TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION REPORT: 2023 GRANTS IN AID

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION REPORT

TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: March 8, 2023 FROM: D. Christenson, Director of Finance MEETING DATE: March 14, 2023

2023 GRANTS IN AID

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee recommend that Council approve the 2023 grants in aid in accordance with Policy 1600-012 – Grants in Aid;

AND THAT the 2023-2027 Financial Plan include funding accordingly.

PURPOSE:

To consider applications for grants in aid in accordance with the Policy 1600-012 – Grants in Aid.

TIME CRITICAL:

Consideration of grants in aid is a part of the five-year financial planning process. Funding for grants that are approved in March 2023 will be included in the 2023-2027 Financial Plan bylaw that must be adopted by May 15, 2023.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Each year, Council considers approving grants in aid to assist not-for-profit societies and other non-profit and community organizations in achieving their objectives to benefit View Royal constituents. The 2023-2027 Financial Plan allocates $100,000 for 2023 grants in aid, as suggested by the grants in aid policy (#1600-012 Grants in Aid).

Attached to this report is a summary of all applications received to date (Schedule A – 2023 Grants in aid application summary), a listing of prior recipients who have not yet reapplied (Schedule B – Prior recipients with no current year request), and an assessment of each application against the policy criteria (Schedule C – Application criteria and assessment). Following these summaries are each of the applications, as cross-referenced with page numbers on Schedule A.

BACKGROUND:

The Grants in Aid policy (#1600-012, attached) provides guidance for the approval of grants in aid and suggests that an amount equal to 5% of View Royal’s share of the prior year’s funding received from Casino revenue be allocated to grants in aid. For 2023, this amount is $100,000. The policy also suggests that Council may approve up to 95% of the annual funding to applications received by the deadline date of March 1, and the balance allocated throughout the remainder of the year. For 2023, based on a total grants-in-aid budget of $100,000, the amount to be allocated to applications received by the deadline is $95,000.

The accompanying grants in aid applications package includes all applications received to date with a summary and assessment by staff. In the interest of going “paper-less”, this 280+ page package is provided electronically, with redacted phone numbers and email addresses.

DISCUSSION:

Schedule A – 2023 Grants in aid applications summary lists the applications received to date, segregated by whether the organization applied for a grant in the last two years or is a new applicant. Each listed applicant is cross-referenced with the page number range containing the submitted application. The total of all 2023 applications received in time for this report is $119,374, meaning that the program is oversubscribed by $24,374 based on 95% of the total budget allocation of $100,000. Council should note that $41,000 was previously approved by Council for crossing guards at School District No. 61 (item 1, page 7 of the attachment), leaving $59,000 remaining to be allocated.

Schedule B – Prior recipients with no current year request lists organizations that received grants in the last two years but for which applications for 2023 have not been received. This listing is provided for information and comparative purposes only.

Schedule C – Application criteria and assessment describes the various criteria set out by the policy and staff’s assessment of each application based on the criteria.

SUSTAINABILITY/CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS:

Impacts to sustainability or climate change will depend on the extent to which grants in aid are awarded to projects or programs that successfully achieve their stated objectives relating to sustainability or climate change.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

The 2023-2027 Financial Plan includes a total of $100,000 for 2023 grants in aid in accordance with the Grants in Aid policy amount based on prior year Casino revenue. If Council wishes to allocate grants that exceed this amount, a budget amendment for the authorized amount is required. Grants in aid are funded from the Casino reserve, and staff will advise if the proposed budget amendment would jeopardize other Casino-funded projects.

ALTERNATIVES:

Council may choose to award grants that in aggregate total more or less than the total suggested by the Grants in Aid policy and may defer the decision to any time later in the year, to the extent adequate funding is identified. Additionally, Council may indicate any conditions that must be met prior to disbursement of grant funds.

CONCLUSION:

Council may approve grants in aid to assist community groups to the extent allocated in the five-year financial plan. The grants-in-aid process, guided by Council’s policy, provides a systematic review of potential grantees in time to be included in the financial plan.

ATTACHMENTS:

• Policy #1600-012 Grants in Aid
• Schedule A 2023 Grants in Aid applications summary
• Schedule B Prior recipients with no current year request
• Schedule C Application criteria and assessment
• Grants in Aid applications Items 1 through 15 as listed on Schedule A