Donations, Funding & Grants Policy

Southgate, Ontario

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Page 1 of 4 T O W N S H I P O F S O U T H G A T E A D M I N I S T R A T I O N C E N T R E Policy #3 Grant/Donation Policy Approved by Council on: April 4, 2018 By-law 2018-043 Policy for Donations, Funding & Grants PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to set guidelines for dealing with requests for donation, funding and grants from individuals, groups and/or community organizations. DEFINITIONS: "Donation" means a request for financial support of up to $500.00 from a not-for- profit community groups or organization for operational dollars to run their annual activities and events. "Funding" means a request for one time financial support received in writing from a not-for-profit community group or organization for a specific capital project where Council may consider approving 50% matching funding where there is demonstrated benefit to the public. "Grant" means a request for financial support received in writing from a not-for- profit community group or organization for a capital project or service delivery event/program. Council may consider approving up to 100% of the funding request where there is demonstrated benefit to the Township of Southgate that supports the delivery of municipal services or that demonstrates an important benefit to the community. POLICY STATEMENT: The Township of Southgate benefits from the support of Community Volunteer Organizations, Individuals or Groups that provide a service to the community or represent the Community at events. Accordingly, Council adopts the following policies. This policy does not apply to requests for financial support from Hospitals. The Township of Southgate Donation, Funding and Grant Application (Schedule A) attached must be filled out and submitted to receive consideration for financial support. Applicants are welcome to submit additional documentation that will assist in describing the project or activity. 1. Donation Requests: 1.1 The Township of Southgate will accept and review Requests for Donation applications once per calendar year for the financial period of January to December which is the Township's fiscal year. The application deadline shall be December 1st for donation requests for the following fiscal year. 1.2 All Donation applications received by the application deadline will be evaluated by the Treasurer against this policy and the Township's operating budget. Applications received after the deadline date will be considered only if any money is remaining in the budget, based on the date received and meeting the Donation criteria in section 1.5 below. Page 2 of 4 1.3 A staff recommendation, including approval or rejection and the suggested amount of the donation will be forwarded to Council within 30 days following budget approval each year for their review and approval. 1.4 Applicants will be notified of their application status within 14 days following Council's decision. 1.5 During the evaluation process the following criteria will be utilized to justify donation request outcomes: - Consideration will be given to the total number of people reached by the requested donation. - A higher weighting will be given to those donations that serve a larger number of the Township's citizens. - Higher weighting will be given to organizations/activities with a high ratio of fundraising or self-finance. - Higher ratings will be given to organizations with an established history of service to the community. - The Township will not fund projects or services that duplicate services or activities already provided by the Township or other government agencies. - The Township will not fund school activities which are already supported through school tax levy. - The Township will not fund entertainment or social functions with no direct tangible benefit to the Township of Southgate. - Not-for-profit organizations or groups shall provide prior year financial reports by the first day of March of the following year to the Township Treasurer to provide assurance the funds are historically used for their intended purposes as part of Council's consideration and final approval. 2. Funding and Grant Requests: 2.1 The Township of Southgate will accept and review requests for Funding and Grant applications throughout the calendar year from not-for-profit groups or service delivery organizations for support of capital projects or the service delivery of programs that meet criteria as defined in the definitions section of this policy. 2.2 All Funding and Grant requests received by the Township will be presented to Southgate Council where it is demonstrated that they are a not-for-profit group or service delivery organization based on the following criteria: i. A history of providing a benefit to the Township of Southgate; ii. Providing a community service within the municipality; iii. Annually organize public events in the Township seen as a benefit and value to the general public. 2.3 All Funding and Grant applications approved will receive financial support out of the Community Reserve Funds, which the Township of Southgate receives from the Eco-Park Royalties and the Samsung Solar, subject annually to the availability within the reserve fund that best fits the project and community being served. Page 3 of 4 SCHEDULE "A" The Township of Southgate Donation, Funding & Grant Application Financial request for: Donation Funding Grant Applicant: Contact & Address: Telephone/Fax/Email: Requested Amount: $ Outline the mission, purpose and objectives of your organization: Outline the purpose for which the grant, donation or funding will be used, if approved. Provide details: ie: project or event description, time frame, community benefits to the Township of Southgate. Please provide the number of citizens that will participate and/or benefit from this project: Please provide the number of Southgate Residents that will participate and/or benefit from this project: Page 4 of 4 Application Terms & Conditions: "Donation" means a request for financial support of up to $500.00 from a not-for- profit community groups or organization for operational dollars to run their annual activities and events. "Funding" means a request for one time financial support received in writing from a not-for-profit community group or organization for a specific capital project where Council may consider approving 50% matching funding where there is demonstrated benefit to the public. "Grant" means a request for financial support received in writing from a not-for-profit community group or organization for a capital project or service delivery event/program. Council may consider approving up to 100% of the funding request where there is demonstrated benefit to the Township of Southgate that supports the delivery of municipal services or that demonstrates an important benefit to the community. In the event that a donation, funding or grant is awarded, the applicant agrees to the following: 1. The funds will be used for the purposes described in this application; and 2. To inform the Township of Southgate if the Funding or Grant capital or program delivery project is delayed or changed substantially for any reason; 3. Should the community event be cancelled that any financial support received by the applicant will be returned to the Township of Southgate within 30 days of cancellation; and 4. Should the capital or program Funding or Grant project not get completed or proceed that the applicant will return the funds awarded for the proposed project within 30 days of the decision not to proceed with the project; and 5. That within 60 days of the event(s) or project completion that a letter is sent to the Township of Southgate reporting the completion date and final invested costs to confirm the municipal Funding or Grant has been fully spent. If any funds remain unspent they must be returned to the municipality with the letter. Mandatory Application Requirements: 1. Prior to application approval date by Council, all not-for-profit groups requesting a Donation shall provide a copy of their organization's most recent financial statement. 2. I agree to the terms and conditions outlined above. The information contained in this application is to the best of my knowledge, true and correct. I acknowledge that the contents of the application could be discussed in an open Council meeting. Signature of Applicant Date Signature of Applicant Date