HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-37 Amending the Grant Program Repealing 2012-05RESOLUTION NO. o�O1a- 37
A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE GOALS, CRITERIA, AND
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, TOURISM AND
SUSTAINABILITY GRANT PROGRAM
THE CITY QF ASHLAND RESOLVE� AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. That the City of Ashland collects a Transient Occupancy T�. Revenues from the
Transient Occupancy Tax are used to fund General Governmental expenses, economic
develaprnent, tourism promotion and the City's Economic, Cultural, Tourism and Sustainability
Grant program.
SECTION 2. That tne City of Ashland purchases services from non-profits that it might
otherwise provide directly through its �Economic, Cuitural, Tourism and Sustainability Grant.
The grant pragram has four basic goals:
Econamic Development
Cultural Development
Tourism Promotion
Sustainability
SECTION 3. That the City Council wish�s to establish and maintain clear goals, categories,
criteria, and program requirements for the Ecanomic, Tourism, Culturai, and Sustainability Grant
program. Therefore the "Policy for Economic, Cultural, Tourism and Sustainability Grants"
attached as Exhibit A is adopted and incorporated by this reference.
SECTION 4. That the City Cauncil will allocate funds to the Economic, Cultural, Tourism and
Sustainability Grant program each year, by resolution, prior to saliciting applicatians from
nonprofits.
SECTION 5. Resolution 2012-OS is repealed.
S CTION 6. This resolution was duly PASSED and ADOPTED this day of
2 2 and takes effect upon signing by the Mayor.
Barbara Christensen, City Recorder
SIGNED and APPROVED this day of /���'��lU 2012.
Revi ed as to f
avid �.ohma�, City Attorney
J hn Stromberg, Mayor
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Exn�b�t A Economic, Cultural, Tourism and Sustainability
Grants Policy
Program Goals, Categories, Criteria, and Requirements
The City of Ashland collects a Transient Occupancy Tax, from people who stay in overnight lodging within the City
limits. Over half (58%) of those funds are reserved for the City's General Fund and are used to support Police, Fire,
Community Development, and Municipal Court. Slightly more than a quarter (26.67%) of those funds are used to support
the tourism industry. The tourist funds are either allocated directly to groups that market Ashland to tourists or are spent
on capital facilities that enhance the tourism experience within the community. The remaining funds are dedicated to the
City's annual grant program. The amounts that go to each of these programs are allocated prior to the beginning of each
fiscal year by the Ashland City Council, generally in February.
The City of Ashland reinvests a portion of the funds generated by the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) in community non-
profits through an annual grant program. Through the grant program, the City is purchasing specific services from non-
profits that it might otherwise provide directly. The grant program has four basic goals:
Economic Development. The grant program will support the creation, retention, and expansion of businesses
and other ventures that enrich our community by creating goods and services that provide employment
opportunities while maintaining and enhancing the overall quality of life. The 2011 Economic Development
Strategy provides both policy level and action level guidance for eligible grant application programs and
activities.
Cultural Development. The grant program will support increased diversity of and accessibility to the creative
arts and cultural opportunities in Ashland for citizens and visitors and will support the visitor economy, maintain
and promote job growth in this sector and enrich the overall quality of life in the community.
Tourism. As a long standing pillar of Ashland's economy, tourism programs support programs, activities and
events that act similarly to more traditional traded sector activity in that dollars from outside the community are
brought in and circulated locally to the benefit of our local businesses.
Sustainability. The grant program will create and support programs and activities to further support efforts to
ensure Ashland is environmentally, economically and socially resilient as a community.
L GRANT CATEGORIES
Non-profit organizations applying for grants must identify the category of funds that their application meets and will be
evaluated and scored by the sub-committee using the attached scoring sheet. Applicants may request funds from multiple
categories, but the justification for applying in multiple categories needs to be clearly spelled out in the application.
A. Economic Development
Grant allocations in the Economic Development category will be made to support and implement the City's Economic
Development Strategy.
Eli�ible activities include:
1. Specific implementing actions or programs identified in the economic development strategy. Those activities can
be found at �://ashland.or.us/files/Ashland EconomicDevelopmentStrate�y Final.pdf, on pages 8 through 22.
2. Programs and activities that foster and support the creation, expansion or retention of existing businesses in the
community that
rely on and earn a competitive advantage from innovation, creativity, design, proto-typing and technology
produce specialty and value added goods or services with a market beyond our local economy
3. Programs and activities that improve the coordination, communication and collaboration among local and
regional economic development partners.
4. Programs and activities that promote and/or provide and increased availability of investment capital for local
business.
5. Programs and activities that improve local educational technical skills to match local business workforce needs.
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Criteria for evaluation
The City seeks to accomplish the desired outcomes from the economic development strategy (page 23) through the grants,
and therefore these outcomes will be used to evaluate applications. Applications for the Economic Development Grants
will be evaluated �r� based on the following criteria:
Likelihood that the proposed activity will increase or support an increase in total employment within Ashland.
Likelihood that employment and businesses �ie�s being'served by the'grant will be added in enterprises that
rely on innovation, creativity (etc.) or produce a specialty good or service for export.
Likelihood that the proposed activity will support and assist existing businesses within Ashland in expanding or
remaining in the community.
Likelihood that the proposed activity would support and foster an increase in jobs that are at or above the
median income for Ashland.
B. Cultural Development
Cultural development grants are intended to support the retention and growth of Ashland's unique cultural offerings, both
to residents and tourists alike. Leveraging and expanding Ashland's cultural assets such creative, performing and visual
arts, historic preservation and education, brings creative community prosperity and adds to the overall quality of life of the
community. Ashland's visitor economy also thrives on the cultural and performing arts sector, so increasing the diversity
of cultural opportunities for visitors strengthens the tourism economy overall. The City's grant program is designed to
strengthen existing cultural activities, increase the number and diversity of cultural activities, maintain and expand job
growth in this sector, and increase both resident and visitor access to these activities.
Eli�ible activities include:
1. Programs or activities that create cultural offerings unique from existing local offerings, activities or programs.
2. Programs or activities that ensure the long-term success of local cultural groups.
3. Expansion in size or scope of e�sting cultural offerings, activities or programs.
4. Expansion of audience access, to those e�sting offerings, activities or programs.
5. Support services targeted to existing or proposed cultural offerings, activities or programs.
Criteria for Evaluation.
Grant applications for cultural development monies will be evaluated �r� based on the following:
Likelihood that the proposed activity will diversify the number, type, or availability to cultural
service, activity or program proposed compared with existing local cultural opportunities.
Likelihood that the proposed activity ensures long-term access to an important aspect of the visual or
performing arts or other local cultural attraction.
Degree to which the proposed activity will collaborate with an e�sting cultural program or will leverage another
cultural opportunity.
n m� �T Likelihood that the proposed activity will increase access to cultural programs or activities,
e�� particularly by those who may not otherwise have access such as low income residents, children, or
minority groups.
C. Tourism
As a long standing pillar of Ashland's economy, tourism programs support programs, activities and events that act
similarly to more traditional traded sector activity in that dollars from outside the community are brought in and circulated
locally to the benefit of our local businesses.
Criteria for Evaluation.
Grant applications for tourism monies will be evaluated and scored based on the following:
Likelihood that the proposed activity or event will increase hoteUmotel occupancy or increase local restaurant and
retail business sales.
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Likelihood that the proposed activity will increase the total number of jobs in tourism, hotels, restaurants, and
retail businesses in Ashland.
Likelihood that the proposed activity will increase hoteUmotel occupancy and restaurant/retail business in
Ashland in the months of October through April.
Likelihood that the proposed activity will create or support a new non-traditional tourism related event.
D. Sustainabilitv
The goal of the sustainability grants process is to support the exploration and expansion of efforts to ensure that Ashland
is an environmentally, economically, and socially resilient community naw and into the future.
Eli�ible activities include:
1. Program development, education training, and outreach related to: local renewable energy supply, production
and use; energy efficiency and conservation; water use efficiency and conservation; local food supply; local
natural resource or ecology; resource reclamation, reuse and recycling.
2. Programs and activities that assist local businesses in energy, water, waste reduetions, and supply
chain efficiencies
3. Programs and activities that support and increase local to local purchasing either by businesses or by retail
consumers.
Criteria for Evaluation.
Grant applications for sustainability monies will be evaluated �r� based on the following:
Likelihood that the proposed activity will contribute',to reduced consumption of a critical resource by citizens or
businesses in the community. Resources include fuel, electricity, water, land, air, or other natural resources.
Likelihood that the proposed activity will be "transferable." That is, the lessons and experiences gained through
the program or activities can be transferred to another resource, organization, or community.
Likelihood that the proposed activity will reduce citizen or business dependence on food, goods or services
shipped in from outside the Rogue Valley, i.e. "buy local" efforts.
Degree to which the proposed activity provides quality sustainability related educational opportunities to the
community.
IL GRANT APPLICATION AND AWARD REQUIREMENTS
Grant applicants and corresponding grant applications must adhere to the following program requirements:
1. Grantee shall be registered as a 501(c) non-profit�'�
*,If your 'organization is'being ,sponsored b� or legally affiliated with a registered non-profit, a letter from that
organizations Board of Directors',recognizing the affiliation and',a copy,',of the 501 (c) aerification of the sponsoring',
non-profit
2. Grantee shall be a non-government entity.
3. Minimum grant award will be $1,000 per grant category and $5,000 per grant application.
4. Grant award shall be utilized consistent with the associated applicant proposal and shall be primarily oriented to the
grantee's Ashland activities and programs. Grant funds may also be utilized for a proportionate share of Grantee's
e�� administrative expenses associated with the, Ashland activities and pragrams praposed'.
5. An applicant can apply for grant funds from more than one category, however, it is the responsibility of the applicant
to specify the categories and funds requested for each category and clearly describe how the proposal meets the criteria
for each category.
6. Grantees must submit the application to the City prior to the deadline, which is established each year by the City's
Administrative Service Department. Absolutelv no late applications will be accepted. The Citv is aware that
sometimes "life" intervenes!-a� therefore, applicants'are advised to have a back up plan to ensure
that the application is not late.
7. Incomplete applicatians (see applicatian cover page) will'not be,forwarded ta the grant review committee for
consideration
8. Materials submitted beyond those required and listed on the application cover,page and application'form will not'be
forwarded to the grant review comrnittee as part of the application packet.
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IIL GRANT REPORTING
Grant award recipients shall submit a written report to the City of Ashland at the end of grant period. Report requirements
include:
Report Content
1. Financial summary of the utilization of grant funds towards the objectives set forth in the grant award application.
2. Statistical summary of the positive economic, cultural or sustainability impacts associated with the utilization of grant
funds based on the scoring categories used to make the grant award. Applicants should provide actual data on one or
more of the following outcomes:
Number of actual jobs created as a direct result ofthe City grant.
Number of new business licenses issued as a direct result of the City grant.
Median wage of actual jobs created as a direct result of the City grant.
Number of people who travelled to Ashland from over 50 miles away as a direct result of activities funded by the
City's grant.
Number of additional overnight stays in Ashland transient lodging businesses as a direct result of the City's grant.
Number of additional events offered in Ashland as a direct result of the City's grant.
Number of additional people who attended a cultural event in Ashland as a direct result of the City's grant.
Number of additional children, seniors, or low income residents who attended a cultural event in Ashland as a
direct result of the City's grant.
Amount of conservation or reduction in use of a critical natural resource by Ashland residents, businesses or
visitors that is directly attributable to the grant. Document the resource and the evidence that the grant activity
resulted in its conservation.
3. Any other program or activity specific data associated with the grant award.
Report Submittal
1. End of Grant report shall be submitted to the City Administrator's Office by October ls following the end of the
grant award period (July 1-June 30).
2. Failure to submit an acceptable End of Grant report by the required due date disqualifies the grantee from future
grant application eligibility.
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