office of management and budget
Grant in Aid Policy and Procedures
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Background
Community organizations are integral to the development and provision of
services to residents which more fully provide for the economic, social and
cultural quality of life in our community. The City of Greenville’s Grant In Aid
policy is formulated to maximize the participation of community organizations in
the landscape of public service and to afford a diverse representation of civic
organizations in partnership with the City. Grants In Aid are specifically
directed to private, non-for-profit organizations who desire to partner with the
City to attain goals and objectives herein described. Community organizations
defined in the context of this policy shall include both individual
organizations and coalitions of community organizations working cooperatively to
promote City goals and objectives.
Purpose
Grant In Aid funding shall direct financial resources to project proposals from
community organizations that provide direct service to community residents and
visitors. In general, it is the intent of the City of Greenville to provide
Grant In Aid funding to organizations that seek to:
promote tourism
within the City, advance the awareness of culture and the arts, and facilitate
historic preservation.
Eligibility and Restrictions
Eligibility
Only those organizations located in the City of Greenville and/or who serve
specifically the citizens and visitors of the City are eligible to apply. Only
those organizations in good standing with City and without outstanding debt
obligations to the City are eligible to apply. Only those organizations who
propose projects which can demonstrate consistency with at least one of the
following criteria are eligible to apply:
- Promotes and advances tourism in a manner consistent with the City’s overall
tourism development strategy;
- Facilitates community awareness of cultural diversity;
- Facilitates community awareness and exposure to the arts;
- Advances community appreciation for and awareness of historic preservation.
Restrictions
Organizations with eligible Grant In Aid projects may only receive funding
assistance for a period of (3) consecutive years. Subsequent to any three (3)
consecutive year period the organization shall not be eligible for City funding
assistance for a period of at least one (1) year. This requirement, however, may
be waived if in the opinion of City Council, the applicant organization provides
a unique community service, consistent with City goals and objectives, which
would not otherwise be provided by an alternative organization.
Except for efforts in the initial phase of development defined as "start-up."
projects meeting the eligibility requirement for Grant In Aid funding must be
capable of fully implementing the project scope within one year. With the
exception of “start-up” efforts, projects requiring multiple year funding for
full implementation are ineligible for funding consideration. Start-up efforts
exempt from requirements of this provision shall be determined by City Council.
Organizations requesting Grant In Aid funding must demonstrate the availability
of project funds from sources other than the City in amounts at least two (2)
times (2 to 1 match) the City requested amount. However, for "start-up"
organizations who have not previously received City funding for any otherwise
eligible project, a demonstration of funds from non-City sources in an amount
equal (1 to 1 match) the City requested amount may be accepted.
Organizations requesting Grant In Aid funding must commit to obtaining all
necessary City permits, approvals, and/or permissions as may be required for
execution of the proposed project.
Application Procedures and Conditions
The City shall provide public notice of the availability of Grant In Aid funding
on an annual basis. The notice shall include the estimated total amount
available for dissemination to eligible projects, the timeframe for receipt of
applications, and the time and location of application packages.
To encourage broad representation among community organizations and endeavors,
the City shall make every effort to publicly disseminate information regarding
the availability of Grant In Aid funding including but not limited to
advertisement in newspapers serving the City of Greenville, internet and other
electronic forms of communication, public postings, and other forms of
communication providing for information disbursement.
The Grant In Aid application shall serve as the primary means for community
organizations and/or coalitions of community organizations to propose criteria
eligible projects. The City shall make available all forms necessary for a
proper and complete application which shall at a minimum include:
- Name, location, and principal contact information of the requesting
organization;
- Project name (precisely describing the project scope of work);
- Project description including a detailed explanation of the project, the
intended outcome of the project, and the eligibility criteria the project most
closely reflects;
- Project budget detailing the anticipated total cost of the project including an
estimate of both revenues (detailed by major funding sources) and expenditures
(detailed by major expense categories);
- Statement of assurance (as determined by the City);
- Supplemental information which provides for a greater understanding of the
organizations intended use of Grant In Aid funding, the public benefit derived
from the proposed project, and consistency with stated City objectives.
Review Criteria and Review Process
Review Criteria
All organizations proposing projects will be reviewed and prioritized for
funding based on the following set of conditions:
- Consistency with and capacity to promote City goals and objectives specifically
related to tourism, cultural and art awareness and historic preservation;
- Availability of funding and requested demand on available resources;
- Quality of the application;
- Demonstrated financial support from non-City sources;
Review Process
The City may use a variety of funding sources for the Grant In Aid program.
Typically, the Grant In Aid program will utilize proceeds derived from the sale
of Sunday Alcohol Permits or funds generated by the levy of Accommodations Tax
(ATAX). Each of the noted revenue sources are governed by State of South
Carolina statue, which restrict their use to activities specifically permitted
by enabling legislation. The City goals of facilitating tourism, arts and
cultural awareness, and historic preservation are consistent with the provisions
of State legislation for at least one of these revenue sources. Further,
provisions of State legislation governing the administration of Accommodations
Tax requires all requests for use of tax proceeds receive the review and comment
of an appointed Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee (ATAC). This City Council
appointed committee consists of seven members, the majority of which must
represent the hospitality industry and one of which must represent cultural
organizations. The ATAC is responsible for making recommendations to City
Council regarding the use of ATAX proceeds.
Step 1 – Application Review
All applications received by the City requesting funds from the Grant In Aid
program will be initially directed to designated City staff for review. This
first level of review will serve two functions:
- Applications will be reviewed for completeness of information and designation of
appropriate source of funding. If appropriate, a single project application may
be designated as eligible for funding from more than one source of revenue;
- Applications will be reviewed for consistency with eligibility requirements,
potential impact on established City goals and objectives, and demand on
available resources.
Step 2 – Advisory Committee Review
Those organizations requesting projects which have been designated as eligible
for ATAX funding will be forwarded to the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee
(ATAC) for review and recommendation. As noted, The ATAC serves in an advisory
role to City Council. As such, their recommendations are not to be considered
commitments of funding.
Step 3 – City Manager Review
All applications along with City staff and ATAC recommendations for funding will
be reviewed by the City Manager. At a minimum, the City Manager shall review
applications for consistency with funding parameters, consistency with Council
goals and objectives, diversity of efforts, and cohesiveness of overall program.
The City Manager is further empowered to advance recommendations consistent or
inconsistent with direction of advisory committees.
Step 4 – City Council Review
The provision of any and all Grant In Aid funding is subject to the discretion
of City Council. Upon receipt of recommendations from the advisory committee and
the City Manager, the Council may elect to support, modify, or decline an
organization’s project funding request.
It is the desire of City Council to reserve some portion of those Accommodations
Tax and Sunday Alcohol Sale proceeds received annually by the City. City Council
provision of proceeds to requesting entities is subject to the following:
A reserve of $20,000 in Sunday Alcohol permits proceeds from each fiscal year
shall be held as contingency for un-anticipated events which may arise during
the year.
A reserve of $20,000 in Sunday Alcohol permit proceeds from each fiscal year
shall be maintained and designated to projects specifically supporting the
promulgation of art in public places.
A reserve of $20,000 in Accommodations Tax proceeds from each fiscal year shall
be maintained for “special opportunity” events provided the application of these
reserved funds is consistent with the applicable State statute governing use of
Accommodation Tax monies and uses defined within the context of this policy.
Awards and Responsibility for Performance
Organizations successfully competing for a Grant In Aid award will be notified in
June of each year. Funding will be available subsequent to July 1, of any given
year.
Recipients of Grant In Aid awards are required to:
- Provide all necessary documentation, as may be requested by the City, including
but not limited to evidence of private non-profit status and evidence of City
business license (if required).
- Enter into an “outcome” based contract agreement, the form and content of which
to be defined by the City.
Subsequent to completion of the project recipients shall:
- Provide an accounting of all revenues and expenditures associated with the
project;
- Provide a written summary of the project’s outcome detailing in particular if
and in what manner objectives of the project were attained and the levels of
community participation realized.