THSC Policy 3/2017-2020 – Community Grants and Donations Policy: November 2018 1
COMMUNITY GRANTS AND DONATIONS POLICY
Policy 3/2017-2020
DATE
Ordinary Meeting of Council 01.06.93;
Extraordinary Meeting of Council 06.05.97;
Corporate Development Committee Meeting 17.03.98 and 15.02.2000
Ordinary Meeting of Council 12.09.2000, 10.07.2001, 09.07.2002,
08.07.2003, 13.07.2004, 12.10.04, 12.02.2008, 14.07.2009, 22.08.2017 and 27.11.2018
THSC Policy 3/2017-2020 – Community Grants and Donations Policy: November 2018 2 POLICY NO: 3/2017-2020
LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS
Section 356 Local Government Act 1993
RESPONSIBILITY: CUSTOMER COMMUNITY SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY
OBJECTIVE: To provide Council with a framework for determining and allocating Council grants and donations for the benefit of The Hills Shire community.
REVIEW Within the first 12 months of each term of Council or as required.
THSC Policy 3/2017-2020 – Community Grants and Donations Policy: November 2018 3 Contents
Section Subject Page
1 Desired Outcomes of the Policy 4
2 Policy Statement 4
2.1 Cultural Grants 4
2.2 Community Services Grants 4
3 Donations 5
4 Associated Documents 5
5 Appendices 5
THSC Policy 3/2017-2020 – Community Grants and Donations Policy: November 2018 4 1. Desired Outcomes of the Policy
Effective and efficient use of public resources allocated for assisting community groups and not-for-profit organisations to provide events, services and activities for the benefit of The Hills Shire.
An equitable, transparent process for determining and allocating Council’s grants and donations with appropriate accountabilities for grant recipients.
Greater community participation, social inclusion, cohesion and engagement and improved quality of life for the community of The Hills Shire.
2. Policy Statement
Council will provide limited financial and in-kind assistance to individuals, local not-for- profit, incorporated and registered charitable organisations delivering services to, or providing activities for, residents of The Hills Shire, through its Community Grants and Donations Program. Subject to conditions, grants of up to $15,000 will be available annually.
Grants will be in two categories:
2.1 Cultural grants
a. To encourage community groups to develop projects, events or activities that encourage community participation, social inclusion and community engagement.
b. To enable delivery of creative, artistic and cultural projects that enriches the community.
2.2. Community Services Grants
a. To encourage community groups to develop and implement activities and projects that address social needs where at least 75% of the participants are residents within The Hills Shire.
b. To build community partnerships to improve access to community services for residents of the Hills Shire.
c. To provide operational funding and/or equipment that will enable community groups to extend their reach in carrying out their day-to-day activities in delivering support services to the community.
Council will adopt an equitable and transparent process for allocation and management of all grants and donations with appropriate accountabilities for grant recipients.
Guidelines for applicants will be publicised in the local community media, on Council’s website and in Council’s Annual Report as will the criteria for determining successful applicants and the evaluation process. Proposed grants will be assessed by a Committee chaired by the Mayor or delegate and then report to Council. Once adopted, they will be placed on exhibition for 28 days before final approval.
THSC Policy 3/2017-2020 – Community Grants and Donations Policy: November 2018 5 3. Donations
Council will consider applications from individuals, not-for-profit and incorporated organisations that are delivering services, or organising local sporting or cultural activities where at least 75% of the participants are residents of The Hills Shire.
Donations will be one-off each financial year and will be considered on a case by case basis, subject to the approved criteria for each category of donation.
Donations will be in three categories:
1) Sporting and Cultural Competition Donations for Individuals and Teams 2) Cultural and Community Services Donations
3) Special circumstances
Applications for donations may be made throughout the year and will be processed monthly. Applicants will be notified of the outcome.
4. Associated Documents
The Hills Shire Council’s Guidelines for Community Grants Program
The Hills Shire Council’s Guidelines for Community Donations Program
Community Grants Matrix 5. Appendices
Appendix 1 - The Hills Shire Council’s Guidelines for Community Grants Program
Appendix 2 - The Hills Shire Council’s Guidelines for Community Donations Program
COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Background
The Hills Shire Council’s Community Grants Program provides funding each year for innovative community projects and events that deliver sustainable and positive outcomes consistent with Council’s vision for the community as listed in the Hills Shire Plan and The Hills Shire Community Action Plan.
Categories
There are two categories for grants:
Cultural grants
a) to support projects, events or activities that encourage community participation, social inclusion and community engagement within The Hills Shire.
b) to enable delivery of creative, artistic and cultural projects that enrich the community.
Community Services Grants
a) to encourage community groups to develop and implement programs or projects that address the social needs of residents within the Hills Shire.
b) to build community partnerships to improve access to community services for residents of the Hills Shire.
c) to provide operational and/or equipment funding for local organisations to increase their services beyond their current capability.
Major Grants are for amounts from $5,000 to $15,000 and require an acquittal including an audit report. Community Grants are for amounts from $1,000 to $5,000, which do not require an acquittal.
Council will publicise the focus areas for the funding round, and these will need to be addressed in the project being submitted for funding. The focus areas will match the community development action plan for the year of funding.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible to apply:
Applicants must be a recognised legal or corporate entity such as a charity, not-for-profit, deductible gift recipient, non-government, or community-based organisation that provides services and programs where at least 75% of the participants are residents of The Hills.
Ineligible to apply:
Organisations with projects that are not acquitted from previous funding rounds
Individuals or groups of individuals without a legal entity
For profit, commercial organisations
State and Federal Government agencies and their entities (including NSW Government schools, Area Health Services and public hospitals). However, these organisations should consider whether they have an incorporated-not-for-profit body (such as a P&C Association or hospital auxiliary) that may be eligible to apply for funding.
Councillors, staff and their immediate family.
Types of activities that can be funded
What types of projects, events and activities may be funded?
Community projects and/or events that align with community target areas listed within the Community Strategic Plan and meet the eligibility criteria. Grant funds for expenses and/or equipment must for the benefit of the intended recipients of the activity and this will need to be clearly articulated in the application for Council to assess.
The following types of projects are not eligible:
Illegal or immoral activities and political projects as well as projects that duplicate existing programs are unable to apply. Projects receiving funding from other grant programs for the same activities. Projects that should be funded as a core responsibility from other sources such as State or Federal Government are also not eligible.
Assessment criteria
Assessment Criteria:
At least 75% of participants are Hills Shire residents
Applications must be made online
Applications must meet the eligibility criteria
All sections of the Community Grants Application Form are to be completed
All required supporting documentation must be attached to the application:
o Legal registration documents for the organisation
o Current Public liability and Personal Accident Insurance and/or Workers Compensation Insurance policy
o Annual Report for the organisation
o Audited Financial statement for the organisations previous year financials o Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
o Notification of board members with bios and contacts
Applications including single items of expenditure and or equipment over $500 or more must include two quotes.
Project aims and objectives must address one or more of the outcomes listed in The Hills Shire Community Strategic Plan
All applications must demonstrate sustainability and partnerships
All applications must include the following:
o Project name
o Funding amount requested o Total cost of project o Expected project dates
o Detailed project timeline including acquittal dates
o Project location
o Evidence of how supporting Hills Shire residents o Project description
o Partnership details
o Details of additional funding sourced including dollar for dollar or in kind o Organisations ABN details or auspicing organisation’s details
If fundraising for another charity, the following must be included with the application:
o Amount expected to raise
o Charity status of the organisation documentation o Supporting letter from the charity the fundraising is for
If the application is for a community event that will host over 500 people on Public or Council land/venues, a copy of Part 1 - The Hills Shire Council Community Event application form must be completed and included with the application.
If applicants do not achieve a YES for all criteria, then there is no requirement for the application to be scored as they are ineligible to receive funding.
Assessment
Grants will be assessed on the following criteria:
1. Project details – Is the description well-articulated, reflects target areas listed in the Sustainable Communities Plan, and key outcomes clearly listed. Are all questions in the application form answered?
2. Project innovation – is this project or event original and not already being facilitated by another local organisation?
3. Project Reach – Who will benefit from this project/event? How many residents of The Hills will it impact (at least 75%)?
4. Partnerships – Details the partnerships listed including partnership details and contact information. Applications will benefit from qualitative partnerships over quantitative. Evidence must be provided of how each organisation will work together to reach the project objectives. Extent of dollar for dollar or in kind funding.
5. Capability - Organisations undertaking community projects or events need to demonstrate their operational capability, especially if they are a recent start-up, to deliver ongoing benefits.
6. Local impact – It is clear how operational funding and/or equipment required will deliver social and community or event outcomes for participants where at least 75%
are Hills residents.
7. Participant benefit - Clear articulation of the way the proposed budget breakdown will benefit the intended recipients of the activity, not just the applicant.
Scoring matrix
Applicant response to each scoring criteria is given a score between 1 and 5, and the total scored responses will be a score out of 25.
Score Descriptor
5 Excellent – Lots of detail, well written, well-articulated, evidence provided, partnerships provided in detail
4 Very good – good level of detail and description, evidence noted, partnerships listed, all details in application addressed
3 Good – Brief event description, application form complete, evidence limited, partnership details brief
2 Fair – some items missing or not addressed or limited in detail so as not to be clear to panel of content
1 Poor – application form missing majority of information, no evidence of sustainability or partnerships, details provided are very vague.
Applicants’ projects are reviewed by a panel determined by the Mayor and General Manager including at least one external person and then reported to Council.
It is this panel that then determines the projects that are to be recommended to Council for funding through the Community Grants program.
Enquiries
Community Outcomes Team
Email: [email protected] Phone: 9843 0322
COMMUNITY DONATIONS PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Background
The Hills Shire Council conducts a Community Grants and Donations Program to
encourage community participation, engagement and cohesion and improve the quality of people’s lives.
Applications for a donation may be made throughout the year via an on-line application process accompanied by relevant supporting documentation. Applications will be processed on a month-to-month basis and applicants will be notified in writing indicating whether they are successful or unsuccessful.
Categories
There are three categories for donations:
a. Sporting and Cultural Competition Donations
Individuals or sponsoring organisations may apply for a donation to support Hills Shire residents selected to compete at a recognised sporting or cultural competition outside the Sydney metropolitan area in NSW, interstate or internationally in accordance with the following scale:
• $150 for an individual or $350 for a team selected to compete outside the metropolitan area in NSW;
• $200 for an individual or $500 for a team selected to compete interstate; and
• $300 for an individual or $750 for a team selected to compete internationally.
Applications may be made throughout the year on the application for sporting and cultural competitions donation form supported by documentation from the sponsoring body stating that the individual or team has been selected through a competitive process together with evidence from the organising body of the date and location of the competition.
Applicants will only be eligible for one donation in any 12 month period whether as a team member or as an individual.
Funds must be used for the purpose indicated in the application, otherwise returned to Council.
Where applications are received from/for three or more individuals in the one team, the applications will be treated as a team application. For a team application, at least 75% of the team members must reside in the Hills Shire.
Where an application is being submitted for a team, the sponsoring organisation, or individual completing the application, must ensure that the parents or guardians of team members, who are minors, have been notified prior to submission of the application.
b. Cultural and Community Services Donations
Council will consider applications from not-for-profit, incorporated organisations that are delivering services to, or organising local cultural or community activities for,
participants of which at least 75% are Hills Shire residents. Donations are aimed at supporting involvement and addressing social needs.
Donations will be one-off and will have an upper limit of $1,000 for cash donations and/or $5,000 for in-kind donations. In-kind donations are intended only for services that could be provided by Council, in most cases to inexperienced volunteer community groups, for items such as event management, traffic management plans, and traffic control plans etc. where their expertise is limited.
Applications for Cultural and Community Services Donations may be made throughout the year on the application for donation form, accompanied by relevant supporting documentation. They will be considered on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of Council, will be processed monthly and applicants will be notified about whether they are successful or unsuccessful.
c. Special Circumstances
Council will consider on a case-by-case basis, applications for special circumstances donations from individuals, not-for-profit, incorporated and registered charitable organisations that are delivering services to, or providing activities, of which at least 75% of participants are Hills Shire residents.
These donations are rare and made on a one-off basis. Council will have regard to special circumstances, special needs, events or disasters, emergency relief appeals, etc., and unexpected events out of the control of the organisation concerned.
Applications may also be made on behalf of a charity by a local community group - in the case of emergency relief appeals, by a Hills Shire not-for-profit organisation who may be fundraising. The ‘75% of participants as Hills Shire residents’ requirement is not applicable in these situations (i.e. flood appeal for rural farmers).
Applications for Special Circumstances Donations may be made throughout the year on the Application for Donation Form, accompanied by relevant supporting documentation.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be a recognised legal or corporate entity such as a charity, not-for-profit, deductible gift recipient, non-government, community-based organisation that provides services and programs to participants of which at least 75% are Hills residents.
Ineligible to apply include:
• Organisations with projects that are not acquitted from previous funding rounds;
• Groups without a legal entity;
• For profit, commercial organisations;
• State and Federal Government agencies and their entities (including NSW Government schools, Area Health Services and public hospitals. However, these organisations should consider whether they have an incorporated not-for-profit body (such as a P&C Association or hospital auxiliary) that may be eligible to apply for funding).
• Councillors, staff members and their immediate family.
Timeline
Donations will be approved on a month to month basis throughout the year by delegated authority to the Mayor and General Manager.
