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Circles Initiative Grant Application TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Grant Applications for Circles Initiative DATE: September 18, 2012 Housing and Community Development Department Director Alvin Nash recommends City Council approval of the grant applications for the Community Impact Grant and the Theisen's More for Your Community Grant for the Circles Initiative, as submitted to the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. /7AAh kt1&1 Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Alvin Nash, Housing and Community Development Department Director Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Alvin Nash, Housing and Community Development Director SUBJECT: Grant Applications for Circles Initiative DATE: September 13, 2012 Dubuque All- America City 1 2012 INTRODUCTION This memorandum requests City Council approve the grant applications for the Community Impact Grant and the Theisen's More for Your Community Grant for the Circles Initiative and submit to the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque DISCUSSION The Dubuque Circles Initiative is a part of an innovative national movement that connects volunteers and community leaders to families wanting to make the journey out of poverty. Volunteer Allies help families break the cycle of poverty by sharing their time and support. There are barriers that keep even the most motivated from achieving prosperity; Circles breaks down these barriers by expanding opportunity and support for families as they create their own paths to economic stability. It encourages growth from people of all financial classes and engages the community as a whole, so we can work together to create deep and lasting change in Dubuque. The City of Dubuque has completed applications for the two grants for the Circles Initiative through the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. The Community Impact Grant application is requesting $7,800 to create a community outreach campaign to increase awareness and engagement in the Circle's Initiative's mission to build circles of collaborative relationships that strengthen community, inspire tolerance, eliminate barriers and connect resources for those living with low incomes, so they may lead themselves permanently out of poverty. The grant funds will facilitate creating a video to provide a different view of poverty, as well as clarify the mission of the Circles Initiative and inspire participation. The Theisen's More for Your Community Grant application is requesting $3,650 for the Dubuque Circles Initiative Youth Programming. The program will provide a safe, structured educational environment during non - school hours for low income children whose parents participate in the Circles Initiative. The funding will provide a laptop computer and projector to allow internet access for volunteers to create educational programs and provide on -site volunteer screening. RECOMMENDATION I recommend that the City Council approve the attached grant applications for the Circles Initiative program. This will allow the City to begin expending funds for the grant activities. ACTION STEP The action requested of the City Council is to approve the applications for the Community Impact Grant and the Theisen's More for Your Community Grant for the Circles Initiative as submitted to the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. Page 1 of 1 Mike Van Milligen - Revisions for Community Impact Grant Application From: To: "Bradley M. Cavanagh" <Bradley.Cavanagh @loras.edu> Alvin Nash <anash @cityofdubuque.org >, "'Janet Walker '(jawalker @cityofdubuque.org)" <jawalker @cityofdubuque.org >, "Andrea Helgager (ahelgage @cityofdubuque.org)" <ahelgage @cityofdubuque.org >, "Ermina Soler (Esoler @cityofdubuque.org)" <Esoler @cityofdubuque.org >, "Erica Haugen (Ehaugen @cityofdubuque.org)" <Ehaugen @cityofdubuque.org> Date: 8/23/2012 7:10 AM Subject: Revisions for Community Impact Grant Application Attachments: Circles - FINAL- Community Impact Grant Application 2012.docx; Community Awareness Campaign - Project Budget.docx Mr. Nash, I have attached revised copies of the Community Impact Grant application and the proposed project budget for the community awareness campaign. I made the suggested changes of which Andrea informed me following your meeting early this week. I understand that the next step will be to present this to the City Council and City Administrator for approval. Of course, the grant deadline is September 1. Once this approval is received, how would you like to proceed? We simply need someone to cut and paste this proposal into the online application on the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque's website and include all ancillary documents. Andrea also asked about project oversight when we do receive this grant. I am confident that we will be able to form a committee of Guiding Coalition Volunteers (and possibly new volunteers) to be the primary implementation team for this project, with direction and input from Andrea, Ermina, and me. I would anticipate that we would all want to see the videos before they are released or posted anywhere. I think a meeting to discuss this process would be helpful once the grant is awarded. Thank you for your review of this application. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Brad Cavanagh, MSW, LISW Assistant Professor, Social Work Program Loras College 1450 Alta Vista Street, #228 Dubuque, IA 52001 Phone: 563 - 588 -7996 Fax: 563- 588 -4907 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email, including any attachments, is the property of Loras College. The information may be legally privileged and /or confidential and is intended solely for the use of the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient be advised that any unauthorized disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents herein is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy all electronic and hard copies of the communication, including attachments. file : / / /C:/ Users / mvanmill /AppData/Local /Temp/XPgrpwise /5 03 C952FDB QDODB QPO... 8/28/2012 City of Dubuque Housing and Community Development Circles Initiative - Community Impact Grant Application Project Description (200 character max): To create a community outreach campaign that tells the stories of Circles participants and the volunteers who are committed to helping our most vulnerable families move toward self - sufficiency. 1. What is the purpose of the project (200 word max): To increase community awareness and engagement in the Circles Initiative's mission to build circles of collaborative relationships that strengthen community, inspire tolerance, eliminate barriers and connect resources for those living with low incomes, so they may lead themselves permanently out of poverty. Goals of the project include building sustainable volunteer engagement; building capacity to establish ongoing, sustainable leadership for the initiative; and building capacity toward ongoing collaboration with community organizations. The National Circles Campaign has consistently demonstrated that the most effective way to support an individual moving out of poverty is to create intentional, collaborative relationships between people with different socio- economic status. These relationships are unique from mentoring, since both Allies (individuals from middle -to -upper incomes) and Circle Leaders (individuals with low incomes) grow and benefit mutually. Allies help Circle Leaders break the cycle of poverty by sharing their time, life experiences and skills, and by creating partnerships that address personal and systemic barriers to success. The Dubuque Circles Initiative has been successful in identifying Circle Leaders and their needs and ambitions. The next step is to focus on raising awareness and engagement of middle -class Allies who can support Circle Leaders in reaching their goal of moving out of poverty. 2. Major activities you will undertake (max 200 words): Having recently re- branded the Circles Initiative to more accurately express its mission, our current goal is to generate public understanding of the initiative in order to recruit a stronger volunteer base. To do this, we will develop and launch a multimedia Community Outreach Campaign to raise awareness and engage broader segments of the community in the Circles Initiative. The major activity in this campaign will be creating a video that will provide a different lens through which the community can view "poverty," as well as clarify our mission and inspire participation in the Circles Initiative. The video will showcase personal stories from Circle Leaders, Allies and other volunteers, highlighting the positive difference Circles has made in their lives. The Initiative will then create short clips from this video to incorporate into presentations, social media, and so forth. We will also employ traditional media outlets like radio, television, and written promotional materials in this campaign. 3. How will project support one of the Foundation's Focus Areas (max 200 words): Our proposed project supports the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque's focus on building strong non - profits. The National Circles Campaign has demonstrated that families participating in the Circles model are able to reduce reliance on government assistance, develop support systems, recognize limitations, and utilize supportive resources. To ensure the future success of the Dubuque Circles Initiative and its Circle Leaders, it is imperative that we recruit committed, effective volunteers who can assist by virtue of their status, connections, and experience. A dedicated staff cannot do this alone. It requires the support of the community to help eliminate barriers created by policy, culture, and individuals. We have designed our initiative to empower individuals to set personal goals, and provide encouragement and opportunities that might not otherwise be available. This not only allows disadvantaged families to grow, but also provides openings for volunteers to learn, adapt, and promote change in our community. 4. Anticipated Outcomes /metrics (max 300 words): Through this project, the Dubuque Circles Initiative anticipates the following outcomes: a) Build sustainable volunteer engagement. The initiative requires two primary groups of volunteers for long -term sustainability: Allies and Guiding Coalition members. The Guiding Coalition serves as the advisory board and includes volunteers and Circle Leaders. The initiative aims to recruit a minimum of 30 new Allies and 15 new Guiding Coalition members, and to increase the total number of volunteer hours served. To measure the effectiveness of the video campaign in recruiting and retaining volunteers, the initiative will survey new and current volunteers, and track volunteer numbers and time dedicated. b) Build capacity to establish ongoing, sustainable leadership for the initiative. Fully functioning leadership within a Circles Initiative includes a Guiding Coalition, a full - time Circles Coordinator (Director), and a full -time Circles Coach. We are seeking committed Guiding Coalition leaders who will serve two -year terms. The initiative also plans to lay the foundation to hire and retain a full -time Circles Coordinator, a position that is currently missing. We will measure how many funding opportunities we gain, how much funding we secure, and how many leadership roles we fill as a result of our community outreach campaign. c) Build capacity toward ongoing collaboration with community organizations. We will measure the number of new Allies and Guiding Coalition members we attract who have ties to unique organizations not currently represented within the initiative. We will also track the number of individuals from unique organizations presenting information at Circles weekly meetings, as well as the number of individuals from unique organizations who volunteer to serve meals or take on other volunteer roles within the initiative. 5. Describe partnerships, agreements and other supports that will ensure this project achieves impact /outcomes you anticipate (300 word maximum). Our current partners, the City of Dubuque Housing and Community Development Department, Project HOPE and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Dubuque Works, multiple faith -based organizations, individual community donors and volunteers will assist in the outreach campaign. In addition, we have discussed a partnership with Craig Schaefer of LC Productions at Loras College who has an extensive and impressive record of working with non- profits at a lower rate to help promote their efforts. He has quoted us at $3- $5,000 depending on what video work we want to complete. We have several committed volunteers and successful participants who will gladly volunteer their time to help us with this project by offering their personal stories and reflections. We have also contacted Dubuque City Government Channel 8, Mediacom, and Mindframe Theater, about airing or promoting our video campaign on a regular basis. The Dubuque City Housing and Community Development Department staff will assist us to upload our videos to the Circles Initiative website, Facebook page and other social media outlets. As we build capacity through this outreach campaign, we will lay the foundation to create new partnerships with other non - profits and service providers. This will allow us to collaborate with these organizations to address the barriers our participants face. There is potential for partnerships with the art community to produce creative outreach pieces (painting, drama, street theater) as our Initiative moves forward. Others Info needed: IRS letter - Attached List of board members: (Guiding Coalition) Brad Cavanagh - Chair Alvin Nash - Director, City of Dubuque Housing & Community Development Ermina Soler - Circles Coach Andrea Helgager - VISTA Volunteer Coordinator Erica Haugen - Family Self Sufficiency Coordinator Brian Neises Dawn Burch Eric Dregne Elizabeth Smith Jennifer Cavanagh Joe Gonzalez Jonas Meyer Laurie Skattum Mark Smith Michelle Balek Nancy Zachar Fett Susan Taylor Tracy Morrison Budget - Attached Project budget - Attached Name of organization: City of Dubuque Housing and Community Development; The Dubuque Circles Initiative Type: 501c3 Contact name: Alvin Nash & Andrea Helgager Number: 563- 589 -4230 Email: Anash @cityofdubuque.org & Ahelgage @cityofdubuque.org Mission: To build collaborative circles of support that strengthen community, inspire tolerance, eliminate barriers and connect resources for those living in a cycle of poverty, so they may lead themselves and their families to permanent stability. Description: The Dubuque Circles Initiative is part of an innovative national movement that connects volunteers and community leaders to families wanting to make the journey out of poverty. Volunteer Allies help families break the cycle of poverty by sharing their time and support. There are barriers that keep even the most motivated from achieving prosperity; Circles breaks down these barriers by expanding opportunity and support for families as they create their own paths to economic stability. It encourages growth from people of all financial classes and engages the community as a whole, so we can work together to create deep and lasting change in Dubuque. Have we donated to your organization in the past? Yes, the donation made to the Community Foundation in the name of the Bridges Initiative in 2011 provided funding necessary to acquire an AmeriCorps Partners in Learning position that developed an educational curriculum for children attending Circles programming on Tuesday evenings. Project Name: Dubuque Circles Initiative Youth Programming Project Description (1 -3 sentences): Circles Youth programming provides a safe, structured environment during non - school hours for low income children whose parents participate in the Circles Initiative. Circles Youth Programming is seeking to expand the current educational curriculum through the use of technology. The program focuses on education in the areas of health, safety, community involvement, leadership and reinforcement of general education activities such as literacy and mathematics. Funding for this project will provide a laptop computer and projector, which will allow volunteers to access the wealth of information available via the Internet to create engaging educational lesson plans and will aid in the development of take - home activities which encourage total family involvement in the learning process. Laptops will also allow for on -site volunteer screening. Timetable for Project (start /end dates): November 2012 - November 2016 Describe 1 -3 specific project goals and a brief description of how the organization will meet them: 1. Provide children with social and educational skill building opportunities through quality lesson planning on topics including but not limited to: health, safety, literacy, math, science, art, and music. To meet this goal, the Initiative will recruit 5 student interns from Loras College, University of Dubuque, and /or Clarke University as well as 2 additional AmeriCorps assistants who will aid in the planning, organization and implementation of lesson plans and provide additional training for all volunteers. Having a laptop and projector on -site will allow for dynamic creation and delivery of lesson plans. 2. Maintain a safe, structured environment for youth activities during non - school hours. This will be met by recruiting and retaining quality childcare volunteers from the Dubuque area, thus maintaining a high adult to child ratio, and by requiring background checks on these individuals. Having a laptop will allow volunteers to complete applications and initiate screening activities on site and allow for more structured youth programming. 3. Ensure information learned during Youth Programming is passed on to parents in order to create a lasting educational experience for the entire family. Circles will meet this goal by providing materials and activities that parents and children can engage in together outside of the Circles Initiative. For example, after an oral hygiene presentation, a take home package would include: community resources for children's oral health, tooth brushes, tooth paste, floss, and family activities related to oral health. Additionally, having access to a computer and projector will allow children to organize a "Graduation Project" highlighting their accomplishments for presentation at a ceremony recognizing their parents' achievements within the Circles Initiative. Amount requested: $3,650 Total Cost of Project: $15,600 Projects total budget (attach a line item budget, with grant request, other funding sources, partners, and list of volunteer and in -kind contributions): Attached How many people will be served by this project? Per year, Circles Youth Programming will serve 75 children and their families. Is the project new or continuing? New X Continuing: formalized youth planning that began May of 2012. How will you evaluate the success of the project? Circles Youth Programming will track attendance of children, Circles members and volunteers on a weekly basis. Families served by the project will be surveyed to determine impacts on their household and family dynamic. Family sustainability will also be analyzed based on employment, education, stable housing, and social capital. We will report annually on the number of families and children who receive resources as a result of Circles Youth Programming. How will this project be sustained once the grant is expended? Circles Youth Programming is run through the Circles Initiative, which is supported by the City of Dubuque, a committee of board members (called the Guiding Coalition) as well as numerous volunteers, donors and financial sponsors. Through the use of these funds as well as those from an upcoming fundraising campaign, Circles will provide maintenance and updating of necessary equipment. All lesson plans created through Youth Programming will be saved and made available for reuse and updating by volunteers. How will you publicize the Theisen's More for Your Community contribution to this project? Circles Initiative will post and publicize project information via social media, including our website and Facebook page. The Theisen's logo will appear on all Youth Programming marketing materials distributed, and a sticker with the Theisen's logo will be placed on equipment purchased through the grant. Circles Initiative will recognize Theisen's as a financial sponsor of the Circles Youth Programming at annual graduations and volunteer appreciation events. CIRCLES FYE2013 Revenue Fund Account Code Child Care for Circles Total Revenue Account Title FUNDING Various Program Fee Donations City of Dubuque Theisen\aGnant 10061922 -Circles Total Laptop (includes software) GRANT FUNDING REQUEST Projector - GRANT FUNDING REQUEST OFFICE SUPPLIES/Name tags MISCELLANEOUS Snacks & Refreshments EDUCATIONAL TAKE HOME ACTIVITIES GRANT FUNDING REQUEST MISC. OPERATING SUPPLIES Paper products/craft supplies PAY TO OTHER AGENCY/PT AmeriCorps Volunteers Match 10061922 -Circles Supplies and Services Amount of Grant Request Amount of Project Match Total Child Care Budget 10061922 -Child Care Total Expenses 10061922 -T FY 13 200 11,750 3,650 15,600 15,600 2600 700 50 50 350 100 11,750 15,600 3,650 11,950 15,600 15,600 0