AGENDA ITEM NO. 8A CITY OF SIMI VALLEY MEMORANDUM May 4, 2015 TO: City Council FROM: Department of Community Services SUBJECT: AWARD OF FY 2015-16 COMMUNITY PROJECTS GRANT FUNDS STAFF RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council award the $150,000 in Community Projects Grant funding for FY 2015-16 to the Simi Valley YMCA ($47,650), the Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley ($35,000), and the Interface Children & Family Services ($55,000) submissions for a total award amount of $137,650. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The Community Services Department is recommending the YMCA proposal be funded at $47,650, the Boys & Girls Club proposal be funded at $35,000, and the Interface Children & Family Services be funded at $55,000 due to meeting the criteria and representing a one-time capital cost. If these three proposals are funded, the City Council could either fund one of the other proposals in an identified need (Youth and Supportive Services were categorized as the priority areas) with the remaining $12,350, or hold the remaining funding for any unusual circumstances in the coming year. If the City Council determines not to fund as recommended, I recommend that the City Council establish a priority of funding and establish a two-person City Council subcommittee to bring back an alternative recommendation. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW On May 9, 2011, the City Council approved executing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and Waste Management related to the expansion of the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center. The executed MOU provides annual funding of $150,000 for community projects and programs to be awarded at the discretion of the City Council. On December 1, 2014, the City Council established eligibility criteria and directed staff to conduct a competitive process to award the FY 2015-16 funds in the amount of $150,000. A total of 37 funding submissions meeting eligibility requirements were received totaling $1,720,662 in program and project requests for the $150,000 available. Unfortunately, the number of deserving organizations, community needs, and valuable services greatly exceed the available funding. However, the volume of applications demonstrates the wealth of resources and services available within the community to address the varied needs. SR2Admin/4-15 2 The MOU was initially proposed to provide $75,000 annually each to fund the operation and maintenance of the Under One Roof project and to the Simi Valley Education Foundation to be used for classroom educational benefits. For FY 2012-13 and FY 2013-14, the City Council directed that the funds be awarded to the Free Clinic of Simi Valley and the Simi Valley Community Foundation, in the annual amounts of $50,000 and $100,000, respectively. For FY 2014-15, the City Council awarded $15,000 to the Samaritan Center and $67,500 each to the Simi Valley Education Foundation and the Free Clinic of Simi Valley. The City Council established the following eligibility criteria for the FY 2015-16 funding cycle: Incorporated 501(c)(3) Disclosure of Headquarters Location Disclosure of Satellite Locations Single application per organization and/or Joint applications for non-duplicative scope Grant Awards o Minimum request - $25,000 o Maximum request - $150,000 o Direct costs only o Expenditure period: July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 Detailed scope of work including: o Benefit to Simi Valley o Ability to complete the project within the expenditure period o Community needs are being met o Direct cost detail The established eligibility criteria and selection process approved by the City Council allow for the applicants to self-identify and communicate the community’s needs. Community Services staff initiated a call for projects in late February, which was open to all non-profits serving Simi Valley, and hosted an applicant workshop in early March to explain the process. Representatives from 35 non-profit organizations attended the voluntary workshop, which illustrates the commitment from the non-profit sector to furthering their missions within the community. Organizations in attendance were encouraged to identify community needs and how their respective organizations would meet those needs in their submissions. Additionally, the workshop assisted in identifying potential partnerships, some of which have already come to fruition. The Community Projects Grant program has already indirectly benefited applicants who have not yet been awarded funds and will continue to do so through resource sharing and networking opportunities. FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES The non-profit organizations are a reflection of the values, interests, and needs of the community. Unfortunately, there are not sufficient available funds to award to all the deserving and needed programs, services, and projects. Therefore to assist the City Council in awarding the FY 2015-16 funds, the submissions have been grouped by the primary category of services or population served in the scope of work including the amount requested and whether it is to support new, expanded, or ongoing programs or SR2Admin/4-15 3 capital improvements/purchases. Additionally, organizations that noted an urgent financial need have been identified in the list below. Attachment A (page 6) reflects the application summary in a tabular format. After staff review of the 40 funding submissions received, a total of three submissions were excluded from consideration. Two were found to be duplicate submissions. One was submitted under another applicant as the fiscal agent without having its own tax identification number, and therefore was not eligible as a joint application and exceeded the single application allowed per organization. The remaining 37 applications (Attachment B, page 8), for a total of $1,720,662, have a minimum request of $25,000 and maximum request of $150,000. Some applicants’ submissions may fall in multiple categories but were identified by the primary category and listed alphabetically below and in Attachment A. Those submissions that identified a critical or urgent need have been noted below as well. Animals 1. Tiny Loving Canines, $25,000 for ongoing program 2. Wildlife Care of So Cal, $35,000 for ongoing program Arts 1. Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center Foundation, $25,000 for capital improvements 2. Simi Valley Cultural Association, $25,000 for expansion of programs and capital purchases Cultural 1. JR Jainclan Foundation, $150,000 for capital improvements Education 1. Chamber of Commerce Workforce Education Coalition with Royal High School, $44,580 for expansion of program 2. Simi Valley Adventist School, $70,000 for capital improvements 3. Simi Valley High School Music Boosters, $109,338 for capital improvements 4. Simi Valley High School Parent Teacher Student Association with Simi Valley High School, $61,031 for capital improvements Emergency Preparedness 1. American Red Cross, $35,000 with Simi Valley Unified School District for new program Law Enforcement 1. Forever Found, $28,192 for new program 2. Simi Valley Police Foundation, $25,000 for new and expanded programs 3. Ventura County K9 Search and Rescue, $42,000 for capital purchase Medical 1. Community Pregnancy Clinic, $25,000 for ongoing program, critical need 2. Free Clinic of Simi Valley, $25,000 for new program 3. Slice of Lime Foundation, $25,000 for ongoing program Military Support 1. For the Troops, $150,000 for ongoing program Resource and Referral 1. United Way of Ventura County, $150,000 for ongoing program Seniors 1. ACTION, $29,000 for ongoing and expanded programs SR2Admin/4-15 4 2. Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, $30,000 for new and ongoing programs, critical need 3. Long Term Care Services of Ventura County, $25,000 for ongoing programs Substance Abuse 1. Action Family Foundation, $48,000 for expanded program 2. Not One More, $71,000 for new program 3. Project SAFER Educational Foundation, $29,500 for expanded program 4. Reality Improv Connection (DBA Straight Up), $36,000 for expanded program Supportive Services 1. Interface Children & Family Services, $55,000 for capital improvements, critical need 2. Life After Brain Injury, $25,000 for new program 3. Many Mansions, $25,000 for expanded program 4. Serving Those in Need, Inc., $50,491 for ongoing program 5. The Samaritan Center, $25,000 for ongoing program 6. Villa Esperanza Services, $25,000 for ongoing program, critical need Sustainability 1. Church of the Living Christ, $25,000, for capital improvements Youth 1. Simi Valley YMCA, $47,650 for capital purchase 2. The Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley, $35,000 for capital improvements 3. United Parents, $25,000 for ongoing program 4. Ventura County Foster Parent Association, $25,000 for expanded program 5. Women of Substance and Men of Honor Inc., $38,880 for ongoing program Previously, the City Council awarded in the areas of capital improvement planning, and medical and supportive services for ongoing programs. Through the approved selection process of allowing the applicants to use their applications to identify community needs, staff has used the volume of applications to identify the categories with the greatest community need. Therefore, staff has identified that the areas of supportive services and youth demonstrate the greatest need for local funding. Due to the one-time expenditure and ongoing benefit associated with the capital purchase and improvement requests in these high need categories, it is recommended that the City Council select the Simi Valley YMCA ($47,650), the Boys & Girls Club of Simi Valley ($35,000), and the Interface Children & Family Services ($55,000) submissions for a total award amount of $137,650. The City Council could then hold the remaining $12,350 of grant funding for any unusual circumstances in the coming year. Alternatively, the City Council may identify additional community needs, urgent or emerging, and choose to fund submissions that meet those due to the critical necessity of the services or programs, similar to how it handled The Samaritan Center’s grant award during the FY 2014-15 funding cycle.