Title
Approval of 2019 Neighborhood Matching Grant Allocation
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve nine Neighborhood Matching Grant (NMG) proposals listed in the attached Review Team Recommendations.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve funding for nine (9) Neighborhood Matching Grants.
Staff Contact:
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8031
Presenter(s):
Nathaniel Jones, Council member and NMG Review Team Chair
Marygrace Goddu, Historic Preservation Officer
Background and Analysis:
The Neighborhood Matching Grant program helps Olympia’s Recognized Neighborhood Associations (RNAs) fund community-driven projects.
The program goal is “to encourage projects that foster civic pride, enhance and beautify neighborhoods, expand citizen involvement, and promote the interests of the Olympia community. To accomplish this goal, the Olympia City Council will make available grant funds to Recognized Neighborhood Associations up to a 50/50 matching basis. The City Council firmly believes that community participation and commitment to accomplish improvements within our City are mutually beneficial to all Olympia residents.”
2019 Application and Review Process
The City Council approved a budget of up to $23,000 to fund the Neighborhood Matching Grant program in 2019. Grant awards can range from $500 to $5,000, can cover up to 50 percent of project costs, and must be matched by the RNA with direct financial contribution and/or in-kind labor and materials.
A total of ten (10) applications were received for 2019. They were reviewed by an interdisciplinary team of city staff and Councilmember Nathaniel Jones. Applications were evaluated against program goals:
• Result in a direct and lasting environmental benefit to the neighborhood and/or wider community;
• Enhance and beautify the neighborhood and/or wider community;
• Foster community engagement and enrichment opportunities through the use of neighborhood sweat equity;
• Ready to begin after funding has been approved;
• Likely to be completed by December 31, 2019;
• Easily accomplished with volunteers; and
• Does not require extensive City staff involvement to be completed.
The attached table provides a summary the applications received and recommended for funding. A copy of each proposal is available in the City Council office. One application is not recommended for funding due to a potential conflict with future park improvement plans in Lyons Park.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
RNAs continue to show a strong interest in this program. The city has funded an average of eight successful applications per year in the last seven years. The 2019 submissions showed a growing level of sophistication and comfort with both the goals of the program and the grant application process. The 2019 projects include community festivals, neighborhood signage, strategies to improve communications, training in public engagement and in emergency preparedness, and landscape improvements. These projects bring residents together, increase community pride and sense of place, strengthen the vitality of our neighborhoods and benefit the wider Olympia community.
Options:
Note: All options would be contingent on negotiation of agreements with recognized neighborhood associations to complete each project in 2019.
1. Approve the Neighborhood Matching Grants as recommended by the Review Team.
2. Approve partial or full funding of a subset of grant requests that the Council finds consistent with the goals of the program.
3. Do not fund some of the applications recommended by the Review Team.
Financial Impact:
The 2019 budget provides up to $23,000 to fund the Neighborhood Matching Grant program. The total recommended grant level for 2019 is $22,694. The final funding level is contingent on negotiation of agreements with recognized neighborhood associations to complete each project in 2019.
This funding will leverage $97,000 in projects and improvements all across the City and engage over 1,200 volunteer hours of neighbors working together to make Olympia a better place to live.
The estimated staff time to support each matching grant ranges from 20 to 40 hours, totaling 180-360 staff hours for the nine (9) recommended projects. Funding for this staff time is included in the City budget.
Attachments:
Review Team Recommendation