Item 7: Community
Investment Funding Allocation 2020/2021
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Community Investment Funding Panel
28 June 2021
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REPORT R25972
Community
Investment Funding Allocation 2020/2021
1. Purpose
of Report
1.1 To
allocate Community Investment Grant funding for 2020/2021.
2. Recommendation
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That the Community Investment Funding Panel
1. Receives
the report Community Investment Funding Allocation 2020/2021 (R25972) and its attachments (A2687430,
A2598503, A2647006 and A2688729); and
2. Approves funding for the Community Investment Fund grant
applications from the residual 2020/21 Community Investment funding ($34,873)
as agreed at this meeting and as listed on attachment (A2647006); and
3. Notes that allocation of the
three-year Community Investment Strategic Grant funding for 2021-2024 will
occur at the next Community Investment Funding Panel meeting.
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3. Background
CIF Funding Priorities
3.1 The
Community and Recreation Committee approved updated priorities for the
Community Investment Fund at its meeting on 4 March 2021. The revised
priorities reflect the Community Partnerships Activity Management Plan (AMP)
2021-31 (attachment 1) that guide priorities over the next ten years.
The priorities are:
‘to
improve the wellbeing in Nelson ‘communities of greatest need’
focusing on:
· reducing social
isolation,
· reducing
housing vulnerability,
· improving
access to work and learning opportunities, and
· reducing the
impact of poverty’ (CAR/2021/001).
3.2 Additionally,
the ‘communities of greatest need’ more severely impacted by these
issues include Māori, Pasifika, former refugee and migrants, young people,
older persons, LGBTQI+, women and disabled people.
3.3 These
priorities do not prevent the panel allocating funds to support other social
development and wellbeing projects.
Revised Structure for CIF
Funding
3.4 The
Community and Recreation Committee agreed to a revised structure for the
Community Investment Fund to operate from 1 July 2021, comprising:
· Strategic Grants
that focus on supporting Nelson communities of greatest need, are of higher
value (range $10,000-$30,000 per annum) and may be for up to three years.
Approximately $240,000 p.a. is available to allocate as strategic grants.
· Small grants of up
to $10,000 for 12-month projects will allow Council to resource emerging issues
and provide funding agility. There will be two funding rounds to enable greater
responsiveness, with approximately $100,000 p.a. available for allocation.
Funding Applications Received
3.5 Forty-nine
applications, requesting a total of $735,661, were received for the inaugural
three–year strategic grant funding round that closed on 31 May 2021. A
summary of the applications is provided in the attached spreadsheet (attachment
3).
3.6 Officers
are assessing these applications against the criteria and priorities of the
fund.
Funding available
3.7 $34,873
of the 2020/2021 CIF budget is unallocated. This is due to an unspent grant
being returned during the year ($3,079), and several three-year grants being
allocated and paid in June 2018. This created a misalignment with
Council’s financial year, resulting in unallocated funding for the
2020/21 year.
3.8 This
one-off funding must be allocated by 30 June 2021 and will correct the
misalignment between CIF funding and Council’s financial year cycle. This
funding cannot be easily carried forward from the 2020/21 financial year to the
2021/22 financial year.
3.9 $240,000
is available to be allocated as strategic grants for up to three years, from 1
July 2021. This funding will be allocated at a future panel meeting in
July 2021.
Assessment of Applications
3.10 Officers
are reviewing all applications against the following factors:
· The capability and
viability of the applicant and project/programme considering any previous track
record of project delivery and accountability
· The alignment with CIF
criteria and priorities
· Additional factors,
including the level of collaboration and the proportion of the community
benefit attributable to Nelson.
4. Discussion
2020/2021 Residual funding
allocation.
4.1 While
the new AMP priorities do not take effect until 1 July 2021, to ensure
consistency with future funding it is recommended that the Panel consider the
new priorities when allocating funding. As the current priorities are broader
in scope, there is no conflict between the current (pre 30 June 2021) priorities
and the post 1 July CIF priorities.
4.2 Officers
identified several applications that they consider suitable for funding from
the residual 2020/21 funding. These applications:
· Align with the CIF
priorities as suitable for funding,
· Are not recommended for
multi-year strategic grants funding, and
· Are multi-party
collaborative initiatives, where some of the parties involved have submitted
separate applications for different programmes.
Assessments of the applications
that officers consider suitable for this funding are provided in the attached
document (attachment 4).
4.3 As
a meeting to discuss Iwi Māori participation panel membership is not
scheduled until 10 July, Council’s Kaumatua will be asked to participate
on the panel to ensure Māori perspectives are considered as part of
decision making. This is consistent with the CIF Panel Terms of Reference and
the resolution of the Community and Recreation Committee meeting on 4 March
2021 [CAR/2021/003].
Strategic Grant allocation
– 2021/2022.
4.4 The
applications to be considered for strategic grants are listed in the schedule
of applications (attachment 3). It is proposed that the panel have another
meeting in July 2021 to consider the allocation of strategic grant funding.
Officers will provide the panel with the details and their assessment of the
applications to assist the panel allocate the strategic grants at their next
meeting.
5. Options
Allocation of the residual
2020/2021 Funding
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Option 1: Allocate the funding
(recommended option)
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Advantages
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· The
funding is made available to the community to use.
· The
allocation doesn’t pre-empt future panel decisions on strategic grants
funding
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Risks and Disadvantages
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· Allocation
decision making occurs over two separate meetings.
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Option 2: Decide not to
allocate the funding
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Advantages
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· Financial
savings to Council.
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Risks and Disadvantages
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· The
funding will not benefit the community organisations.
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6. Next
Steps
6.1 Officers
will negotiate grant agreements and pay the grants as approved.
6.2 The
panel will schedule a further meeting in July 2021 to allocate the Strategic
Grants.
Author: Paul
Prestidge, Community Contracts Adviser
Attachments
Attachment 1: Community
Partnerships AMP 2021-2031 (A2687430) ⇩
Attachment 2: CIF
Panel Terms of Reference 2021 (A2598503) ⇩
Attachment 3: CIF
Applications Schedule June 2021 (A2647006) ⇩
Attachment 4: CIF
Funding Assessments June 2021 (A2688729) ⇩
