SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
JULY 31, 1997
POLICY REPORT
FINANCE
Date: July 8, 1997
File No: SP070797
CC File: 2005
TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM: Director of Community Services Division and Director, Office
of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT: 1997 Capital Grant Allocations
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve 11 Capital Grants, totalling $65,250, as
listed in Appendix A, including conditions on the grants, where
noted.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services submits the foregoing for
Council's CONSIDERATION.
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 1997-1999 Capital Plan included provision for a Capital Grant
program for social service and cultural projects in facilities which are
not owned by the City.
Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report contains recommended allocations for the 1997 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. Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Firehall Theatre),
and capital grants to organizations located in their own (or leased)
premises.
Council approved an allocation of $500,000 for Capital Grants in the
1997-1999 Capital Plan. On May 7, 1997, Council approved an allocation
of $100,000 in the Capital Budget for this year's Capital Grants.
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.
Following Council's approval of the $100,000 budget allocation in May
1997, a preliminary application form, along with a copy of the criteria
and guidelines, was sent to Community Service and Cultural grant
applicants who own or lease spaces and who had expressed an interest in
the Capital Grants program. As the budget was half that of the previous
three years, staff did not undertake a general mailing and did not
encourage applications from large projects.
A total of 14 organizations returned completed preliminary applications.
One organization did not meet the basic eligibility criteria for Capital
Grants and was so advised. Full application forms were then sent to the
remainder. A total of 13 applications, requesting a total of $145,951
were submitted The front pages of the application forms are attached to
this report as Appendix D
Staff evaluated the applications first on basis of the basic criteria,
and then in terms of the following priorities:
Appropriateness, public benefits, effectiveness, quality and
potential improvement of services;
Financial need;
Cost of service;
Accessibility for the broad community; and
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 support given to applicants in
determining grant allocations including support received from the City
by way of non-market land leases and/or through property tax exemptions.
The following applicants receive such benefits:
Norman Rothstein Theatre (through the Jewish Community Centre)
Harbourview Day Care (through the Park Board)
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House (property tax exemption only)
St. James Daycare (property tax exemption only)
Vancouver Oral Centre (through Sunny Hill Hospital)
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:
As in the past, one-half of the grant will be paid at the start of the
project, subject to any conditions having been met and the applicant
having received all of the necessary approvals and permits, and the
remaining half be paid when the work has been completed, as determined
by the Director of Community Services Division and Director, Office of
Cultural Affairs.
To ensure that the funds are used as proposed, all grant recipients will
be required to submit a report within 60 days of completion of the
project, outlining project revenues and expenditures and noting
specifically how the City grant was spent.
As in the past, 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 $3.4 million dollars worth of renovations, upgrading,
facility acquisition, and new construction of cultural and social
service facilities will happen in 1997.
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 A
Total
Applicant Budget Requested
Recommended
Artspeak Gallery 1 $ $ $
200,000 48,000 20,000
Harbourview Day Care $ $ $
22,503 15,002 6,100
Immigrant Services $ $ $
Society of BC 15,000 5,000 3,500
Kits Neighbourhood House $ $ $
3,683 1,228 1,100
Moberley Park Preschool 2 $ $ $
4,468 1,500 1,350
Rothstein Theatre $ $ $
9,120 3,040 1,200
St. James Daycare $ $ $
30,000 10,000 0
Unit/Pitt Society $ $ $
40,000 6,000 0
Vancouver Co-op Radio $ $ $
22,500 7,500 1,300
Vancouver Oral Centre 3 $ $ $
3,000,000 35,000 25,000
Volunteer Grandparents $ $ $
2,742 914 900
VON Richmond-Vancouver $ $ $
14,810 10,367 2,400
Western Institute for the $ $ $
Deaf 7,187 2,400 2,400
$ $ $
3,372,013 145,951 65,250
Subject to:
1. the confirmation of the balance of the funds and financing
necessary to complete the purchase to the satisfaction of the
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs.
2. the confirmation of Provincial funding to the satisfaction of the
City s Childcare
Co-ordinator.
3. the receipt of a copy of a nominal-rate lease confirming the
benefit of the City-owned land to the society from Sunny Hill
Hospital.
APPENDIX B
Grants Recommended:
Artspeak Gallery
Staff recommend a grant of $20,000 in support of plans to purchase and
fit-up a permanent gallery. While a grant of $37,000 has been confirmed
by the Vancouver Foundation, staff recommend that the City grant be
subject to the confirmation of the balance of the funds and financing
necessary to complete the purchase to the satisfaction of the Director,
Office of Cultural Affairs.
Harbourview Daycare
Staff recommend a grant of $6,100 and have facilitated a special
request to the Provincial Child Care Branch for a contribution of
another $6,100.
Immigrant Services Society
Staff recommend a grant of $3,500, which represents 1/3 of the cost of
the proposed renovations to the reception centre. Almost half of the
applied-for funding was to be used to purchase furniture, which is not
an eligible expense for the City's Capital Grants program.
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House
A grant of $1,100 is recommended to assist the organization to install a
new wheelchair ramp.
Moberly Park Preschool
Staff recommend a grant of $1,350 as a one third contribution towards
the costs of renovating a church basement to make the space licensable
for child care. Moberly Park Preschool is being forced to relocate
because the Vancouver School Board can no longer promise long term
tenure at the Moberly Park School site.
Norman Rothstein Theatre
A grant of $1,200 is recommended to support the purchase and
installation of a front-of-house paging system and dance floor for the
Norman Rothstein Theatre. The applicant also proposed the construction
of a concession stand which was not deemed to be a priority for funds at
this time.
Vancouver Co-op Radio
Staff recommend a grant of $1,300 in support of the construction of a
permanent sound studio to house newly acquired equipment. The equipment
portion of the request which is ineligible for funds through this
program, has been fully funded by the Canada Council.
Vancouver Oral Institute
There is insufficient funding available in the Capital Grants budget to
make a significant contribution to the costs of constructing the new
Vancouver Oral Centre (VOC) facility. However, as was done in previous
years with similar large projects, staff re recommending a grant of
$25,000 which will indicate City support for the project and should help
to generate other funding sources which look to City commitments before
making their own grants. Staff recommend that a Capital Grant be
subject to confirmation that the VOC is leasing the land from SunnyHill
Hospital for a nominal rate which reflects the considerable benefit that
the City has already conferred on this site through the lease of the
City-owned land to SunnyHill for $1 per year.
VON Richmond-Vancouver
A grant of $2,400 is recommended to the VON Family Respite Centre to
improve accessibility to their facility which provides therapeutic,
recreational and social programs to cognitively impaired, physically
disabled, or frail, elderly adults.
Volunteer Grandparents
A grant of $900 is recommended to enable the renovation of their office
to make it suitable for current office technology - this will enable
them to deliver their services in a more effective and efficient manner.
Volunteer Grandparents has the required 2/3 funding on hand.
Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Staff recommend a grant of $2,400 to assist in the cost of sub-dividing
the existing Communication Resource Centre so that testing and
demonstration of audio devices, counselling and reception can occur
simultaneously without interference. A significant improvement in
service will result. The organization has more than $5,000 of its own
funds that can be made available for this project.
Grants Not Recommended:
St. James Daycare
Staff are not recommending a grant because the project, a playground
renovation, does not fit the capital grant priorities. Staff have
advised the daycare society of other potential sources of funding.
Unit/Pitt Society for Critical Awareness
The applicant has proposed several small projects for funding --
replacing the carpeting with tiles, providing a swing-arm monitor to a
multimedia workstation and the installation of grab bar in the washroom.
Repairs (floor tiles) are generally considered ineligible, as is
furniture (swing-arm platform). Of the estimates provided, only a $117.
washroom grab bar was deemed eligible and well within the funds already
received from the Hamber Foundation.