The Grants Ad Hoc Committee (GAC) met on March 4, 2010, at 8:34 a.m. in the 5th Floor Boardroom, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A, Brampton.

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* See text for arrivals
¨See text for departures

Councillor Moore presided.

1. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST - Nil

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION GAC-1-2010:

That the agenda for the March 4, 2010, Grants Ad Hoc Committee meeting be amended to include the Current List of Funded Agencies to be dealt with under Reports - Item 4.b;

And further, that the agenda for the March 4, 2010, Grants Ad Hoc Committee meeting be approved, as amended.

See also item 4.b

Chair Kolb requested that, for future meetings, the Current List of Funded Agencies should be appended to the Report of the Grants Ad hoc Committee meeting agendas so that Councillors are aware of the agencies that the Region of Peel is funding in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

3. DELEGATIONS/PRESENTATIONS - Nil

4. REPORTS

a) Community Investment Strategy - Community Programs Fund
Presentation by Sandra Solonik, Acting Manager, Community Services and Special Projects

Received

RECOMMENDATION GAC-2-2010:

That subsequent to the Community Programs Fund review and the recommendations of the Community Investment Strategy and Regional Audit, that the Grants Ad Hoc Committee support the following:

• Rename the Community Programs Fund to Community Investment Fund;
• Increase the 2011 Renewable Project Fund maximum to $35,000 (from $20,000);
• Annual Reserve contribution, equal to 10 per cent of the annual Multi-year Operational Fund budget, to offset the impact of future increases;
• Implementation of a Community Based Impact Fund to support grass roots community development, of up to $5,000 annually. This fund will include the Agricultural funding and Youth in Action Fund; and
• Provide a Results Based Accountability workshop for Grants Ad Hoc Committee and Council.

Councillor Mahoney arrived at 8:37 a.m .

Sandra Solonik provided an overview of the Community Investment Strategy – Community Programs Fund report.

Sandra Solonik outlined the 2009 local municipal funding budgets of neighbouring municipalities:

• Toronto , $45,332,000;
• Hamilton , $3,171,166;
• York , $3,300,000;

Chair Kolb asked if the local municipal funding budget for the Region of Peel was similar to the budgets of Toronto, Hamilton and York Region. Councillor Moore responded that Toronto and Hamilton are a blended upper and lower tier municipality which is different from the Region of Peel. However, York Region has more in common with the local municipal funding budget of the Region of Peel.

Councillor Mahoney stated that it would be helpful to know what Toronto, Hamilton and York Region invested as part of their local municipal funding budget. Sandra Solonik undertook to provide greater details on neighbouring local municipal funding budgets at the next meeting.

Sandra Solonik reported that the Community Programs Fund is made up of diversified funding streams, which allow the Region of Peel to support infrastructure; community programming; organizational capacity; innovation; youth empowerment and recession support.

Sandra Solonik provided further details on the funding streams included in the Community Programs Fund.

Sandra Solonik stated that the Renewable Project Fund provides community agencies with funds which enable them to develop new programs or services. This one-year funding provides flexibility to shift priorities on an annual basis and identify gaps in service. Currently the maximum funding amount for this project is $20,000. Staff recommend increasing this amount to $35,000 for 2011. Staff continue to review the 2007 and 2008 programs funded under the Renewable Project Fund and recommend that the application for 2011 funding open on April 1, 2010.

Sandra Solonik reported that the Multi-Year Operation Fund was established by the Region of Peel in 2004. This core three-year funding program was extended through 2010 by Regional Council. Operational funding from a regional government is rare; consequently, the Region is experiencing increased applications and financial requests through the program. Staff recommend a reserve be established to deal with the increase in demand for the funding through this program. The application process for 2011 through 2013 will open on April 1, 2010 and close on June 1, 2010. A review of the program is under way to develop an outcome measurement of community results. Data demonstrating the effectiveness of this funding can also be used to lobby for additional investments from the federal and provincial levels of government.

Sandra Solonik provided an overview of the Strengthening Organizational Effectiveness Fund (SOEF). The Region of Peel has recognized numerous agency challenges such as fundraising and leadership transition and through SOEF has helped agencies develop solutions to those challenges. The SOEF application process does not always identify a core agency issue. For that reason, staff recommend a Neutral Facilitator to assist organizations in identifying true areas of need and develop a more appropriate proposal for the SOEF grant. Additionally, staff will also develop an evaluation strategy that includes feedback from the grantee and the consultant, as well as, focus on how best to measure the impact of the SOEF grant.

Chair Kolb requested further information regarding the privacy of agencies applying for a SOEF grant, particularly with a Neutral Facilitator identifying specific challenges within the organization. Paul Willis, Director, Internal Audit responded that the privacy of the agencies involved in applying for a SOEF grant will be respected. The Neutral Facilitator does not need to examine the entire organization in order to assist them with identifying challenges. The focus of the Neutral Facilitator will be on how the funding provided by the Region of Peel will be used by the agency.

Sandra Solonik provided an overview of the Social Purpose Enterprise (SPE) Technical Fund. The program provides agencies with funding to explore concepts and develop business plans for new social purpose enterprises. She explained that Social Purpose Enterprises are income-generating businesses created by non-profit organizations to support a social mission. The Region of Peel SPE program funded five agencies in 2009 including Destination Café, Options and Licence2Clean.

Sandra Solonik reported that the 2009 Regional Audit of the Community Programs Fund program revealed a need for a less onerous funding stream that can support smaller financial investments through the Community Investment Fund. The Community Investment Fund will support small funding distributions of $5,000 or less. These grants are intended to support grass roots community work in areas such as the agricultural sector and groups such as Youth in Action. Upon approval of the Grants Ad hoc Committee, staff will develop policy, guidelines and application reporting requirements for the Community Investment Fund. Applications for 2011-2013 will open on April 1, 2010 and close on June 1, 2010.

Sandra Solonik also provided an overview of the Results Based Accountability Framework (RBA). The RBA focus determines the broader, high level trends in the community and what role the Region of Peel should play in responding to them. If the RBA determines that there is a specific trend developing, a review of the multi-level government funding as well as using evidenced based data to lobby senior levels of government for additional resources would be undertaken.

Councillor Moore expressed concern that a number of programs are at risk due to the decline in fundraising revenue across the Region. She supported the creation of an Annual Reserve fund but was concerned it would quickly be depleted.

Councillor Moore stated that the Region needs to ensure that agencies do not remain dependent on Peel for continuing financial assistance when the economy improves. She inquired as to how the Region defines duplication as related to community programs. Sandra Solonik responded that the RBA data will give staff a clearer picture of which agencies already exist in the community and the services they currently offer. This information will help to determine if a new program serves a unique group. The RBA data can also provide a clearer picture of the variety of service gaps that exist in the community.

Councillor Moore replied that results based programs are important, but measuring outcomes will continue to be a challenge. She stated that the Region should not be too bureaucratic when measuring outcomes, that is, to the point where funding is not made available to agencies who make a real contribution to the community simply because the impact of their services are difficult to quantify.

Councillor Paterak noted that for any funding application process that becomes more bureaucratic and complicated, there is a direct impact on the community agency who must invest an increasing number of manual hours to complete applications. He stressed the importance of continuing to streamline the application process.

Additional Item - Iitem 4.b

b) Current List of Funded Agencies

Received

See also Approval of Agenda

5. COMMUNICATIONS - Nil

6. IN CAMERA MATTERS - Nil

7. OTHER BUSINESS - Nil


8. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Grants Ad Hoc Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 9, 2010, at 8:30 a.m., Regional Administrative Headquarters, 5th floor, Chairman's Boardroom, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A, Brampton, Ontario.

Please forward regrets to Ralph Martin, Legislative Specialist, (905) 791-7800, ext. 4330 or at ralph.martin@peelregion.ca.

9. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 9:28 a.m.