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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHRC 5 15 19AGENDA Human Rights Commission (HRC) Wednesday, May 15, 2019 5:30 P.M. City Hall, Emma J. Harvat 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City 1.Call Meeting to Order and Roll Call. 2.Public Comment on the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant. (Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 5 minutes). 3.Items to be discussed: a.Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant FY2020 Process. 4.Adjournment. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate in this meeting please contact the Equity Director, Stefanie Bowers, at 319-356-5022 or at stefanie-bowers@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. SJRE Grant Allocations FY17 CITY OF IOWA CITNr COUNCIL ACTION REPORI March 21, 2017 Resolution adopting the recommendation of the Human Rights Commission for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Allocations for fiscal year 2017. Prepared By: Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director/Human Rights Coordinator Reviewed By: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Fiscal Impact: The total cost of the funding recommendation is $24,450 Recommendations: Staff: Approval Commission: Human Rights Commission - Approval Attachments: Exhibit A, Resolution Executive Summary: This resolution approves the recommendation by the Human Rights Commission to provide full funding for five out of the eight organizations that applied for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant for fiscal year 2017. The original budget amount for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant was $25,000. Background / Analysis: One of the City Council's Strategic Planning priorities for 2016 and 2017 is to foster a more inclusive, just and sustainable Iowa City. To further this vision, the City Council approved funding in the fiscal year 2017 budget for Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJRE") grants to community-based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity. City Council approved a total of $25,000. The purpose of the SJRE Grant is to encourage, empower and engage social justice and racial equity initiatives in this community. The SJRE Grant funding is available to for-profit and non- profit Iowa City based organizations (including City of Iowa City departments) to fund programs, activities, or services that help to eliminate inequities in the community. The SJRE Grant lists six priority service areas: Education, Building Community, Housing, Criminal Justice, Health, and Employment. Organizations whose programs, services or activities address one or more of these priorities are considered first for funding. Funding request for operational costs such as rent, salaries or utilities of an organization are not covered by the SJRE Grant. Applications to apply for the SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2017 were available from December 1, 2016 — January 5, 2017. The Human Rights Commission met on January 17 (minutes in City Council Packet of February 21) to review the eight funding requests received. The list below provides the organization, the amount requested and a brief description of the service, program or activity for the funding request. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT 1) Sankofa Outreach Connection ($13,500) To provide a program entitled Sisters at the Center. The goal of the program is to address barriers to health and wellness for women of color. Sisters at the Center will consist of a series of programs intended to educate, while simultaneously creating a sense of connectedness for women of color. The funding will be used for professional service fees including classes, consultants, dietitians, bus passes, and guest speakers. 2) Inside Out Reentry, Inc. ($3,000) To provide services to persons returning from incarceration. Individualized re-entry plans include one-to-one and small group tutoring on computer skills, job readiness tests, and assistance with job and housing applications. The funding would be used to purchase two new computers and one printer for the Resource Center. 3) United Action for Youth ($7,456) Forum Theater (also known as Theater of the Oppressed) is a style of interactive provisional theater that works directly on social issues. The theater troupe would be comprised of twelve people, six youth and six adults who would provide social justice and racial equity forum theater presentations to the community. The funding request is for one week intensive training for staff, salary for the troupe leader and AmeriCorps members, travel, and marketing of performances. 4) Successful Living ($25,000) To provide housing to the mentally ill who are homeless or are otherwise profoundly struggling. The funding would be used to assist in the cost to purchase an additional transitional house. The $25,000 (or any part thereof awarded) would be applied to offset the cash down payment. 5) City of Iowa City, World of Bikes, and Iowa City Bike Library ($3,250) The project will provide refurbished bicycles to youth in junior high that are low-income to improve their access to public amenities via bicycle, and enhance their physical and mental health through "active" transportation. The funding would be used to refurbish fifteen bicycles from the police impound and to contract with a local instructor certified by the League of American Bicyclists. 6) Iowa Legal Aid ($2,200) To provide at least two community legal education events, preferably at the Iowa City Public Library. At least one event will deal with the use of criminal history, and at least one event will deal with court debt. All events will deal with expungement of criminal records, both juvenile and adult. Funding would be used to pay the costs associated with preparation and delivery of community legal education events, and follow up with clients served as a result of the presentations. 7) Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition ($2,500) To launch a multi -media YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) campaign that provides upbeat images of affordable housing residents and structures, and a narrative that makes the social and economic benefits of affordable housing clear. The funding would be used to work with a nonprofit media advisor to increase positive housing stories, and the production and marketing of three high quality Public Service Announcements. 8) Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa ($17,400) To launch a new Unity in the Community initiative that would respond to current priorities and concerns of members of the Center for Worker Justice. The funding would be utilized for expenses related to planning, publicizing, delivering town hall forums, CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT education events, training workshops, community events, and attendance of members at leadership development conferences. The Human Rights Commission met again on January 25 (minutes in City Council Packet of March 21) to discuss the SJRE Grant applications. Similar to its meeting held on January 17, Commissioners poised questions to those organizations that had representative(s) present. After the application review ended, each Commissioner provided staff with their numerical ranking for each applicant with 1 being the highest and 8 the lowest. The numerical score received by each applicant were averaged and ranked from highest to lowest. The resulting ranking is listed below: 1. Inside Out Reentry, Inc. 2. Iowa Legal Aid 3. Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition 4. City of Iowa City, World of Bikes, and Iowa City Bike Library 5. Sankofa Outreach Connection 6. United Action for Youth 7. Successful Living 8. Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa The Human Rights Commission next went over budgetary considerations including whether funding organizations at an amount less than what was requested would be sustainable for those organizations. It was decided by majority vote to recommend to the City Council that the five highest scorers be funded at their requested amount. The Human Rights Commission declined to provide funding for the other three organizations with only $550 remaining. Per the SJRE Grant review process, staff to the Commission shared the recommendation with an ex -officio of the University of Iowa's Chief Diversity Office who concurred with the recommendation of the Human Rights Commission (ex -officio's comments on the recommendation are attached to the minutes of the Human Rights Commission in the City Council Packet of March 21). Funding will be allocated no later than June 1, 2017. To view all SJRE Grant applications submitted for fiscal year 2017 visit the City Council's Social Justice and Racial Equity Initiative webpage under the link City of Iowa City's Social Justice & Racial Equity Grant: Applications submitted for FY17. Prepared by: Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director/Human Rights Coordinator, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 319)356-5220 RESOLUTION NO. 17-89 RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUITY GRANT ALLOCATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017. WHEREAS, the City Council's Strategic Planning priorities for 2016 and 2017 includes fostering a more inclusive, just and sustainable Iowa City; and WHEREAS, the City Council approved funding in the fiscal year 2017 budget for Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJRE°) grants to community-based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity; and WHEREAS, the City has disseminated SJRE Grant applications to Iowa City organizations; and WHEREAS, the City received eight applications for SJRE Grant; and WHEREAS, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission has held a series of meetings reviewing the applications regarding the allocation of funds for the SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2017; and WHEREAS, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission has recommended that Exhibit A be approved; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the public interest will be served by the adoption of the fiscal year 2017 SJRE Grant allocations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA, THAT: The allocation of fiscal year 2017 SJRE Grant funds attached hereto as Exhibit A is hereby approved and adopted. 2. The City Manager or designee is hereby authorized to execute, terminate, or amend SJRE Grant Agreements executed in connection with the allocation of public funds. Passed and approved this 21st day of March, 2017. ATTEST: MAYOR Q 3-t--i3 CITY CLERK City Attorney's Office Resolution No. 17-89 Page 2 It was moved by Botchway and seconded by Dickens the Resolution be adopted, and upon roll call there were: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: x Botchway x Cole x Dickens x Mims x Taylor x Thomas x Throgmorton Exhibit A Organization FY 17 Requests HRC Recommendation Inside Out Reentry, Inc. 3000.00 3000.00 Iowa Legal Aid 2200.00 2200.00 Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition 2500.00 2500.00 City of Iowa City, World of Bikes, and Iowa City Bike Library 3250.00 3250.00 Sankofa Outreach Connection 13,500.00 13,500.00 Total Request: 1 $24,450.00 24,450.00 SJRE Grant Allocations for FY18 r ' CITY OF IOWA CIT o4-02-18 nZ COUNCIL ACTION REPOR 11 April 2, 2018 Resolution Adopting the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2018. Prepared By: Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator/Equity Director Reviewed By: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Sue Dulek, Assistant City Attorney Fiscal Impact: $25,000.00 Recommendations: Staff: Approval Commission: Approval Attachments: Resolution Executive Summary: This resolution approves the recommendation by the Human Rights Commission to provide full funding for four out of the twenty-eight organizations that applied for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant for fiscal year 2018. The budget amount for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant is $25,000.00. Background / Analysis: Background / Analysis: In 2017, the City Council approved funding in the amount of $25,000.00 in the fiscal year 2017 budget for Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJRE") Grants to community based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity. For fiscal year 2018, the City Council approved a duplicate amount of money for the grant. The purpose of the grant is to encourage, empower, and engage social justice and racial equity initiatives in this community. The grant is available to for-profit and non-profit Iowa City based organizations (including City departments) to fund programs, activities, or services that help eliminate inequities in the community. The grant lists six priority service areas: education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment. Organizations whose programs, services, or activities address one or more of these priorities are considered first for funding. Funding request for operational costs such as rent, salaries or utilities of an organization are not covered by the grant. Applications to apply for the grant for fiscal year 2018 were available from December 1, 2017 — January 2, 2018. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT The Human Rights Commission met on January 23 (minutes in City Council Packet of March 6) to review the twenty-eight funding requests. By a vote of 8-0 the Commission recommended to the City Council the following allocations for the grant for fiscal year 2018. The Commission also requested for the Council to consider allocating $3800 more for the grant for fiscal year 2018 so that all selected recipients are funded at their requested amount. Organization FY18 Reg uest HRC Recommendation Shelter House 5000.00 5000.00 Neighborhood & Development Services 600.00 600.00 Healthy Kids School Based Health 12,300.00 12,300.00 Center for Worker Justice 10,900.00 7100.00 28,800.00 25,000.00 Brief descriptions of the service, program, or activity are listed below. Shelter House ($5000) The Shelter House Fairweather Lodge program is a permanent supportive housing intervention for adults who are experiencing homelessness, have a chronic mental illness (diagnoses primarily of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and/or bi-polar disorder) and are committed to a life of mental health recovery. Many participants have more than one mental health concern and may have combinations of illnesses such as a psychotic disorder combined with PTSD, anxiety, personality disorder, or substance abuse disorder. When faced alone, these challenges present severe barriers to maintaining both employment and housing. Through the Fairweather Lodge, members live and work in community and collectively overcome their challenges. Each Lodge is home to as many as six members. The model is peer -driven with members sharing responsibility for daily chores, establishing and enforcing their own house rules and ensuring daily med compliance as a group. Employment is requisite and a supported placement is available through Shelter House Fresh Starts janitorial services. From time -to -time a member may choose outside employment in the greater community. If awarded SJRE grant funding, Shelter House intends to develop a Social Engagement and Healthy Living Initiative for Lodge trainees and members as an additional component to the Fairweather Lodge supportive programming. The offerings will include everything from group activities and workshops such as art, writing, and outdoor recreation; individual training particularly Peer Support Specialist Training); to attending cultural and community events and museums. Neighborhood & Development Services ($600) Walk and Roll Wednesdays" is a pilot program to encourage walking and biking as a tool for building community. The goal of the program is to get people out walking and biking in their neighborhood as a way to reduce social isolation and foster of sense of place. Iowa City's South Planning District was chosen as an ideal area in which to try out the program due to its diverse population and the abundance of parks and trails. The district includes all neighborhoods south of Highway 6 and east of the Iowa River. r CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT The concept for the program was drawn from the Neighborhood Quality chapter of the South District Plan (adopted 2015), which focuses on fostering an inclusive sense of community that embraces the diversity of its population and the many environmental and recreational assets that serve the area. The plan identified a number of opportunities intended to help foster a sense of belonging, especially for residents who may be new to the area or have limited English language skills. Several of these opportunities were centered around outdoor facilities and recreation, including the following: Support Blue Zones efforts to get people active by hosting regular walking and biking events on the South District Trails. Encourage the establishment of festivals or other special events that celebrate the unique qualities of South Iowa City, including its cultural diversity. For example: commercial areas encourage social activity by hosting special events—farmers markets, food truck night, live music, dance, roller derby, etc." The proposed program will encourage people to be active in their neighborhoods—walking or biking—at least one day per week. A series of events located in and around parks, along trails, or walkable areas will focus on making senior citizens, families, immigrants, and women feel comfortable and more familiar with the trail system and on -street facilities, such as the bike lanes and wide sidewalk on Sycamore Street. The program will run through the month of May (5 Wednesdays) with the hope of encouraging regular walking and biking among residents. Healthy Kids School Based Health ($12,300) Healthy Kids School -Based Health Clinics (HKSBHC) is seeking to fund a new project; the Families of Immigrants and Refugees Mental Health Project (FIRM) to enhance the mental health services it already offers so they include mental health services for notjust children/youth but their families as well. Currently, the clinic works with Johnson County Focus on Youth (FOY) funding, ICCSD school funding and School Children's Aid to pay for school-based and private therapy and psychiatry services for its uninsured patients who are between the ages of 0-18 or graduation age through one's 21st year). The FIRM Project would focus on meeting the needs of clinic patients who are noncitizens living in Johnson County with emphasis on individuals whose family members have been negatively - affected by anti-immigrant/refugee policies such as the recent rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and others. The project would consist of funding support for individual and family therapy sessions as well as quarterly "Know Your Rights" workshops, which would be open to all interested community members. These workshops would pertain to two focus areas: 1) For general immigrant rights for those lawfully and unlawfully present in the U.S.; including DACA recipients and 2) For immigrant rights related to victims and survivors of domestic violence. Within the last year, clinic staff have witnessed the toll these decisions have had on individuals and as a result, households. A particular case that comes to mind is of a 16 -year-old girl who witnessed the nightly stress and fear within her parents who are undocumented and the uncertainty of their future living in a government that is becoming more vigilant towards populations from which they come. The stress/fear her parents festered within took shape the form of stricter rules for her and her siblings, shorter fuses, etc. All of these symptoms triggered increased anxiety within the young girl who eventually developed depression and experienced suicidal ideation, leading to temporary hospitalization. Much of the fear this girl's parents were experiencing stemmed from uncertainty or lack of knowledge as undocumented individuals living in the United States. r CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT The FIRM project aims to help individuals receive accurate information, from trusted resources, in safe environments as well as the opportunity to receive funds to pay for counseling to improve family dynamics and well-being due to these and other conflicts. Center for Worker Justice ($7100) The Work Skills Initiative proposes four ten -week classes for hands-on work skills training for two groups, low-income youth and adults. The program will be carried out in conjunction with the STEAM Fab Lab, a collaborative workspace that provides materials and services to support invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. Eligible youth and adults will have immigrant and/or low-income backgrounds. Low-income youth or adults enrolled in the ten -week program would spend the first five weeks experiencing a variety of skill opportunities to include trade skills, wiring, fabrication processes, and woodworking. The last five weeks of the class would involve developing and creating a project with a mentor that involves the skills learned in the first weeks of the class. Per the grant review process, staff to the Commission shared the recommendation with the University of Iowa's Chief Diversity Office. To view all grant applications submitted for fiscal year 2018 visit the City Council's Social Justice and Racial Equity Initiative webpage under the link https://www8. iowa-city.org/weblink/O/edoc/1768152/Submissions%20FY%20SJRE%2OGrant.pdf. Prepared by: Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director/ Human Rights Coordinator, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240319) 356-5022 Resolution No. 18-99 Resolution Adopting the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2018. Whereas, the City Council approved funding in the fiscal year 2018 budget for Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJRE") Grants to community-based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity; and Whereas, the City has disseminated SJRE Grant applications to Iowa City organizations; and Whereas, the City received twenty-eight applications for SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2018; and Whereas, the Human Rights Commission held a meeting to discuss and review applications regarding the allocation of funds for the SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2018; and Whereas, the Human Rights Commission has recommended that Exhibit A be approved; and Whereas, the City Council finds that the public interest will be served by the adoption of thefiscalyear2018SJREGrantallocations. Now, therefore, be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, Iowa that: 1. The allocation of fiscal year 2018 SJRE Grant funds attached hereto as Exhibit A is hereby approved and adopted. 2. The City Manager or designee is hereby authorized to execute, terminate, or amend SJRE Grant agreements executed in connection with the allocation of public funds. Passed and approved this 2nd day of April 2018. M OR ATTEST ,-_,kCc.e CITY CLERK Approved by: City Attorney's Office Resolution No. Page 2 BE It was moved by Thomas and seconded by Resolution be adopted, and upon roll call there were: AYES: NAYS: ABSENT: x ABSTAIN: x Mims Botchway Cole Mims Salih Taylor Thomas Throgmorton the Exhibit A Organization FYI Request HRC Recommendation Shelter House 5000.00 5000.00 Neighborhood & Development Services 600.00 600.00 Healthy Kids School Based Health 12,300.00 12,300.00 Center for Worker Justice 10,900.00 7100.00 28,800.00 25,000.00 Memorandum on SJRE Grant FY19 Os-zny r P CITY OF IOWA CITY 1P6 Nal eak®.,y MEMORANDUM Date: August 2, 2018 To: City Council From: Simon Andrew, Assistant to the City Manager Re: Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant purpose statement Introduction: City Council recently provided staff and the Human Rights Commission guidance on the process for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant (SJRE) program. A copy of the May 31, 2018 memo from the Human Rights Coordinator and Equity Director is attached. When discussing the program, Council indicated the desire for a brief discussion to review the purpose statement included on the grant application. The purpose statement provides direction to prospective applicants, as well as guidance to Commission members evaluating applications. History/Background: The text of the purpose statement as currently worded on the SJRE grant application is as follows, "The purpose of this funding is to encourage, empower, and engage social justice and racial equity initiatives. Iowa City for-profit and Iowa City non-profit organizations can apply for the grant to fund programs, activities, initiatives, or educational outreach that helps to eliminate inequities in the community. The SJRE grant has six priority service areas: education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment." Discussion of Solutions: Once Council is comfortable with the purpose statement language, staff and the Human Rights Commission will begin to develop the program materials for this fall's application period. r 8 o248 r CITY OF IOWA CITY IP7 Istres% MEMORANDUM Date: May 31, 2018 To: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Simon Andrew, Assistant to the City Manager From: Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator and Equity Director Re: Social Justice and Racial Equity Introduction: Council, at its Tuesday, March 20 Work Session, requested that staff provide guidelines for the Human Rights Commission to follow in reviewing and making funding recommendations for Council consideration on the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants for fiscal year 2019. Specifically, Council wants to make sure the Commission is recommending funding for new projects and projects that assist those individuals or groups that have been marginalized; examples given were persons who are low-income, persons of color, veterans, veterans with a disability, and LGBTQ persons. Fiscal year 2019 marks a significant increase in grant funding, from $25,000 to $75,000. Background: In 2016, the Council approved funding for the creation of a grant program to assist Iowa City organizations in advancing social justice and racial equity (SJRE Grant). The purpose of the funding is to encourage, empower, and engage social justice and racial equity initiatives in the community. Iowa City for profit and non-profit organizations can apply for the grant to fund programs, activities, initiatives, or educational outreach that helps to eliminate inequities in the community. The SJRE Grant has six priority service areas: education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment. To be eligible for funding, the organization must be principally and physically located in Iowa City. Funding cannot be used for operational costs. As part of the application process, organizations must provide: their mission statement, years of operation, annual budget, past projects, how the proposal addresses a need in the community, how many people will be served through the proposal, the demographics of those who will be served, whether there is a charge to participants for the service, whether it is part of a collaborative effort, a timeline for completion, and expected outcomes with indicators or markers to evaluate the effectiveness. A copy of the full application is attached to this memo. Applications are accepted December 1 — January 2. The Human Rights Commission holds several meetings after grant submissions are received. The first is an orientation for all Commission members that covers the history of the grant, the purpose of the grant, and the requirements of the grant. The Commission Chair also goes over the scoring rubric. It is at this meeting that any potential conflicts of interest are reported to staff to relay to the City Attorney for review.1 At the close of this session, Commissioners are given copies of the grant submissions to review and score. Also, it is at this meeting when Commissioners decide whether to seek comment from applicants. 1 Orientation is held with each Commissioner on appointment and at this time, staff notifies of the potential for conflicts with the SJRE grants. May 24, 2018 Page 2 By the second meeting, individual Commissioners are expected to have read each submission and given it a score. This score is then calculated into a ranking by the Commission member based upon the number of applications received. For example, if 28 submissions are received, a Commission member would assign it a rank of 1-28, with 1 being the highest. This ranking is then divided by thenumber of Commissioners participating in the process.This in turn.produces an overall rank for each application. Commissioners at this meeting have the ability to change their rankings. If there are no changes, Commissioners fully fund the most organizations they can based upon the rankings. Per the Council's direction at the time the program was first created, the Commission's recommendation is shared with the University of Iowa's Chief Diversity Office for any input prior to being sent to Council for consideration. Recommendations: 1. Council should review the stated purpose of the grant and the grant application. The SJRE Grant's purpose and vision guides the members of the Human Rights Commission in its review of applications and in its recommendation to the Council for funding. A review by Council of the grant's purpose and the application used for the grant provides Council with the opportunity to make changes in the purpose or the application or both for further guidance to the Human Rights Commission. 2. No City departments can apply for the grant as a primary applicant If a City department has a program they would like to initiate they should submit it as part of the annual budget process. This avoids City departments competing with local non-profits for City funding. This would not restrict a City department from being a non-primary applicant to a grant. For example, the library could partner with"Agency A"that applies for grant funding to help non- native speakers of English improve their verbal and written skills professionally, personally, and academically.The library, as a part of this program, could hold a session(s)with the participants to provide information on resources the library offers that assist English language learners. 3. A non-mandatory informational meeting will be held for organizations interested in applying for the grant. Groups or organizations interested in applying for the grant will be notified that they can attend an informational meeting, held in early November, to learn more on the history, purpose, process, and timeline for the grant. At this meeting, staff can also provide grant writing tips to those that may not have previous experience. There would also be time set aside at this meeting for questions and answers. Staff believes that this meeting will help produce stronger applications that better align with the City's desires for the program. 4. No set maximum or minimum amount of grant funding shall be required ofapplicants. Programs that require minimal funding could impact a wide range of persons in this community. Think of°Agency A applying to fund a program designed to help non-native speakers of English improve their verbal and written skills professionally, personally, and academically: A local business has agreed to provide meeting space for the bi-weekly class at no cost to °Agency A," and all instructors of the program are volunteers. The funding request is for $650.00, the total cost to provide the grammar rules and writing composition workbook to ell 75 participants. This workbook is a little less than $9 per student and the 10-week course is at no charge to participants. To be able to assist 75 persons who are English language leamers improve their English comprehension has benefits for them and their families, as well as this community. It can further advance career opportunities, allow persons to become more engaged in the community, allow persons to better know and understand their rights, propel educational attainment, and create more bilingual speakers. May 24, 2018 Page 3 In contrast, a program that would require maximum funding ($75,000) would need to be phenomenal and impact populations across all areas to be funded. Because the potential exists for such an occurrence, there should not be a ceiling placed on the amount that can be requested. Applicants would be Informed on the application itself and at the informational meeting that requesting the maximum funding, or even very large funding amounts is not encouraged, as it is unlikely for the members of the Human Rights Commission to recommend to the Council that all the funding be placed solely with one or just a few organizations. 5. Applicants that are funded will be limited to three consecutive years for funding for the same pmgram. The intent of the grant has been to spur new, innovative programming in the community..The grant is not intended to serve as a permanent funding source for a program. Thus, while an organization could receive funding for more than three consecutive years, staff recommends that programs have a three-year cap. This will help ensure that goal to spur innovation in applications will continue to be met. For example, °Agency A"would only be allowed to receive funding for its English learner course for three consecutive years assuming it applied and Council approved the allocation. This restriction limits funding to "Agency A° by program, but not by organization. So"Agency A" could still apply for funding after the third consecutive year, but it would need to be a new and different program. 6. Each funding round should include organizations that support multiple goals and benefit a diverse group of participants. In making recommendations on funding, the Human Rights Commission should emphasize a diverse perspective so that funding is not all designated as assisting the same target populations or same priority areas. Funding recommendations should consider: Income, color, creed, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. For example, If the Human Rights Commission receives 28 applications that aim to benefit a wide array of populations and cover multiple stated priority areas (education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment), then their recommendations should ensure that all funding is not unduly concentrated to a small number of targeted groups or priority areas. Having this requirement may, at times, require the Commission to recommend an organization for funding that did not rank at the highest level but overall that organization's application supports a population or area that is not represented in higher ranking applications. Powerpoint Presentation Used for Informational Session on the SJRE Grant SJ R E G r a n t A p p l i c a t i o n F Y 1 9 Rubric Used for FY19 SJRE Applications 1 SJRE Application #______________________ The rubric has three sections: part 1, Organizational Information, worth 10 points: part two, Proposal, worth 60 points; part three, Funding Amount, worth 30 points. The highest score achievable on an application is 100 points. 1.First, please rate the organizational information (Up to 10 points). Organizational Points A. Goals of the organization for 2019 align with social justice or racial equity: B. Mission statement of the organization aligns with social justice or racial equity: C. Does the organization have a history of accomplishment: D. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: E. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: F. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: Comments regarding the organizational information: Total Points this section: ________ 2 2. Second, please rate the proposal (Up to 60 points). Proposal Points A. Program, service, or activity advances social justice or racial equity: B. There is a need in the community for this program, service, or activity: C. Program, service or activity will have a significant impact on community members: D. Program, service or activity has tools that will be shared with others and are beneficial to community: E. Program, service or activity has specific outcomes and performance measures: F. Program, service or activity is sustainable in the community after SJRC grant funding would end (Applicant includes a plan for continuing the program, service or activity beyond the grant period): G. Timeline for service, project or activity provides for specific time frame for actions: H. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: I. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: 3 J. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: Comments regarding the proposal: Total Points this section: _______ 4 3. Third, please rate the funding amount requested (Up to 30 points). Funding Requested Points A. Amount requested would cover the service, project or activity: B. Proposal includes a budget that clearly outlines how the funding would be spent: C. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: D. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: E. Evaluator’s Own Criteria: Comments regarding the proposal’s funding request (please include as much information as you can to facilitate the funding decision process): Total Points this section: _______ OVERALL SCORE: _________ out of 100 SJRE Grant Allocations for FY19 Item Number: 14. r , CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT February 19, 2019 Resolution Adopting the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2019. Prepared By: Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator and Equity Director Reviewed By: Simon Andrew, Assistant to the City Manager Susan Dulek, Assistant City Attorney Fiscal Impact: $74,421.00 Recommendations: Staff: No Recommendation Commission: By a vote of 7-0 the Human Rights Commission recommends to City Council funding eight organizations at their requested amount for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant as shown below for FY19. Iowa Harm Reduction $10,577.00; Refugee and Immigrant Association 12,000.00; University of Iowa Labor Center $15,200.00; Inside Out Reentry 7,000.00; University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center $11,460.00; Shelter House $10,600.00; Access 2 Independence $5,260.00; Neighborhood Centers of JC & South District Neighborhood Association $2,324.00. The total allocation is $74,421.00. Attachments: Draft minutes HRC 1 24 19 Resolution for SJ RE Allocations Executive Summary: In 2017, the City Council created a Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJ RE") Grant to assist community-based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity. Background /Analysis: In 2017, the City Council created Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJ RE") Grants to assist community-based organizations in building capacity to address social justice and racial equity needs. Seventy-five thousand dollars was allocated for the SJ RE Grants for fiscal year 2019. The grant is available to for-profit and non-profit Iowa City based organizations to fund programs, activities, or services that help eliminate inequities in the community. The grant lists six priority service areas: education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment. Organizations whose programs, services, or activities address one or more of these priorities are considered first for funding. Funding requests for operational costs such as rent, salaries or utilities of an organization are not covered by the grant. Applications to apply for the grant for fiscal year 2019 were available from December 3, 2018 — January 2, 2019. The Human Rights Commission met on January 24 (minutes attached) to review the twenty-six funding requests. By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends to City Council to fund the below organizations at their requested amount for FY19. The total allocation is $74,421.00 Iowa Harm Reduction 10,577.00; Refugee and Immigrant Association $12,000.00; University of Iowa Labor Center 15,200.00; Inside Out Reentry $7,000.00; University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center 11,460.00; Shelter House $10,600.00; Access 2 Independence $5,260.00; Neighborhood Centers of JC & South District Neighborhood Association $2,324.00. Per the grant review process, the recommendation was shared with the University of Iowa's Chief Diversity Office CDO) for input. Staff plans on discontinuing this review by the CDO in future grant cycles due to the increase in workload it places them, but will continue to forward grant allocations for informational purposes. Summaries of the organizations proposals are attached to the minutes from January 24. To view all submissions for fiscal year 2019 visit the City's Social Justice and Racial Equity I nitiative webpage at this link https://www.iowa- city.org/weblink/0/edoc/l 843621 /SJ RE%20G rant%20S ubmission%20FY1 9.pdf. ATTACHMENTS: Description uratt minutes HRC 1 24 19 Resolution for SJ RE Allocations Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall Members Present: Jeff Falk, Cathy McGinnis, Bijou Maliabo, Jessica Ferdig, Barbara Kutzko, Tahuanty Pena, Adil Adams, Jonathon Munoz. Members Absent: Noemi Ford. Staff Present: Stefanie Bowers. Recommendation to Council: Yes By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends to City Council funding the below organizations for the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant as shown below for FY19. Agency Request Recommendation Iowa Harm Reduction 10,577.00 10,577.00 Refugee and Immigrant Association 12,000.00 12,000.00 University of Iowa Labor Center 15,200.00 15,200.00 Inside Out Reentry 7,000.00 7,000.00 University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center 11,460.00 11,460.00 Shelter House 10,600.00 10,600.00 Access 2 Independence 5,260.00 5,260.00 Neighborhood Centers of JC South District Neighborhood Association 2,324.00 2,324.00 Total 74,421.00 74,421.00 Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:47 PM. Approval of January 8, 2019 Meeting Minutes: Munoz moved to approve the minutes; the motion was seconded by Falk. A vote was taken, and the motion passed 7- 0. (Maliabo not present). Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant: (McGinnis steps away from the dais and does not participate due to a conflict of interest with one of the grant applicants). Falk gave an overview of the rubric used and the ranking sheet used to evaluate each grant. Grants were scored based on a total 100 point scale, the organizational information is worth 10 points, the proposal itself is worth up to 60 points and the funding amount requested is worth up to 30 points. The rubric serves as a guideline. 1 Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall The Excel spreadsheet used for this process calculated each Commissioner's point totals for each applicant so that the application with the highest points ranked as number 1 and the lowest point ranked 26. For the overall ranking it went the opposite way. The grant application with the lowest average amongst Commissioners got ranked 26 and the highest average got ranked 1 (last in line to get funding request recommended). There are six top ranked applications that if fully funded fell under the $75,000. Iowa Harm Reduction 26 10,577.00 Refugee and Immigrant Association 25 12,000.00 University of Iowa Labor Center 24 15,200.00 Inside Out Reentry 23 7,000.00 University of Iowa Mood Disorder Center 22 11,460.00 Shelter House 21 10,600.00 Total 66,837.00 Munoz asked who had received funding in the past two grant cycles. FY17 Organization Amount Inside Out Reentry 3000.00 Iowa Legal Aid 2200.00 JC Affordable Housing Coalition 2500.00 World of Bikes, IC Bike Library, City of Iowa Cit 3250.00 Sankofa Outreach Connection 13,500.00 Total 24,450.00 FY18 Organization Amount Healthy Kids School Based Health 12,300.00 Shelter House 5000.00 Center for Worker Justice 10,900.00 Total 28,200.00 Ferdig asked if Shelter House had received funding for this specific program in FY18, to which staff replied no. 2 Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall The current FY19 rankings leave $8163.00 remaining to be allocated. The sixth ranked lowest average, Successful Living, requested $16,320.00, which if recommended would go over the $75,000 allocated. Munoz thinks the Commission should spread the wealth, instead of continuously funding Shelter House. Ferdig commented on this as well. To encourage diversity of applications and in a year when the funding has been increased to $75,000, Munoz believes the Commission should not allocate to the Shelter House who would under the current rankings receive funding for FY19 while still receiving funding for FY 20. Kutzko pointed out that the FY19 proposal from Shelter House is a different program than was funded in FY18. Adams suggested asking the City Council to increase the funding from $75,000 this year to allow for Successful Living to be fully funded. Munoz pointed out that the Shelter House is ranked at #21 and so it would be the last of the top six to push out of the top rankings and reiterated that Shelter House had received funding in FY18 even if it was for a different program. Munoz asked Commissioners to think about consecutive funding for a well -endowed organization. Falk asked him to further explain his concern. Munoz pointed out that his problem is not with the Shelter House application but that there is an increase in money from $25,000 to $75,000 for FY19 and funding the same organization did not seem prudent. It would be better to provide funding to organizations with more diverse representations. Kutzko agreed with Munoz's comment to be a little more diverse in selection and the Commission may want to consider spreading the wealth a little more by not giving the full asking amount to applicants who have received funding in the past. Falk looks upon it differently, he sees it as giving the money for an activity and not to an organization. If the activity is new, then in his mind that is worthwhile or a consideration. This is what he tried to pay attention to, whether the proposal was something new or not. Munoz thinks that the Commission keeps recommending funding to well -endowed organization and does not pay attention to newer organizations that were established in Iowa City that have more diverse board members. He believes that if the Commission does not give them a chance, who will, and that concerns him. 3 Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall Falk noted that Munoz's concern might be a good concern but that as Commission members they have no idea of the diversity of an applicant's board. Munoz concurred but pointed out that the application does ask for the year the organization was established, its annual budget, and whether it has received funding from the City in the past. Pena asked if the Commission wanted to move Shelter House further down on the list. Pena, like Falk, looked at the idea and the execution of the idea, not the organization. But he noted Munoz made a valid point, in that resources should not be focused on the same organizations. Falk is not in favor of changing the current rankings but thinks the Commission should take into consideration in communicating with the City Council that they need to be more explicit in terms of what they are looking for because the message he got is that it should be a new program and not a new organization. Munoz finds Falk's comment to be an unfair shifting of responsibility, to say that the City Council needs to direct the Commission to decide what to do. It is the Commission's call on what to recommend. Further it is the Commission's responsibility to make decisions that promote social justice, race and equity concerns. Munoz does not think that 10,600.00 should be going to an organization that got funding in FY18. Munoz moved that Shelter House should not be funded and that the Commission should go to the next highest ranked applicant. (Motion lacked a second). Falk inquired as to whether there are any other applicants that, based on Munoz's concern, should be singled out Munoz said he singled Shelter House out because it was sixth ranked (#21) and the only organization out of that six that got funding in FY18 and would get it for FY19 too. In terms of the diversity of board members, and all those considerations, he was pointing out his thought processes as far as rankings and does not know the actual racial demographics of the Shelter House board. The major concern for him was that Shelter House was funded last year. Pena asked if Shelter House should be taken out in an informal poll. Munoz in the negative, remarking that if the Commission doesn't start emphasizing lesser known organizations, the Commission will never progress in terms of the goals of this City Council. Ferdig mentioned that because the rules at this time do not prohibit an organization from being funded for two consecutive years that it would seem harsh to deny Shelter House's request, Ferdig will vote in favor of Shelter House being recommended funding E Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall but would ask in the future for a restriction to be added that an organization cannot be funded in consecutive years even if for a new or different proposal. Maliabo present) Falk pointed out the disparity in the rankings and that it is the average that winds up being used. He thought perhaps next time he should include the average and the standard deviation. Ferdig asked fellow Commission members whether they felt the population that will be served by these programs reflects diverse populations, specifically do the funding recommendations represent a diversity of populations of persons served. Pena felt most the applications were targeting the same groups. Adams wanted to know whether the Commission is interested in changing the policy so that organizations only get funding once every five years, because the community has new organizations and we need all the organizations involved to serve a diverse community. Adams also would like to make a recommendation to the City Council to get more funding for the grants because $75,000 is not enough. Falk finds that questions with procedures come up when you are involved in doing the procedure instead of thinking about it before hand. Falk suggested that Commissioners keep in mind what some of their challenges were in this process and that a meeting be held in the future to go over things and make a list and shift to the City Council to improve the process. If there are things they think the Commission needs to make a good decision, they need to be placed in the rubric as additions or observations. Munoz responded that there is a difference between a rubric and discretion. Judgments are based on the Commission's discretion and the Commission does not need a rubric to tell them what is right from wrong. Munoz does not need City Council to tell him that he should emphasis diversity of an applicant's board as far as making recommendations on allocating funding. Pena agrees that if there are restrictions moving forward on consecutive funding it would create more opportunities to new organizations. Munoz moves to recommend the top six ranked applicants for funding for FY19, Maliabo seconded, motion passed 7-0. This leaves $8100.63 left for funding recommendations. The seventh ranked applicant Successful Living #20) is over that amount by $8084.31. Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall Pena mentioned that these are good proposals and would like to recommend for all to be funded but ultimately, he believes the Commission should stick to the amount allocated by the City Council and to stay within that budget. Munoz proposed to skip over Successful Living and to fully recommend funding for Access 2 Independence #17 and Johnson County Neighborhood Centers and South District Neighborhood Association #16. Munoz's reasoning is that it would fund two different projects for two different organizations and would create diversity of populations being served. Any organizations ranked higher than these two could not be fully funded because there is only $8100.63 remaining. Ferdig pointed out that Successful Living's proposal only included expenses for the entry fees for their clients to events without any other overhead costs to consider. Because of this it would only cut the scope of the project but still make it possible and proving a worthwhile endeavor for the organization that ranked next in line. Falk concurred with Ferdig. Falk spoke on finding it difficult to look at organizational budgets and comparing that to what they want funding for and whether it is an appropriate amount. Falk has little idea on how to evaluate any of that and if he had a better idea, he would want a lot more information than the organizations have been asked to supply. Falk also does not want to decide whether an amount lesser is appropriate for an organization. Falk recalled last year that the Commission decided it wasn't going to fiddle with amounts and just recommend funding an organization for what they ask. Falk did not mention this as an argument against doing things but just noting how he operated in this process. Munoz asked if Falk is proposing for Successful Living's funding request to be slashed in half. Falk responded he was not slashing it in half, he is recommending giving it half as opposed to giving it zero. Ferdig said she was proposing this reduction in allocation to Successful Living because its proposal is only for entry fees for their clients and that is something that could be cut in half. Staff mentioned that some of the discussion could be assisted by looking at the applications. As part of the process those applying must answer questions on whether they have received City funds, and whether the proposal could succeed if partially funded. Staff reported that those questions are intentionally asked because of past challenges in evaluating how funding should be allocated. Munoz, regarding his proposal for recommending funding for Johnson County Neighborhood Centers and the South District Neighborhood Association and Access 2 Independence, mentioned that Ferdig had asked about the diversity of the populations Is Draft Minutes Human Rights Commission January 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat, City Hall being served and that in his opinion not many applicants adequately addressed disability and that is why he liked Access 2 Independence and that it would be more prudent to fully fund two organizations than to fund only one at half. Ferdig pointed out that the Commission could opt not to use the remaining $8100.63. Pena feels that cutting the budget for Successful Living, acknowledging the valid rationale, would be based upon assumptions. The Commission did not create its budget and do not know all the operation behind it. Pena feels more comfortable following Munoz and likes the idea of recommending the funding for more projects. Ferdig replied that she did not assume anything. It is stated in grant proposal by Successful Living --the funding will go towards entry fees. Ferdig followed this up by adding that she had ranked Access 2 Independence two in her overall rankings. Munoz moves to totally fund Access 2 Independence and the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County with the South District Neighborhood Association, Adams seconded, the motion passed 5-2. Falk and Ferdig in the negative. Falk noted that he had ranked Access 2 Independence as his number one in overall rankings. Staff will set up a Commission work session to discuss opportunities for improving the grant process in the future. McGinnis returns to dais to participate). Black History Proclamation: Munoz will accept the proclamation from the City Council at its February 5 meeting date. Reports of Commissioners: Maliabo participated in two classrooms at Liberty High School for its Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. One of the classrooms provided Black history to students who were immigrants and not as familiar with King and his legacy. Falk also participated in the Liberty High School event and mentioned he learned a lot more on King's anti -war stance than he knew before. Kutkzo attended the City's Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration. She and her husband also participated at the West High School Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. They discussed their personal experiences living through the civil rights movement. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn at 6:48 PM. Member Attendance Sheet Member Term Exp. 1/8 1/24 2/19 3/19 4/16 5/21 6/18 7/16 8/20 9/17 10/15 11/19 12/10 Maliabo 1/2021 Present Present McGinnis 1/2021 Present Present Munoz 1/2021 Excused Present Kutzko 1/2020 Present Present Falk 1/2020 Present Present Pena 1/2020 Present Present Adams 1/2022 Excused Present Ferdi 1/2022 Present Present Ford 1/2022 Present Excused KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting Not a Member 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Requested Amount Organization Successful Living 16,320.00 Iowa Harm Reduction 10,577.00 Humanize My Hoodie DBA Born Leaders United 37,045.00 Center for Worker Justice 12,951.60 Access 2 Independence of the Eastern Iowa Corridor 5,260.00 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County 15,000.00 South District Neighborhood Association 10,000.00 Sankofa Outreach Connection 10,000.00 University of Iowa Labor Center 15,200.00 Refugee and Immigrant Association 12,000.00 NAACP Iowa City Adult Branch 15,000.00 Shelter House Community Shelter and Transistion Services 10,600.00 Inside Out Reentry Community 7,000.00 Sankofa Outreach Connection 14,000.00 IC Compassion 10,000.00 United Action for Youth 24,800.00 University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center 11,460.00 Dream Center, Center for Disability & Development, IC Parks and Recreation 15,365.00 Sudanese Community Center 40,550.00 Houses into Homes 25,000.00 Rape Victim Advocacy Program 27,600.00 Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, South District Neighborhood Association 2,324.00 Fifth Ward Saints North 4,500.00 Boys and Girls Club Cedar Rapids, Iowa City Unit 17,000.00 Emma Goldman Clinic 9,980.00 Domestic Violence Intervention Program 8,080.00 Total $387,612.60 Rankingsfor Social Justiceand Racial Equity Grant Submissions FY19 RequestedAmount Average Rank Adams Falk Ferdig Kutzko Maliabo Munoz Pena Organization 34 Successful Living 16,320.00 11.14256 20 1 2 7 26 17 21 4 35 Iowa Harm Reduction 10,577.00 4.557143 26 9 4 3 1 9 1 7 36 HumanizeMy Hoodie DBA Born Leaders United 37,045.00 19.25571 2 17 19 19 14 21 24 21 37 Center forWorker Justice 12,951.60 13.71429 13 21 3 20 23 4 20 5 38 Access 2 Independence ofthe Eastern Iowa Corridor 5,260.00 12.42557 17 12 1 2 25 19 11 17 39 Big Brothers BigSisters of Johnson County 15,000.00 15.57143 7 22 22 11 11 16 15 12 40 South District Neighborhood Association 10,000.00 18.42857 4 S 15 13 24 20 26 23 41 Sankofa Outreach Connection 10,000.00 12.71429 15 13 10 9 4 26 9 18 42 University ofIowa Labor Center 15,200.00 9.428571 24 23 7 15 6 12 2 1 43 Refugee and Immigrant Association 12,000.00 8.714286 25 16 6 6 3 10 7 13 44 NAACP Iowa City Adult Branch 15,000.00 14.28571 10 24 11 26 20 1 10 8 45 Shelter House Community Shelter and Transistion Services 10,600.00 11 21 6 5 22 2 2 25 15 46 Inside Out Reentry Community 7,000.00 9.857143 23 10 8 14 16 3 4 14 47 Sankofa Outreach Connection 14,000.00 20A2857 1 20 14 21 21 24 19 24 48 IC Compassion 10,000.00 11.57143 18 14 13 16 12 8 8 10 49 United Actionfor Youth 24,800.00 14.28571 10 25 12 1 5 18 14 25 50 University ofIowa Mood Disorders Center 11,460.00 10.57143 22 7 17 12 17 15 3 3 51 Dream Center, Centerfor Disability & Development, ICParks and Recreation 15,365.00 11.57143 18 15 20 4 13 7 13 9 52 Sudanese Community Center 40,550.00 19.14286 3 5 24 25 22 13 23 22 53 Houses into Homes 25,000.00 13 14 4 9 10 15 25 22 6 54 Rape Victim Advocacy Program 27,600.00 16 6 19 23 8 19 6 17 20 55 Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, South District Neighborhood Association 2,324.00 12.57143 16 3 21 17 8 14 6 19 56 Fifth Ward Saints North 4,500.00 14.85714 8 18 25 24 7 23 5 2 57 Boys and Girls Club Cedar Rapids, Iowa City Unit 17,000.00 17.14286 5 11 26 23 9 22 18 11 58 Emma Goldman Clinic 9,980.00 14.57143 9 26 16 5 18 5 16 16 59 Domestic Violence Intervention Program 8,080.00 13.85714 12 2 18 18 10 11 12 26 Total 387,612.60 FundsAvailable 75,000.00 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Iowa Harm Reduction Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition (IHRC) addresses health inequities with a program that focuses on vulnerable and minoritized communities that are disproportionally affected by HIV and hepatitis C HCV). The program improves accessibility to prevention services for HIV and HCV, increases testing services for individuals at the highest risk for infection, and improves treatment engagement. IHRC will purchase 200 rapid test kits for HIV and HCV and provide confirmatory testing, counseling, and treatment referral for any individual with a reactive result. IHRC provides peer -led services that are offered from 5 P.M. — 5 A.M. in a community setting to help lower some of the barriers to accessing health care that exist for individuals who are at higher risk for contracting HIV/HCV. The goals of the program are to expand community-based HIV/HCV testing and risk reduction education by providing test services and risk reduction to 200 Iowa City residents and engage 100% of identified individuals with HIV/HCV into treatment using patient navigator. The program will administer 50 HIV and HCV tests each quarter. These goals will be measured through data that will be collected at every mobile outreach event, risk questionnaires filled out by each program participant, data that will be collected to determine each participant's progress through the program, and a post -engagement survey. Access 2 Independence of the Eastern Iowa Corridor Access 2 Independence (A2I) will use a program called Vis -Ability where participants take photographs that illustrate their disability experience in Iowa City. It creates information sessions and a photography class that give individuals the skills necessary to participate in the project. They will use the photographs to create a traveling exhibit that will facilitate discussions on the project. Using the discussions, A2I will create policy recommendations that concern health equity in Iowa City. This project empowers individuals with disabilities to develop and use advocacy skills and bring awareness to local disability issues. The program provides education on advocacy and photography skills to participants, education and community building during discussion sessions, and facilitates discussions on accessible housing, healthcare, and employment for individuals with disabilities. A2I will provide a program that could assist the 4.7% of Johnson County residents that have disabilities. The program will measure community interest through attendance numbers. They will use surveys at the end of the program, after the first meeting, and at all the exhibits to measure awareness and determine ways to improve the program. University of Iowa Labor Center The University of Iowa Labor Center will create a program called The Corridor Apprenticeship Opportunity Network that will link unemployed or underemployed Iowa City residents from underrepresented groups to assist them in enrollment in Iowa's Registered Apprentice Programs. They will achieve this by organizing outreach events and workshops to recruit participants, create a well- publicized kick-off, provide free skills -based pre -apprentice education for participants, connect participants to training coordinators, and provide a leadership development programming to support the women and people of color in the registered apprentice programs. The program advances social justice by supporting the entry of women and people of color into high-quality apprenticeship opportunities where they have been traditionally underrepresented. The goal of the program is to reach 120 local workers through outreach efforts, enroll 20 participants in the pre -apprentice program, and include at least 28 participants in leadership development programming. To measure their goals, they set benchmarks based on an initial survey. They will partner with local non-profit, labor, and faith -based organizations and with the IowaWORKS office to achieve their goals. Refugee and Immigrant Association The Refugee and Immigrant Association will establish a program called The Awareness and Prevention of Social Conflict Initiative to address cultural challenges facing refugees and immigrants living in Iowa City. They will achieve this by establishing Together We Groups, Learning and Growing Presentations, and Community Collaborators. Together We Groups include the Parenting Group, Women's Group, Men's Group and a Youth Group. These are groups of individuals experiencing unique challenges that will be addressed through mentorships and training and education. Learning and Growing Presentations will be given by experts in their field on topics that are critical for refugees and immigrants. Lastly, Community Collaborations will be established to facilitate discussions between immigrants and refugees and members of the Iowa City Community to help program participants understand community institutions and expectations. The program will serve an essential role in assisting immigrants and refugees and will help facilitate integration. The program will reach over 1,000 refugee and immigrant community members. The program aims to hold monthly group meetings with attendance increasing over the grant year, hold monthly presentations with attendance increasing over the grant year, and show an increase in collaborative partners. They will measure the success of the program by recording attendance at meetings and presentations, provide pre- and post -surveys to participants at presentations, create a list of collaborative partners, and work with law enforcement to track calls for refugees and immigrants. Shelter House Community Shelter and Transition Services Shelter House wants to update the clinic space located at the 429 Southgate emergency shelter which serves individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The clinic is an on-site nurse -managed health clinic that provides general health care to residents and drop -ins. The funds will be used to revitalize the clinic and replenish needed supplies. The program addresses education by educating participants on a range of health topics. The program builds community by fostering partnerships with strategic health providers. It also addresses housing and employment because poor health can often be a barrier to securing housing or employment. Last year, Shelter House served 887 individuals by providing emergency shelter and assisted 385 individuals through the drop-in center. Any individuals staying at the shelter or using the drop-in center are eligible to receive care at the clinic. To help serve these individuals, Shelter House partners with University of Iowa nursing students, volunteers from Johnson County Public Health, and professors from the University of Iowa College of Nursing and University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. To measure the success of the program, Shelter House records the number of clinic visits. Inside Out Reentry Community Inside Out (10) will create a 2 -day summit and quarterly forum series about reentry and cultivating a supportive community for returning citizens. The project will include a keynote speaker, a panel of returning citizens, a workshop to organize around voting rights for formerly incarcerated people, a parole/reentry simulation and discussion, a workshop for landlords and employers to combat discrimination in housing and employment, a discussion on mental health needs and special needs of people of color and women returning, and a workshop for returning citizens focused on leadership and empowerment. The program fosters community building by creating a supportive community through education and criminal justice. The program also brings attention to the barriers faced by returning citizens when looking for housing or employment. Inside Out hopes to serve at least 300 people across 5 days of events but it could indirectly serve and influence the 52,000 Iowans who are disenfranchised returning citizens. They will measure the success of their programs by the number of attendees and by getting feedback from a survey taken by attendees. They also hope to gain 10 new volunteers because of the program. University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center The Mood Disorders Center proposes an initiative that provides psychoeducation to individuals with mental illness and develops a standardized curriculum that can be disseminated to Iowa's Judicial Districts. The psychoeducation program would be for parolees and probationers in Iowa's Sixth Judicial District who live with a mental illness. The program will either be a 6 -week intervention with 90 -minute sessions or a 1 day, 8 -hour intervention. The intervention would utilize Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The standardized curriculum would include scripted talking experiences, instructions for group activities and individual assignments, videos that demonstrate concepts, and necessary handouts. The curriculum would be developed with the help of six focus groups. The program addresses areas of criminal justice and health. The proposed outcomes of the program include a decrease in mood disorder symptoms and increase in psychological flexibility in parolees and probationers in Iowa's 6t" Judicial District. Performance of the facilitators and satisfaction of the with content of the curriculum will be measured using the Group Satisfaction Scale (GSS). They will measure the success of the program with quantitative data analysis obtained from the Groups Satisfaction Survey that will be reviewed after each of the 4 delivered programs. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, South District Neighborhood Association The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC) and the South District Neighborhood Association SDNA) will coordinate three large events: National Night Out, Thanksgiving Feast, and Taste of Broadway. National Night Out aims to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and communities. Attendees will also be encouraged to participate in a school supply drive at this event. Thanksgiving Feast is an opportunity for South District residents and other community members to come together. This event also establishes a "Giving Tree" where attendees can choose to "Adopt a Leaf" which has a specific need or desire of South District members. Taste of Broadway helps link local resident chefs with groceries and restaurants to prepare dishes that reflect cultural diversity in the district. The program advances social justice and racial equity by making the South District a destination for Iowa City residents live, work, and play. They strive to increase the social capital of the South District and build relationships to increase employment opportunities, improve health outcomes, and decrease involvement in the criminal justice system. The program hopes to reach approximately 300 community members in the first year with the goal of nurturing relationships with the South District, residents, local businesses, South District service agencies, and local government and law enforcement. To measure the success of their program, they will collect attendance at events, collect information of South District businesses' direct and indirect participation in the events, South District service agencies' direct and indirect participation in the events, and attendees' volunteer commitments as a result of the events. Prepared by: Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director/ Human Rights Coordinator, 410 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240 319)356-5022 RESOLUTION NO. 19-56 Resolution Adopting the Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Allocations for Fiscal Year 2019. Whereas, the City Council approved funding in the fiscal year 2019 budget for Social Justice and Racial Equity ("SJRE") Grants to community-based organizations to build capacity to address social justice and racial equity; and Whereas, the City has disseminated SJRE Grant applications to Iowa City organizations; and Whereas, the City received twenty-six applications for SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2019; and Whereas, the Human Rights Commission held a meeting to discuss and review applications regarding the allocation of funds for the SJRE Grant for fiscal year 2019; and Whereas, the Human Rights Commission has recommended that Exhibit A be approved; and Whereas, the City Council finds that the public interest will be served by the adoption of the fiscal year 2019 SJRE Grant allocations. Now, therefore, be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Iowa City, Iowa that: 1. The allocation of fiscal year 2019 SJRE Grant funds attached hereto as Exhibit A is hereby approved and adopted. 2. The City Manager or designee is hereby authorized to execute, terminate, or amend SJRE Grant agreements executed in connection with the allocation of public funds. Passed and approved this 19th day of February 2019. MA?YOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK Approved by: City Attorney's Office j. Resolution No. 19-56 Page 2 It was moved by Thomas- o. and seconded by Cole Resolution be adopted, and upon roll call there were: AYES: NAYS: x x x X x x ABSENT: ABSTAIN: x Cole Mims Salih Taylor Teague Thomas Throgmorton the Exhibit A Agency Request Recommendation Iowa Harm Reduction 10,577.00 10,577.00 Refugee and Immigrant Association 12,000.00 12,000.00 University of Iowa Labor Center 15,200.00 15,200.00 Inside Out Reentry 7,000.00 7,000.00 University of Iowa Mood Disorders Center 11,460.00 11,460.00 Shelter House 10,600.00 10,600.00 Access 2 Independence 5,260.00 5,260.00 Neighborhood Centers of JC South District Neighborhood Association 2,324.00 2,324.00 Total 74,421.00 74,421.00 Commission Survey Results on SJRE Grant Process 0.00%0 100.00%5 0.00%0 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q1 How would you rate your overall experience with the review process? Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Very positive Positive Neutral Negative Very negative 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Very positive Positive Neutral Negative Very negative 1 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 60.00%3 40.00%2 0.00%0 Q2 Do you believe the training meeting on the grant process was effective and contained enough information regarding the grant? Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Yes, thetraining... Some aspects of the train... No, the training was... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes, the training meeting was effective and informative. Some aspects of the training could be improved. No, the training was ineffective and did not contain enough information. 2 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 0.00%0 80.00%4 20.00%1 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q3 The application rubric's point system was useful for deciding my rankings. Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 3 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 20.00%1 80.00%4 0.00%0 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q4 The ranking and averaging of overall scores is fair and accurate. Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 4 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 20.00%1 40.00%2 40.00%2 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q5 The information provided by applicants made it easy for me to complete my review. Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 5 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 0.00%0 80.00%4 20.00%1 Q6 Would it be helpful to ask questions of the applicants during the review process? Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Yes No Other (please specify) 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes No Other (please specify) 6 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey 80.00%4 20.00%1 Q7 Are you happy with the diversity of the applications and the populations they serve? Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 5 Yes No 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes No 7 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey Q8 Do you have any other comments, questions, or concerns? Answered: 5 Skipped: 0 8 / 8 Application Reviewer Experience Survey SurveyMonkey Applicants Survey Results on SJRE Grant Application and Process 60.00%6 0.00%0 40.00%4 0.00%0 Q1 Has your organization ever applied for the SJRE grant before? Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Yes, it has and we did n... Yes, it has and we did... No, it has not Not sure 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes, it has and we did not receive the grant Yes, it has and we did receive the grant No, it has not Not sure 1 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 60.00%6 40.00%4 Q2 Did you attend an informational session on the grant? Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Yes No 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes No 2 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 55.56%5 11.11%1 0.00%0 33.33%3 Q3 If you attended an informational session, did you find the information helpful? Answered: 9 Skipped: 1 TOTAL 9 Yes, I foundit very... The informationa... No, it was not helpful. I did not attend an... 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Yes, I found it very helpful. The informational session could be improved. No, it was not helpful. I did not attend an informational session. 3 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 40.00%4 50.00%5 10.00%1 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q4 The application questions were relevant and were necessary to understand the proposed program. Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 4 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 40.00%4 30.00%3 30.00%3 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q5 The grant application was publicized well. Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 5 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 30.00%3 70.00%7 0.00%0 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q6 The application process was easy to follow. Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 6 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey 30.00%3 50.00%5 20.00%2 0.00%0 0.00%0 Q7 How would you rate your overall experience with the SJRE Application? Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 TOTAL 10 Very positive Positive Neutral Negative Very negative 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100% ANSWER CHOICES RESPONSES Very positive Positive Neutral Negative Very negative 7 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey Q8 How likely is it that you would recommend this grant to a friend or colleague? Answered: 10 Skipped: 0 10% 1 40% 4 50% 5 40 0 -50 50 -100 100 40 NPS DETRACTORS (0-6)PASSIVES (7-8)PROMOTERS (9-10)NET PROMOTER® SCORE 8 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey Q9 Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the application process for the future? Answered: 5 Skipped: 5 9 / 9 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grant Application Experience SurveyMonkey Staff Recommendation on SJRE Grant Process for FY 2020 Date: To: From: Re: May 8, 2019 Human Rights Commission Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator and Equity Director Social Justice Racial Equity Grant Process FY2020 History/Background: The Human Rights Commission is holding a special work session on Wednesday, May 15 to discuss the Social Justice and Racial Grant (Grant) process for fiscal year 2020. The work session is being held to allow Commission members the opportunity to receive feedback from the public on the process and to allow Commission members the opportunity to discuss amongst themselves the process used to select projects to recommend to the City Council for funding. The Grant was established in FY17 and to date has given over $125,000 to local organizations to advance social justice and racial equity work. List of recipients is included in the agenda packet for the work session. This memorandum represents staff recommendations based on over 3 years of managing the Grant submissions, working with Grant recipients and working with the Human Rights Commission on the Grant. Recommendations: 1)Racial equity and social justice should be defined. Defining the terms will assist in better illustrating what types of projects would or would not fall under either or both. City Council in previous discussions on the grant has stated that it wants to make sure the Commission is recommending funding for new projects and projects that assist those individuals or groups that have been marginalized; examples given were persons who are low-income, persons of color, veterans, veterans with disability, and LGBTQ persons.1 However, this requirement never removed the qualifier of the new project needing to fall under racial equity, social justice or both. Defining both will assist applicants and Commissioners and remove any ambiguity or confusion the terms previously may have caused. Racial Equity: projects or activities that close the gaps or attempt to close the gap so that race does not predict one’s success in life by changing policies, institutions, and structures in one of the six priority areas, employment, education, housing, building community, health, and criminal justice. Social Justice: projects or initiatives that provide or enhance equal rights, equal opportunity and equal treatment. Examples include voters’ rights, criminal justice, juvenile justice, immigration, and economic justice. 1 See City Council Work Session of March 20, 2018. May 8, 2019 Page 2 2) Operational costs should be defined. Defining and providing examples of operational cost should assist both applicants and Commissioners with what should and should not be included in a project’s proposal. Operational Costs: expenses which are related to the operation of a business, or to the operation of a device, component, piece of equipment or facility. They are the cost of resources used by an organization just to maintain its existence. Examples Include but are not limited to: salaries or wages of personnel, advertising, raw materials, license or equivalent fees (such as Corporation yearly registration fees) imposed by a government, real estate expenses (like rent or lease payments), furniture and equipment, utilities (such as telephone service, internet connectivity, etc.), maintenance of equipment, office supplies and consumables, and insurance premiums. 3) Projects should only be eligible for funding for one year and not consecutive years. When the grant was created by the City Council in fiscal year 2017 it was to provide foundational funding for local organizations to build capacity in racial equity and social justice work. This funding was not intended to be a continued source of funding for a project. Restricting a project to only one year of funding will not prohibit an organization from applying for funding for other new projects just not the same project that has previously been funded. Prohibiting consecutive funding for a project should create diversity in projects that are funded to benefit the community. 4) Recipient of City Funding in the Past 5 Years: Currently the application for the Grant asks the applicant the following questions: Within the last five years, has the organization received any funding from the City of Iowa City? If so, for what purpose and how much? Within the last five years, has the organization received funding for this program, service or activity from a non-City of Iowa City source? If so, how much was received and what is the duration of the funding? Does the organization plan to apply for additional funding for this program, service or activity in fiscal year 2018 or fiscal year 2019? If so, how much is needed? Is the program, service, or activity dependent on receiving both the SJRE and additional funding? * Commissioners should be required to factor into its evaluation of a project whether an organization has received City funding within the past five years for any project or program. Even if an organization is proposing a new or different project. The Commission should also factor into its evaluation of a project whether a non-City source is providing funding for the project and if so, how much. In past grant cycles some organizations that have been funded have received and continue to receive City funding from several different sources to the disadvantage or more grass root organizations that don’t have routine and/or continuous funding sources. 5) The Human Rights Commission should host a “Grant” Open House. In the past, staff has conducted grant writing training that included informational sessions on the Grant. Moving forward, applicants may be better served by having a Q&A on the Grant with members of the Human Rights Commission who rank and decide what projects are recommended to City Council for funding consideration. Hosting an open house prior to the May 8, 2019 Page 3 Grant submission start date will increase awareness of the Grant, build relationships with community-based organizations, and allow for inquiries about the application process. 6) The ranking document used by the Human Rights Commissioner should state on it when published that “a high ranking does not guarantee a project will be recommended to City Council for funding”. Making this explicitly clear on the published document may avoid expectations that a project will be recommended or the appearance that Commissioners have failed to follow their own process. 7) Public schools, colleges and universities should not be a primary applicant. Like City departments, public colleges, universities and public schools receive money from federal, state and local tax collections. Such institutions should not compete with local non- profits for limited City funding. If a City department, public school, college or university have a project that they would like to initiate it should be submitted as a part of their annual budget process. This would not restrict a City department, public school, college or university from being a non- primary applicant to a grant. This also would not prevent an organization associated or affiliated with a public school, college or university from applying as a primary applicant. For example, a student association or a parent teacher organization. 8) The Commission should continue to hold a grant orientation work session for its members prior to reviewing any submissions. The orientation should cover the history of the Grant, the purpose, and the requirements. At this meeting Commissioners would, like now, disclose any potential conflicts of interest of applicants that staff can then relay to the City Attorney for review. 9) To continue to have no set maximum or minimum amount of grant funding required for projects. Projects that require minimal funding could impact a wide range of persons in this community. Think of “Agency A” applying to fund a project designed to help non- native speakers of English improve their verbal and written skills professionally, personally, and academically: A local business has agreed to provide meeting space for the bi-weekly class at no cost to “Agency A”, and all instructors of the project are volunteers. The funding request is for $650, the total cost to provide the grammar rules and writing composition workbook to all 75 participants. This workbook is a little less than $9 per student and the 10-week course is at no charge to participants. To be able to assist 75 persons who are English language learners improve their English comprehension has benefits for them and their families, as well as this community. It can further advance career opportunities, allow persons to become more engaged in the community, allow persons to better know and understand their rights, propel educational attainment, and create more bilingual speakers. In contrast, a project that would require maximum funding ($75,000) should be phenomenal and impact populations across all priority areas to be funded. Because the potential exists for such an occurrence, there should not be a ceiling placed on the amount that can be requested. Applicants would be informed on the application itself and at the “open house” that requesting the maximum funding, or even very large funding amounts is not encouraged, as it is unlikely for the members of the Human Rights Commission to recommend to the City Council that all the funding be placed solely with one or just a few organizations. May 8, 2019 Page 4 10) To continue to make sure each funding round includes projects that support multiple priority areas and benefit a diverse group of community members. In making recommendations on funding, the Human Rights Commission should emphasize a diverse perspective so that funding is not all designated as assisting the same target populations or same priority areas. Funding recommendations should consider income, color, creed, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. For example, if the Human Rights Commission receives 28 applications that aim to benefit a wide array of populations and cover multiple stated priority areas (education, building community, housing, criminal justice, health, and employment), then their recommendations should ensure that all funding is not unduly concentrated to a small number of targeted groups or priority areas. Having this requirement may, at times, require the Commission to recommend an organization for funding that did not rank at the highest level but overall that organization's application supports a population or area that is not represented in higher ranking applications 11) Funding for projects to an organization should be distributed out on a quarterly basis over the course of the grant cycle. It also should only be sent after a quarterly report has been submitted that demonstrates that the recipient is making progress towards the stated goals on the project. Currently full funding is provided at the start of the grant cycle and reports are required at 6- month intervals. In at least one project from FY19 the organization has not been able to meet the project goals. Creating a quarterly structure should allow for Commission members to better evaluate and monitor the progress on projects.