Item - 2021.EC21.3
Tracking Status
- City Council adopted this item on May 5, 2021 without amendments and without debate.
- This item was considered by the Economic and Community Development Committee on April 27, 2021 and adopted without amendment. It will be considered by City Council on May 5, 2021.
EC21.3 - Community Service Partnerships Grant Allocation Recommendations (2019-2022)
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted on Consent
- Wards:
- All
City Council Decision
City Council on May 5 and 6, 2021, adopted the following:
1. City Council approve the 2021 Community Service Partnerships allocation recommendations for 175 organizations totalling $17,338,720 from the 2021 Approved Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration as described in Appendix A to the report (April 12, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration.
2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to allocate the Community Service Partnerships funds until the end of the current four-year grant cycle on December 31, 2022.
3. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to reallocate or approve and disburse one-time Community Investment grants with funding allocation to be subject to the annual Budget process.
4. City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to report annually to the Economic and Community Development Committee on the grants approved through Parts 2 and 3 above.
Background Information (Committee)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-165762.pdf
Appendix A - List of Organizations Recommended to Receive Community Service Partnerships Funding in 2021
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-165763.pdf
Communications (Committee)
Communications (City Council)
EC21.3 - Community Service Partnerships Grant Allocation Recommendations (2019-2022)
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
- Wards:
- All
Committee Recommendations
The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:
1. City Council approve the 2021 Community Service Partnerships allocation recommendations for 175 organizations totalling $17,338,720 from the 2021 Approved Operating Budget for Social Development, Finance and Administration as described in Appendix A to the report (April 12, 2021) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration.
2. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to allocate the Community Service Partnerships funds until the end of the current four-year grant cycle on December 31, 2022.
3. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to reallocate or approve and disburse one-time Community Investment grants with funding allocation to be subject to the annual Budget process.
4. City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to report annually to the Economic and Community Development Committee on the grants approved through Recommendations 2 and 3 above.
Origin
Summary
Community funding can be an important tool to advance the City's commitment to reconciliation and equity. This report provides an overview of Social Development, Finance and Administration's work to advance reconciliation and equity through the use of Community Investment funding. Over the past three years, the division's Community Funding Unit has been taking intentional steps to update grant policy and grant making practices and make targeted investments into Indigenous-led and Black-Mandated organizations. This report provides an update on the Indigenous and Black-Mandated Funding Frameworks, both of which are being developed through co-design processes with community leaders and residents, supported by the Indigenous Affairs Office and the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, respectively.
Additionally, this report speaks to Social Development, Finance and Administration's work to fund for community impact through the Community Service Partnerships investment program.
In July 2019, Toronto City Council adopted the Community Service Partnerships Framework to ensure that, through a Renewal Process, all funded organizations would become aligned with shared outcomes and a strengthened definition of vulnerability to ensure grant funds are meeting the needs of Torontonians who are most vulnerable. Community Funding staff anticipated some shifts in the Community Service Partnerships portfolio. However, given the de-stabilizing impact of COVID-19 on the not-for-profit sector and the need to maintain as many organizations serving communities as possible, the review process has been narrowed to focus primarily on organizations and their ability to meet the required eligibility criteria. This report recommends funding approval for all current Community Service Partnerships organizations as a stability measure. The 175 organizations listed in Appendix A are recommended to receive investments totalling $17,338,720. This funding will support the delivery of 327 community-based programs designed to engage Torontonians who are vulnerable.
While all existing organizations in the portfolio have been recommended to continue receiving Community Service Partnerships funding, there are organizations who are not clearly demonstrating, with verifiable data, that they are serving vulnerable Torontonians, nor are they able to demonstrate through program indicators that they are likely to achieve the shared outcomes that are the basis of the Community Service Partnerships Framework. The report summarizes the plans to address these shortcomings through enhanced monitoring and support to assist groups to meet these standards.
Increasing demonstrable commitment to reconciliation and equity in the City of Toronto requires a re-examination of groups receiving City funding. This will include considering whether the Community Service Partnerships portfolio is reflective of current trends in Toronto that may contribute to vulnerability, including immigration and health trends. Community Funding staff will also identify program models that no longer fit in the portfolio and identify alternative options for future support of this work.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-165762.pdf
Appendix A - List of Organizations Recommended to Receive Community Service Partnerships Funding in 2021
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2021/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-165763.pdf