Recreation Grants Policy — full text

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POLICY #2022-04-52 MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF PICTOU RECREATION GRANT POLICY 1) PURPOSE a) To establish equitable guidelines for Council Members and Municipal Staff for the distribution of funds to the not-for-profit sector and charitable organizations in the community for recreation purposes. 2) AUTHORITY a) Authority is provided under Section 65, Municipal Government Act, as amended. 3) OBJECTIVES a) To identify on an annual basis the amount of funding that the Municipality will provide in grants. b) To establish a process for applying for grant money which is fair and consistently applied, as well as a process by which the Municipality will consider grant requests. c) To identify criteria upon which grant applications will be evaluated. 4) FUNDING AGREEMENTS a) The Municipal Council may enter into special funding agreements with groups or organizations to provide multi-year commitments. i) The agreement will be ratified by municipal council by way of motion. ii) The agreement shall define the base level of funding to be provided for each of the fiscal years. iii) No agreement shall exceed a term that extends beyond the subsequent council term. b) Once an agreement is executed the organization will not need to apply for funding during the term of the agreement and the funding will be processed through the annual budget process not the grant program. 2 5) GRANTS a) The Municipal Council may grant funds to community organizations/individuals from its annual operating fund for: i) Community Recreation Program Operating Grant: To assist community organization in development or delivery of recreation programming or leadership development. - Start-up Grants: A community group may receive on a one-time basis up to $350 to assist a new community organization with expenses relating to the establishment of the organization. It can also be used towards a new program for an existing group. - Community Recreation Program Grant: The Municipal Council may grant up to $750 to a community organization that provides summer recreation programming for the residents of Pictou County. o In order to qualify for funding the organization must provide summer staff for their programs. - Leadership: The Municipality recognizes the value that volunteers, and community leaders play in our communities and that building their capacity builds strong and viable communities. This grant may be used to pay for training individuals or community groups that develop leadership. o Applicants are eligible for up to 50 percent of the cost of training to a maximum of $300. o Requests in the amount of $300 or less shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. o Requests in excess of $300 shall be referred to the Financial Services Committee. Prior to a decision being made by the Financial Services Committee, staff shall prepare a report on the status of the budget remaining in the program. - Annual Operating Assistance: Assists with the general operating expenses of an organization or a specific recreation program. 3 ii) District Grants: District grants must be awarded by March 31st of the fiscal year in which the funds are allocated. - Each District Councillor is allotted $150 per fiscal year to be distributed for recreational purposes in their District. - Applications for District Grants shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. iii) Major Community Recreation Capital: to assist with the creation, expansion or improvement of a community facility generally in excess of $10,000. - Manses are not eligible for this grant. - Church halls may be considered for funding if the hall: o operates primarily for community, culture and diversity benefit. o provides programs that serve a broader community and not strictly the organization's membership. o Applicants must demonstrate the use of these types of spaces through demonstrated calendar bookings, event flyers, etc. - The municipality may provide up to 40 percent of the project cost, which does not include in-kind. - Organization has not received major community recreation capital funding in the previous three (3) years. - The deadline for applications for the April 1st to March 31st fiscal year is the last working day of February of the preceding fiscal year. iv) Community Recreation Capital: The Municipal Council may allocate a portion of its recreation programming grants to provide funding to assist groups who wish to construct or renovate their facilities, which will enhance programs or services for the residents of Pictou County. Consideration will also be given to requests to purchase machinery and or equipment not normally purchased through operating funds. 4 - The maximum allotment for the grant is 50 percent of the cost of the project, up to a maximum of $1,000. - Organizations may only receive funding once every three years. v) Youth Travel: The Municipality offers a youth travel grant to assist individuals, teams or groups with travel to National Competitions or competitions outside of the province in sport or cultural or educational events. - Youth is defined as an individual who is attending elementary or secondary educational institutions and is a resident of the Municipality of the County of Pictou. - The grant shall be for $100 per person to a maximum of $1,000 per team. - Applications for youth travel shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. - At a least once per quarter, the Council shall be informed of awards under this portion of the grants program. - No approval in excess of the budgeted amount shall be approved administratively without the consent of the Municipal Council. vi) Sponsorship: The Municipality will offer advertising or fundraising to local, not for profit organizations for the promotion of events, programs that offer a direct benefit to the residents of the Municipality. - Requests are processed on a first come first serve basis. - Requests in the amount of $300 or less shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. - Requests in excess of $300 shall be referred to the Financial Services Committee. Prior to a decision being made by the Financial Services Committee, staff shall prepare a report on the status of the budget remaining in the program. - Maximum funding that any group may receive is $500 per fiscal year. vii) Tournament Sponsorship: The Municipal Council may provide funding to tournaments in accordance with the terms. 5 - For sponsoring groups to host a Provincial Tournament in Pictou County a grant of $250 may be made payable to assist with tournament expenses, where one or more players from the Municipality is a member of the host team. - For sponsoring groups to host a National or International Tournament in Pictou County, a grant of $500 may be made payable to assist with tournament expenses where one or more players from the Municipality is/are a member of the host team. - For greater certainty a Provincial, National, or International Tournament referenced in Section 4(h)(ii) and 4(h)(iii) shall be defined as a tournament that determines the overall position of a champion, teams or individuals in a sport or event for the given year or season. viii) Participant funding High Cost Programs: The Municipal Council may subsidize the cost of recreation programming provided by sports organization who use major recreation facilities (High Cost Funding) and provide recreation programs to the residents of the County of Pictou. - High Cost Funding for the high cost programs will be calculated at a rate of $25 per County participant. - The minimum grant allotment to any organization will be $100. - The maximum grant allotment to any organization will be $8,000 in a fiscal year. - Applications for High Cost Funding shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. - At a least once per quarter, the Council shall be informed of awards under this portion of the grants program. - No approval in excess of the budgeted amount shall be approved administratively without the consent of the Municipal Council. - A group shall only receive funding once per fiscal year. ix) Participant Funding Low Cost Programs: The Municipal Council may subsidize the costs of recreation programming provided by sports 6 organizations that provide low costs programs to the residents of Pictou County. - Funding for low costs programs will be calculated at the rate of $10.00 per County participant. - The minimum grant allotment to any organization will be $100. - Applications for Low Cost Funding shall be approved by the Chief Administrative Officer or designate. - At a least once per quarter, the Council shall be informed of awards under this portion of the grants program. - No approval in excess of the budgeted amount shall be approved administratively without the consent of the Municipal Council. - A group shall only receive funding once per fiscal year. 6) REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY a) Grants approved for $1,000 and below will not be required to report on how the money was spent in accordance with this section. Program Grants will not be required to report, but all other grants in excess of $1,000 will be required. b) All grant recipients have until January 31st to submit their reporting form and documentation to demonstrate the grant was spent and in accordance with the terms of funding. c) In the event that the project is completed without requiring the full use of the grant allocated by the Municipality, then the unspent portion shall be returned to the Municipality. d) Failure to report may result in ineligibility for further grant funding. e) In rare circumstances, an applicant's eligibility may be suspended for a specified time period for misappropriation of funds, failure to report, or misrepresentation. 7) REPEAL All former policies with respect to recreation grants, including Policy #2019-05-52, are hereby repealed.