(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

“Many inconsistencies”

City cleaning up community grant process

Oct 28, 2020 | 9:11 AM

The City of Red Deer is working to clean up and modernize its processes for handling community grants.

City council has authorized administration to continue to review Red Deer’s Community Development Grant programs with the goal of reducing duplication, increasing accountability and reporting, and standardizing applications, adjudication, and authority as appropriate.

“It can be said that the activities of community groups and agencies who are working on behalf of our residents are all worthwhile in the community. However, it’s often very difficult for council to allocate funding to one group over another,” Sarah Tittemore, Red Deer’s general manager for community services, told council on Monday.

The plan is to have a new program ready in time for the 2023 budget.

The City of Red Deer provides grants to not-for-profits and other select entities to underwrite the costs of specific projects or programs. The goals of each program may vary, Tittemore noted, but the intention behind them is consistent.

FEBRUARY 2021 INCIDENT

ASIRT finds Maskwacis RCMP officer's use of force justified

40m ago

EUF/HSBI

Red Deer Polytechnic signs partnership agreements with two German post-secondary institutions

51m ago

looking out for albertans' best interests

Alberta Municipalities gearing up for annual convention in Red Deer

2h ago

“To enable the City to achieve our objectives by empowering people, establishing shared accountability, providing or sustaining responsive services through the most efficient and effective means, or nurturing innovation or positive change in our community.”

In most municipalities, Tittemore explained that best practice is to do a general call for applications to competitive grant programs, expressions of interest or requests for proposal, where applicants are asked how they can meet council’s pre-determined outcomes. Then the non-profits or other entities would submit proposals describing the project they have in mind and the amount of money they need, and the timelines (in which) they can deliver the intended results.

“However in Red Deer there are many inconsistent processes underway with various groups in our community. There is historical rationale as to why the city has developed these relationships in the manner they are, often on a case by case basis – and these inconsistencies vary,” she said. “And as resources become more and more scarce, many municipalities are working towards clearly articulating and evaluating outcomes for effective reporting back to the community.

Tittemore told council that when it comes to grants, citizens are looking for accountability for their dollar in tangible ways, while applicants want transparency.

“As an initial first step, administration is recommending that council support sorting our programs into funding themes and funding streams.”

Themes include social development, arts and culture, sport and recreation and economic development. Streams include community projects, community investment (programs and events), community service and emergency grants (one-time sustainability supports).

Tittemore said each of the current city-funded organizations would fit under one of these new themes, and that they will work hand in hand with community organizations, such as the United Way, to best serve the community.

“We’re not looking to end anything that is currently working. What we would love to do though is make sure that we are covering the gaps and reducing duplication.”

Administration’s recommendation received unanimous support from city council.

“We are in, and heading even further into a time of economic scarcity. We are also a smaller city that over the years has become a larger city and our processes haven’t always kept pace,” said Mayor Tara Veer, who described the City’s current slate of grant programs as “patchwork.”

“I think this is an important step to position our community organizations for the future. And above all to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the City’s process and some of our former ways of attending to granting make way for a more transparent and accountable way of doing so.”