to the selected grant recipients for the following initiatives:

-  Strengthening Organizational Governance: a grant to improve the governance of for public benefit organizations by providing workshops and organization-specific training;

-  Strengthening Resident Engagement on Neighbourhood Planning Tables: a grant to enhance the engagement of residents in Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 (TSNS 2020) Neighbourhood Planning Tables (NPTs) by providing training for staff from the City and community agencies and residents from Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs) and Emerging Neighbourhoods;

-  Measuring Outcomes of Networks: a grant to support the implementation of a system for measuring the impact of networks and the implementation of Social Development, Finance and Administration deliverables;

-  Strengthening Trustee Practices: a grant to convene for public benefit organizations that are trusteeing grassroots/emerging groups, develop resources, provide training and to share trusteeship best practices;

-  Organizational Crisis Fund: one-time grants made to Community Service Partnership Grant Program-funded organizations that are in crisis. Funds will provide time-limited support to address the organization's most pressing challenges and develop a plan for moving forward;

-  Improving Representativeness of For Public Benefit Boards: a grant to increase the representation of diverse Black Torontonians on boards of directors for health and community organizations. The grantee will conduct outreach to recruit Black Torontonians who are interested in becoming board members, deliver governance training and then help trainees access board opportunities;

-  Supporting Black-led Community Organizations: a grant that will be developed collaboratively with leaders from Black led community organizations who will identify how best to strength their organisations using a time-limited capacity building grant.
 

3.  City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to allocate, issue and enter into agreements for up to $125,000 in Community Investment Fund grants through calls for proposals to selected proponents and to report to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on awards made to the selected grant recipients for the following initiatives:

-     Scattered Housing Tenants' Network: a time limited grant to develop at least one network to engage tenants of Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) scattered housing and to develop additional channels for communication among tenants, and between tenants and City staff, as scattered houses are transferred to for public benefit providers;

-     Community Food Hub Feasibility: a grant to explore community food hub models in the Gerrard Street and Coxwell Avenue area that promote access to food and support broader community initiatives. The project will also explore a governance structure and develop a sustainable business model to support the hub.

4.  City Council invite from Rexdale Community Hub Board of Management (RCHBOM) and the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) applications to the Community Service Partnership Grant Program (CSP) and, pending approval of the applications from RCHBOM and TASSC, that they be awarded $140,000 and $120,000 respectively for the remainder of the current 2018 grant cycle and be included in allocation recommendations for subsequent grant cycles.

5.  City Council approve an additional grant of $80,000 to East Scarborough Storefront TIDES to their current Community Service Partnership Grant Program allocation for their on-going work in supporting a Mornelle Court Co-ordinator.

6.  City Council provide Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration delegated authority to re-allocate or approve and disburse one-time grants to Council-approved Community Investment Funding grant programs and allocate Community Service Partnership grants during the election period while Council is in recess.

7.  City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to report back to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on the grants approved through delegated authority as part of the 2019 grants allocation recommendations report.

8. City Council authorize the  Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to receive and allocate money received from other funders in support of any of the capacity building pilot projects recommended in this report and to enter into agreements for the use of these funds.

City Council approved new grant programs in March, 2017: Community Projects and Events grants and Capacity Building pilot grants. This report recommends the following 2018 allocations for Projects and Events and Capacity Building pilot grants:

-  Community Projects and Events: Forty-two (42) proposals are recommended for funding by a grant review panel for a funding total of $987,173 and a combined total of $112,800 be held for Appeals (Recommendation 1);

-  Capacity Building: Seven (7) pilot projects are recommended for a total of $1,075,000 in funding (Recommendation 2).  
 

The report recommends:

-  Two (2) one-time projects are recommended for a total of $125,000 for two projects: one for building a Scattered (TCHC) tenants network and the other for the feasibility of developing a Community Food Hub (Recommendation 3);

-  Authorization to invite applications into the Community Services Partnership (CSP) Program and  allocations of $340,000 in funding from the Community Service Partnership Grant Program budget enhancement approved by Council in 2018 Operating Budget. The organizations to be invited are Rexdale Community Hub Board of Management and Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Coalition (Recommendation 4) and an existing Community Service Partnership Grant Program organization for co-ordination of activities at Mornelle Court (Recommendation 5);
 

Appendix C provides the list of reallocations and grants made through the delegated authority of the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration.

The Report also includes an overview of the Community Service Partnership Grant Program renewal process beginning in 2018 and continuing until 2020 outlining the engagement process, the eligibility review in 2019 and the application review in 2020. A detailed report on the Community Service Partnership Grant Program renewal process and recommendation for funding in the 2019-2022 period will come to Council in 2019.

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.