Title
GCRA Community Partnership Grant Program (B)
Explanation
At the March 15, 2022 Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area Advisory Board meeting, a draft of the Community Partnership Grant Program (Legistar #210323) was brought to the board for review and feedback. Feedback received during that meeting and the City’s legal department has been incorporated into the proposed program.
Background: The former Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the current Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) have assisted local non-profit organizations with small-scale grants for events within the District for most of its existence. An example of this is the annual support of the Fifth Avenue Arts Festival. Typically, the grant funds assisted with the fixed costs related to city services required via permit. Examples of these costs include street closures, Gainesville Police Department participation, Gainesville Fire Rescue support, etc.
In the past, non-profit groups would request to address the CRA Advisory Board, give a presentation about their event, and ask for the Board’s financial support. If the event met the criteria of the CRA Redevelopment Plan, the Board typically approved these funding requests. Grant awards ranged from $1,500 to $3,000.
The GCRA 10-Year Reinvestment Plan identified the need for this program to continue and to develop a formal program for its administration. In its transition to a city department, there was also a need to understand other sources of community grants available from the city to avoid duplication and understand what’s available city-wide to promote events of this kind.
GCRA Staff, in conjunction with Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs, has been working to understand how to help supplement their Special Event Additional Support (SEAS) grant program. The SEAS grant is specifically for special events throughout Gainesville and focuses on support services required for safety, traffic, waste, and park clean-up.
In thinking through how the GCRA could differentiate its program, complement the SEAS grant, and meet a community need, Staff created this grant program to assist with other event costs not covered in PRCA’s grant program. Events must align with the plan by focusing on community, arts and culture, recovery/resiliency, cultural celebration, neighborhood improvement, and racial healing/justice. The GCRA program is proposed to be a 50% matching grant, and the maximum grant amount is $5,000.
Strategic Connection
Goal 1: Equitable Community - Building equity and inclusivity. The program has components that allow for funding towards Arts and Cultural Initiatives, Cultural Celebration, Neighborhood Improvement, Racial Healing / Racial Justice Training
Goal 3: A Great Place to Live & Experience
Goal 4: Resilient Local Economy
Fiscal Note
GCRA Fund (1132) currently has $42,000 in funds available for the program with an additional $15,000 of proposed funding for FY23.
Recommendation
The GCRA Board hears a presentation and provide recommendation to advance proposed program as presented to City Commission for review and approval.