2 15 18 Handout - POS Excerpt from FY19 Transmittal Message*//r
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Grants to Community Organizations & Residents
The City of Dubuque utilizes four grant programs to financially support organizations and residents
in the community that are partnering with the City to achieve the City Council's Goals and Priorities.
The funds are strategically invested to empower non -profits, businesses, faith organizations,
schools, and residents to implement projects that address problems they see in their neighborhoods
or organize events that build community. This investment is key to implementing projects that meet
Council priorities like creating a more equitable and sustainable community, or the
recommendations from the Imagine Dubuque Comprehensive Plan, as examples. They often
provide financial support to accomplish initiatives that the City cannot or should not accomplish on
its own.
In 2016, the City staff responsible for administering the grant programs described below began
meeting to identify ways in which the programs could be better coordinated. Efforts are currently
underway to align reporting requirements for each program, so that staff can more accurately reflect
the impact of grantees' work in the community, and to intentionally integrate an equity lens into all
program requirements.
Purchase of Services
The Purchase of Services grant program is designed to provide support for human service programs
in the City of Dubuque that further the City's goals, objectives and priorities. Historically, the Council
has allocated approximately $100,000 annually for non -profits to start or expand an existing service.
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Not-for-profit organizations within the City of Dubuque that provide year-round human services
programs and whose mission is consistent with furthering the City's goals, objectives and priorities
are eligible. The City may award up to $25,000, provided it is no more than 75% of the project
budget. An applicant is eligible to receive funds for no more than four years in the competitive
program. The FY 2019 budget recommends an allocation of $80,784 in General Fund and $39,681
in Community Development Block Funds for a total of $120,465 to the Purchase of Services
program. Recommendations for funding will be made by the Community Development Advisory
Commission after the FY 2019 budget is adopted.
Sustainable Dubuque Community Grants
The goal of the Sustainable Dubuque Community Grant Program is to provide small amounts of
funding to assist non -profits, businesses, clubs, organizations, and groups of passionate residents
in implementing their ideas to make Dubuque a more sustainable place and to encourage all
residents and businesses to be part of the Sustainable Dubuque initiative. Grants of up to $2,500
may be awarded to any group of individuals to implement a project that helps to achieve the
Sustainable Dubuque vision and includes a component of community education and/or
engagement. $25,000 in General Funds is recommended in the FY2019 budget for this grant
program.
Neighborhood Grants
This line item represents grants for neighborhood clean-up and beautification, communications,
neighborhood improvement projects, and community -building initiatives. In the previous year, 22
separate grants were awarded to neighborhood groups and non -profits operating in our community's
low/moderate income neighborhoods. Sixteen smaller community -building grants were awarded
to groups for activities such as neighborhood block parties, family fun day at Comiskey, Music in
Jackson Park, movies in the park, neighborhood holiday celebrations, and a Juneteenth celebration.
$24,560 is recommended in the FY2019 budget for this grant program.
Arts & Culture Grants
Since 2005, the City of Dubuque has awarded over $2.8 million to area arts and culture organizations
and other non -profits for programs that reach thousands of Dubuque adults and children each year.
$245,000 is recommended in the FY2019 budget for these grant programs. The grants are divided
into two categories. The Operating Support program ($210,000) provides operating support funding
to established 501c3 arts and culture organizations located in the city of Dubuque that primarily
serve Dubuque residents with year-round arts and culture events, programs, and services and can
demonstrate a record of programmatic and administrative stability. The Special Projects program
($35,000) is designed to encourage arts and cultural programs that are inclusive and remarkable
for their social and cultural vibrancy. The Special Projects program seeks to fund artistic, creative
projects that utilize community engagement at their core. Eligible applicants are Dubuque not -for -
profits with 501c3 and incorporated status, organizations who are affiliated with an umbrella
organization, or other organized groups acting as a non-profit.
While I do not make a recommendation in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget to increase the funding
for any of these City grant programs, I think that would be a better option than providing annual
line item funding authority from the City's general fund for these types of requests, except on a
very limited basis. There are over 400 not-for-profit organizations in the Dubuque area, many
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that would like to receive City funding. Should the City Council want to boost the funding in any
of these grant programs, there are these choices:
1. Increase the Fiscal Year 2019 recommended property tax levy. A 0.25% increase in the
impact on the average homeowner (going from 2% to 2.25%) would change the dollar
impact on the average homeowner from a $15.11 increase in costs to a $18.89 increase
in costs. The property tax impact on commercial, industrial, and multi -residential
properties would still show a decrease. This 0.25% increase would generate $129,817
per year in new revenues that could be placed in some of these grant programs.
2. Reduce some of the recommended expenditures in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget and
place those savings in the City grant programs. If the funding to the organization is to be
recurring each year, the eliminated expenditure should be recurring.
3. Delay a decision until Fiscal Year 2020 which would create an opportunity for this issue to
be considered through the August 2018 City Council goal setting session where there will
be decisions made on the Fiscal Year 2020 budget priorities.
I support option #3. I believe in what the Eat Well Coalition wants to do but how does it compare
with and how does it compete with (since funds are limited the allocation is a competition) things
like those programs dealing with the opioid crisis, those supporting educational attainment
outside of school for youth in poverty, those helping convicted criminals productively return to
society, job training for unemployed and underemployed, the mental health crisis, and so many
other good causes. A competitive grant process allows a citizen panel to make
recommendations on how to allocate these limited resources taking into account City Council
priorities and comparing requests against each other. That does not mean no community effort
ever gets general fund line -item funding, but it does mean there should be strong reasons to ask
the taxpayer to put a request on the same funding source as the Police and Fire Departments.
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