SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
JULY 25, 1996
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: May 25, 1996
File No: SP05
TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM: Director of Community Services, Social Planning and
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT: 1996 Capital Grant Allocations
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve 10 Capital Grants, totalling $297,500, as
listed in Appendix A, including conditions on the grants, where
noted.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of
the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
In 1987, City Council adopted "Criteria and Guidelines for Capital
Grants". Included in these was the stipulation that the City grant
for a project is not to exceed one-third of the total project cost.
The 1994-1996 Capital Plan included provision for a Capital Grant
program for social service and cultural projects in facilities which
are not owned by the City.
PURPOSE
This report contains recommended allocations for the 1996 Capital
Grant program.
BACKGROUND
For many years, the City has provided support for cultural and social
service facilities through a number of mechanisms including: direct
provision of facilities like Carnegie and the Vancouver Civic
Theatres, capital budget allocations to organizations operating out of
City-owned facilities (i.e., Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House,
Firehall Theatre), and capital grants to organizations located in
their own (or leased) premises.
Council approved an allocation of $626,000 for Capital Grants in the
1994-1996 Capital Plan. On May 14, 1996, Council approved an
allocation of $222,000 in the Capital Budget for this year's Capital
Grants.
There remained $3,953 unallocated in 1994 and $59,658 unallocated in
1995. As well, two grants approved in 1995 will not be released. One
organization, Gastown Studio Theatre was able to acquire the requested
theatre seats from an alternate source at no cost, and the second
organization, Fend Players terminated their lease and no longer
occupies a permanent venue. Staff are therefore seeking Council s
direction to reallocate the $12,000 associated with these two projects
to the 1996 allocation of $222,000 for a total budget of $297,611.
On January 19, 1995, City Council approved a grant of $100,000 to the
Arts Club Theatre of Vancouver Society and Vancouver TheatreSports
League, now formally structured as the Stanley Theatre Society, to
assist in the property acquisition and rehabilitation costs of the
Stanley Theatre project; funds to be disbursed as grants of $50,000
per year over two years, subject to securing the necessary development
approvals, and subject to securing the balance of the capital funding
to the satisfaction of the Director, Office of Cultural Affairs. The
source of funds is to be the Capital grant budget (50%) and the
Supplementary Capital Budget (50%); $25,000 has been included in the
1996 Capital Grant allocation.
With the allocation of the $297,500 recommended in this report, there
will remain an unallocated balance of $111.
DISCUSSION
Capital Grants Process
City Council adopted criteria and guidelines for Capital Grants in
1987. These were amended in 1994 to reflect recent changes in the
program (i.e., grants are only for facilities not-owned by the City;
only social service and cultural facilities are eligible). Revised
criteria and guidelines are attached to this report as Appendix C.
In March 1996, a preliminary application form along with a copy of the
criteria and guidelines, was sent to Community Service and Cultural
grants applicants who own or lease spaces, as well as other community
groups who had expressed an interest in the Capital Grants program. A
total of 17 organizations returned completed preliminary applications.
Three of these did not meet the basic eligibility criteria for Capital
Grants and were so advised. Full application forms were then sent to
the remainder. Four applicants withdrew or did not submit full
applications. A total of 11 applications, requesting a total of
$722,293 were submitted to Social Planning (See Appendix D).
Staff evaluated the applications first on basis of the basic criteria,
and then in terms of the following priorities:
1) Appropriateness, public benefits, effective-
ness, quality and potential improvement of
services;
2) Financial need;
3) Cost of service;
4) Accessibility for the broad community; and
5) Confirmed financial support from other sources.
Facilities Development staff participated in the grant review process
to review the cost estimates and have recommended adjustments where
appropriate.
Staff also review the various forms of capital and operating support
given to applicants in determining grant allocations. Several
organizations receive or have received support from the City through
land leases (Chinese Cultural Centre and SUCCESS) or through property
tax exemptions (Jewish Community Centre, Chinese Cultural Centre and
SUCCESS).
The review process culminated in the recommended grant allocations
attached as Appendix A. The rationale for each recommendation is
included in this report as Appendix B.
Accountability and Recognition
To facilitate the payment of grants, the disbursement procedure
established in 1994 will be continued. One-half of the grant will be
paid at the start of the project, subject to any conditions having
been met, and the remaining half be paid when the work has been
completed, as determined by the Director of Social Planning.
To ensure that the funds are used as proposed, all grant recipients
will be required to submit a report to Social Planning within 60 days
of completion of the project, outlining project revenues and
expenditures and noting specifically how the City grant was spent.
As in 1994 and 1995, staff are recommending that grant recipients be
required to acknowledge the City contribution in any situation where
project funding is officially recognized by the organization (i.e., in
annual reports, brochures, plaques, etc.).
CONCLUSION
Approval of the recommended Capital grants will help to ensure that
approximately $23 million worth of renovations, upgrading, and new
construction of cultural and social service facilities will happen in
1996.
This Capital Grant program is an excellent example of one of the ways
in which the City can work with non-profit organizations to maintain
and improve the cultural and social service infrastructure in
Vancouver.
* * * * *
APPENDIX B
Page 1 of 3
GRANTS RECOMMENDED
Arts Umbrella
Staff recommend a grant of $72,000 to assist with the addition of
25,000 sq.ft. of classroom and performance space to the Granville
Island facility. The $4.2 million project incorporates "new
technology" which will enable studies on and off-site, through
distance learning, in new forms of art creation. The grant is
conditional on all other required funding as detailed in the grant
application being secured.
Association of Neighbourhood Houses -
Kits Neighbourhood House
Staff recommend a grant of $4,000 to assist with re-orienting the
front door and lobby to create a more usable entrance and program
space. The Board has secured the balance of the required funding.
Bard on the Beach
Staff recommend a grant of $10,000 towards the purchase of a new 4,400
sq.ft. tent which will enable the company to present more daytime
performances during their annual Shakespearean Festival in Vanier
Park. The grant is conditional on confirmation of acceptance by the
Park Board of the placement of the structure within Vanier Park.
Downtown Eastside Residents Association
Staff recommend a grant of $4,000 toward eligible renovation expenses
for DERA's new, accessible office space.
Jewish Community Centre
Staff recommend a grant of $50,000 towards the final phase of the
J.C.C.'s expansion project. While this amount is modest relative to
their total capital budget, J.C.C. receives significant assistance
through property tax exemption, and Council approved a capital grant
of $10,000 to the J.C.C. in 1994.
Appendix B
Page 2 of 3
GRANTS RECOMMENDED (Continued)
Kettle Friendship Centre
Staff recommend a grant of $50,000 to assist with the construction of
the Society's new drop-in/social service centre. This is a heavily
used service and the old location has long been in need of
replacement. The total project cost is $863,195, of which $760,000
has now been secured by the Board.
St. James Community Centre
Staff recommend a grant of $7,500 to assist with the acoustic
separation of two large rooms within the community centre so that they
may be used simultaneously by resident cultural and social service
community groups, primarily by the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Housing and Properties staff expressed concern about the method of
acoustic isolation proposed, and therefore staff recommend that this
grant be conditional upon securing an acceptable acoustic proposal.
SUCCESS
Staff recommend a grant of $72,000 to assist with the development of
the SUCCESS social service centre. The Society has now raised $2.9
million of the total $5 million budget. The grant is conditional on
all other required funding as detailed in the grant application being
secured.
West Side Family Place
Staff recommend a grant of $3,000 to assist with needed replacement of
fencing and interior work to provide safer and more usable program
space. The grant is conditional on all other required funding as
detailed in the application being secured.
Appendix B
Page 3 of 3
GRANTS NOT RECOMMENDED
Arts Club Theatre
Staff support the proposed renovations to the Arts Club mainstage
venue; however, given the number of large requests to a limited
Capital Grant budget, and given the significant support already
committed through 1995 and 1996 Capital Grants to the Stanley Theatre
project, which is jointly owned by the Arts Club Theatre, staff do not
recommend a grant at this time.
D.E.Y.A.S.- Back Alley Drop In
(Incomplete application)
Chinese Cultural Centre
The applicants are planning a museum, an archival library, classrooms
and retail stores as the final phase of the Chinese Cultural Centre.
While staff understand that the Chinese community may have perceived
the need to develop their own institution, we believe that given the
City's limited capital resources, and given the City's recent
commitment to the revitalization of the Vancouver Museum, staff
believe that the City's resources should be directed to ensuring that
the civic museum serves the whole community.
* * * * *