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1. ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FUNDING (GRANTS AND
CONTRIBUTIONS) AND MAJOR EVENT FUNDING GUIDELINES - FORMALIZATION OF
EXISTING PRACTICES LIGNES DIRECTRICES SUR LE
FINANCEMENT DE PROJETS DE DÉVELOPPEMENT ÉCONOMIQUE (SUBVENTIONS ET
CONTRIBUTIONS) ET SUR LE FINANCEMENT D’ÉVÉNEMENTS MAJEURS – OFFICIALISATION
DES PRATIQUES EXISTANTES |
That Council approve:
1. The City of Ottawa Economic Development
Projects Grants and Contribution Policy attached as Document 1; and,
2. The Event Funding Policy, attached as
Document 2.
RecommandationS du ComitÉ
Que
le Conseil approuve :
1. la
Politique sur les contributions et les subventions de projets de développement
économique de la Ville d’Ottawa, présentée ci-joint sous le document 1;
2. la
Politique sur le financement d’événements, présentée ci-joint sous le document
2.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Deputy
City Manager’s, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability report
dated 19 August 2010 (ACS2010-ICS-CSS-0014).
Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee
Comité des services
organisationnels et du développement économique
and Council / et au
Conseil
19 August 2010 / le 19 août 2010
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice
municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community
Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Johanne Levesque,
Director/Directrice, Community
Sustainability Services/Services de viabilité des collectivités
(613) 580-2424 x 12257 Johanne.Levesque@ottawa.ca
That the
Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend that Council
approve:
1.
The City of Ottawa Economic Development Projects Grants
and Contribution Policy attached as Document 1; and,
2.
The Event Funding Policy, attached as Document 2.
Que le Comité des services organisationnels et
du développement économique recommande au Conseil d’approuver :
1. la
Politique sur les contributions et les subventions de projets de développement
économique de la Ville d’Ottawa, présentée ci-joint sous le document 1;
2. la
Politique sur le financement d’événements, présentée ci-joint sous le document
2.
In August 2010, Council approved a Corporate Grants and Contributions Policy and Implementation plan, governing all mechanisms for funding to external organizations. The new policy applies to all Grants and Contributions whether transfers of money, goods, services or assets to individuals or organizations without the City receiving goods and services in return.
Currently, as part of its overall Council approved budget, the Economic Branch administers two programs - Economic Development Projects Grants and Contribution and Major Events Funding. Using the new corporate policy framework, the Economic Branch has reviewed its existing funding practices and guidelines and created specific policies to oversee the Economic Development Projects budget, as well as the Major Events Funding. These policies meet the objectives of the Corporate Grants and Contributions Policy. They establish clear and concise mechanisms for groups seeking funding support for the development of economic development related projects, or for funding support towards the development of major event bids.
The proposed Economic Development Projects Grants and Contribution Funding Policy and proposed Major Events Funding Policy, each provide an administrative framework that will finalize the development, management and review of grants and contributions programs made by the Economic Development Branch to ensure that they are aligned with Council objectives and administered so as to achieve transparency, accountability, fairness, efficiency and responsiveness.
The Economic Development Branch of the Community Sustainability Department (ISCS Portfolio) leads the development and delivery of programs and initiatives that create economic growth, jobs and prosperity in Ottawa.
Each year, Council approves, through its normal budget process, a spending envelope for Economic Development Projects Grants and Contribution and Major Events Funding. The Branch then works collaboratively with, and provides project and core-funding support to a variety of external agencies to collectively deliver a full spectrum of economic development projects and services. The Branch also supports major event attraction and hosting initiatives that bring significant economic impact and media exposure to Ottawa.
In 2010, this budget allocation of $1,000,000 has funded a variety of projects such as Lead to Win, Ottawa Rural Tourist Council, Entrepreneurship Centre, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI), Ottawa Chamber's Business After Hours events, Ottawa-Gatineau Film and Television, etc. and events such as The National Ultimate Championship, World Police and Fire Games bids. The funding of all projects is linked to goals and objectives of the City's Economic Development Strategy.
While the financial support of the Economic Development Branch leverages considerable additional investment and brings significant economic impact to the City, to date, there has been no formal policy or guidelines in place to assist the Branch in its decision-making process in terms of what programs/initiatives to support, nor have there been any performance measurements in place to measure the return on investment for the Branch and the City.
The proposed Economic Development Projects Grants and Contribution Funding and Major Events Funding Policies will provide a planned and coordinated approach as well as a rationale for decision-making on opportunities to support economic development projects and major event bids, and to ensure that a fair, open, efficient, effective, equitable, and timely process is in place for evaluating requests made to the City of Ottawa for funding support.
It is also important to note that the policies developed are aligned with the goals and objectives of the City's new Economic Development Strategy that was approved by Council in July-2010.
In terms of the 2010 allocation of funds, existing recipients will not be affected by the adoption of these policies.
There are no implications specfic to the rural area associated with this report.
In developing the Economic Development Projects Grants and Contribution and Major Events Funding Policies, the Economic Development Branch consulted with key stakeholders such as Ottawa Tourism, Tourism Leadership Alliance, Ottawa‑Gatineau Hotel Association, Ottawa‑Gatineau Film and Television Office, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Ottawa's Countryside, and OCRI. All feedback received from external stakeholders was addressed and incorporated in the policies.
There are no legal/risk management impediments to implementing any of the recommendations in this report. The legal authority for the City to provide grants is set out in Section 107 of the Municipal Act, 2001.
The development of these policies support the City Strategic Plan Governance Priority which commits that the “City will work to improve processes that support a responsible and responsive government. It will take steps to make appropriate delegations of authority, conduct ongoing strategic monitoring and adjustments, and that ensure the City conducts business in an open and transparent manner.”
There are no financial implications associated with this administrative report. Grants awarded under this program are allocated from an envelope approved by Council as part of the annual Operating Budget process.
Document 1 Economic
Development Projects Grants and Contribution Funding Policy
Document 2 Major Events Funding Policy
The Economic Development Branch will implement any direction received as part of consideration of this report by the Committee and Council.
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS GRANTS AND DOCUMENT 1
CONTRIBUTION FUNDING POLICY DOCUMENT 1
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CITY
OF OTTAWA
MAJOR EVENTS FUNDING POLICY
City
of Ottawa Economic
Development Branch August
19, 2010
The
City of Ottawa recognizes that local, regional, national and international
events of all types have an important role to play in contributing to improved
quality of life of the residents and taxpayers of the City of Ottawa. The identification and attraction of events
to the Ottawa area can tangibly contribute to the quality of life of the
residents by offering opportunities to create economic, social, health, and
community benefits. These events have
the potential to generate new business opportunities with the commensurate
investment in infrastructure, jobs, secondary service industries, and community
culture, while at the same time increasing national and international exposure,
thereby resulting in increased tourism and revenues across a broad spectrum of
the existing community
The
City of Ottawa Major Events Funding Program is designed to provide support to
organisations delivering events that are in line with the City of Ottawa’s
objectives, and that will deliver significant economic benefit and create
vitality within the City of Ottawa. The City of Ottawa is committed to
attracting and supporting all events that clearly support the following
corporate objectives:
Social:
Promote the coming together of peoples from all walks of life for the
purpose of social interaction, cultural exchange and celebration of the
diversity of the social population of the City;
Health:
Promote participation in individual/team sports and/or athletic
endeavours in general in order to improve physical health and well being;
Economic:
Enhance the business climate of the City of Ottawa and support further
economic growth, jobs, infrastructure and prosperity; and
Community: Enhance the quality of life of the citizens
of the City of Ottawa through the organization and promotion of diverse events
that will, in turn, attract tourists to our City, contribute to the national
and international profile of the City as a sports venue, and create new
opportunities for growth.
2.0
ELIGIBILITY
The City of
Ottawa receives many requests for funding therefore allocation of funds is
competitive. To be eligible:
The
following will be ineligible for
funding:
Any non-profit
organization is welcome to submit an Event Proposal. The information
presented in the Event Proposal is intended to provide a synopsis of the key
features of the event. This is the
opportunity to engage City staff in assessing the feasibility of the
event. The application will be assessed
on the concept, quality of information provided and its potential to satisfy
the City of Ottawa’s objectives. A
confirmation letter will be sent to you confirming receipt of your Proposal.
All
proposals should be submitted using the correct application form and must:
If the proposed
event qualifies under these Guidelines, and appears to have merit, then the
Proponent will be advised to submit a formal Application Form for
consideration by the City of Ottawa Event Committee. Composed of both City staff as well as a
number of representatives from the local community and business associations,
the Event Committee provides a broad range of expertise in assessing the
relative merits of event proposals and acting as an advisory board to City
Council.
Once an
application has been accepted, an assessment matrix using weighted criteria is
completed. Criteria have been divided into 5 categories with “Extensive”
criteria having a much higher weighting than “Low” criteria. Applications
receive a score which will then determine the funding priority.
All Major Events Funding related application forms are
available on-line at www.ottawa.ca, or from:
Economic Development Branch
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P
1J1
613-680-2424 ext. 16663
e-mail: economicdevelopment@ottawa.ca
Application
Timelines
Funding
requests of $100,000 and over will require Council approval, therefore
applications must be submitted no later than one hundred and eighty (180) days
before the start of the event. Applicants will be advised no later than ninety
(90) days after the submission deadline of City Council decisions regarding
commitments and levels of support.
Funding requests of less than $100,000 may be submitted no later than
ninety (90) days before the start of the event, with applicants being advised
of funding support no later than thirty (30) days after application is
received.
Figure 1. City
of Ottawa Events Application Process
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Event Proposal submitted to City
of Ottawa |
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Full Event and
Organization assessment undertaken |
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If the proposed
event qualifies under the assessment criteria, Applicant will be
advised to submit a formal Application Form ·
180 days in advance of event start date for funding
requests exceeding $100,000 ·
90 days in advance of event start date for funding
requests less than $100,000 |
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City of Ottawa
Event Committee evaluates Application Form,
and if approved, determines funding level |
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City of Ottawa and
Applicant enter into Funding Agreement for provision of
financial and/or in-kind support (if approved) |
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At the conclusion
of the event, a Post Event Report is submitted |
4.0
HOW FUNDING DECISIONS ARE MADE
The Event
Committee will use four broad assessment criteria to evaluate the relative
merits of event applications and determine priorities for City of Ottawa support:
Economic Benefits; Media and Recognition Benefits; Financial Viability and
Risk; and Social and Community Benefits. The considerations that go into their
deliberations of the criteria are as follows:
·
Economic benefit and visitation: the degree to which the
event provides measureable economic benefit to the City of Ottawa through
visitor spend (regional, national, and international)
·
Timing of
Event – when the event is to be held during the calendar year, i.e. during
off-peak or high peak periods (April – September) of events within the City and
region. Under this criterion, an event
staged in a low season (such as March), is often more attractive than an event
staged in a high season (such as July).
·
Media impact – ability of the event to generate media
opportunities for the City
·
Prestige - Measurement
of an event’s prestige is based on the status of competitors, sponsors and the
media, the involvement of international sports federations and the numbers of
spectators.
Financial Viability and Risk
·
Viability of
event/other funding support - The degree to which the event is financially
viable and sustainable with or without City of Ottawa funding
·
Private sector investment - The percentage of the event budget provided by the
non-government sector is an important consideration when analyzing events. The
greater the revenue percentage provided by the private sector, the more
favourable the assessment under this criterion.
·
Level
of City support required (Financial/Non-Financial)
·
Risk Profile - Events
involve risk. The greater the potential risk, the more intense the analysis of
that risk. Risk analysis will cover factors such as the expertise and
capability of the event organizer to manage the event, associated risks (e.g.
weather, health and safety) and realize the event objectives, revenue raising,
the potential to cover losses, management expertise, the potential for injury
and event cancellation.
Social and Community
Benefits
·
Human
resource legacy (e.g. volunteer training)
·
Contribution
to local organizations (e.g. minor sports associations, community cultural
groups)
·
Development
of new or enhancement of existing facilities and/or infrastructure
5.0 IF YOU ARE AWARDED FUNDING
Release of
Funds
If you are
awarded funding, you will receive a letter from the City of Ottawa Economic
Development Branch outlining the total amount funded, terms and conditions, and
a funding disbursement schedule. Should
you be awarded a grant, a cheque from the City’s Financial Services will
follow, subject to a 10% holdback until the Post Event report has been
received. Support for in-kind City
services, such as Police and Emergency Services, will be provided through
internal City transfers to the respective departments. The letter will also include a Funding
Agreement document, which describes conditions attached to the use of these
funds.
Use of Funds
Funds shall be
used only for the purposes outlined in the original Major Events Funding
application. Any changes to the scale and activities, including changes in
budget and programming, must be reported in writing to and receive approval by
the Economic Development Division. Please read the Funding Agreement document
for more information on the use of funds.
6.0 POST-EVENT REPORTING
All Event Recipients are required to submit a
Post Event Report form available on-line at www.ottawa.ca, detailing how they actually
carried out the event and how they used the financial/non-financial support
from the City of Ottawa. This assessment
must be submitted within ninety (90) days from the conclusion of the
event. Failure to provide the assessment
could result in future support requests being deemed ineligible and/or the City
of Ottawa requesting return of financial contributions from the Event
Recipient.
The Post Event Report must include the following information:
·
A
detailed summary of the event that took place in terms of event objectives
planned and achieved, the program of activities that took place, any changes
that were required from the planned event due to external circumstances
·
For
funding requests over $50,000, an audited financial statement for the event
·
Listing
of actual media exposure coverage that took place, with details as to media
outlets, interviews and promotional materials, samples of primary event
programs/brochures that supported the event, and details of the recognition
strategy that acknowledged the support and contribution of the City of Ottawa)
·
A
summary of the numbers of the segments of the event participants (i.e. actual
participants, volunteers, attendees, tourists, etc.) to substantiate the
assessed economic impact of the event on the local community and on the tourism
and business sectors (include statistics and/or examples of feedback where
available)
·
A
summary of the volunteer contribution to the event in terms of legacy knowledge
and expertise, and
·
Any
particular difficulties, opportunities or challenges that were encountered
during the planning and implementation of the event that could assist future
events held in the City of Ottawa.
6.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SUPPORT
Funding recipients are required to
acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa as follows:
Print materials - By
reproducing the City of Ottawa logo* or making a written acknowledgement
using the following formulation: [Name]
gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City
of Ottawa.
To appear in or on:
Verbal announcements - By mentioning support verbally in:
*An electronic version of the City logo
can be obtained by contacting Economic Development at
economicdevelopment@ottawa.ca or by calling 613-580-2424, ext.
16663
7.0 SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION FORM
Completed application forms, along any
attachments, should be forwarded to:
Economic Development Branch
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P
1J1
613-680-2424 ext. 16663
e-mail: economicdevelopment@ottawa.ca
All submissions will be
provided acknowledgement by the Economic Development Branch, when applications
are received.
MAJOR EVENTS FUNDING POLICY DOCUMENT 2
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS GRANTS and CONTRIBUTION FUNDING
POLICY |
City
of Ottawa Economic
Development Branch August
19, 2010
The City of Ottawa delivers economic
development services through an innovative network of public and private sector
partners that is unique in Canada. This model strives to achieve value for
taxpayers by ensuring maximum alignment and coordination of services.
The City’s Economic Development Branch
(EDB) leads the development and delivery of programs and initiatives in both of
Canada’s official languages that create economic growth, jobs and prosperity in
Ottawa. The EDB works collaboratively with and provides core-funding support to
external agencies to collectively deliver a full spectrum of economic
development services.
In addition to this core funding, the
EDB also provides financial support to eligible organizations for economic
development projects that enhance business opportunities and bring long-term
economic benefits to the community.
Prospective applicants may find it
useful to discuss their concepts with the EDB prior to submitting their
application to ensure their project fits within the scope of the funding
program.
In accordance with the City of Ottawa Grants
and Contributions Policy, funding is limited to organizations that:
Further, the following types of
organizations/programs are ineligible for
funding:
Projects,
for which funding is sought, need to promote economic development and/or
enhance business opportunities in the City of Ottawa. The project needs to
deliver broad sustainable economic benefits to the community and demonstrate
on-going benefits when the funding has ceased.
The projects/programmes must meet the following principal criteria:
Funding will
not be provided for:
For funding requests exceeding $25,000, a detailed
business plan and budget is required as part of the application. The business
plan is a summary of the work to be done and details the goals, objectives,
tasks and resources. The plan should be linked to the budget and include the
timelines for completion. The project budget summarizes the overall project
costs, broken down by budget item (e.g. salaries, equipment). The budget must
also identify the proposed source of funds. If the project involves purchasing
goods and services the applicants must demonstrate that the process for
selecting a provider involves open competition, ensures value-for money; and is
ethical and fair.
Payment of funds for a project is subject to approval
of the EDB and successful negotiation of a funding agreement between the
applicant and EDB. Starting work on a project before funds have been approved
and execution of a funding agreement may make the application ineligible for
funding.
If an application is successful, work should commence
in a reasonable time, usually within three months or as agreed. Funds may be withdrawn
if the project has not commenced within the agreed timeframe.
An application should be based on a well-developed
proposal addressing the assessment criteria. Application forms are available
on-line at www.ottawa.ca, or from:
Economic Development Branch
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P
1J1
613-680-2424 ext. 16663
e-mail: economicdevelopment@ottawa.ca
Completed applications must be submitted direct to the
Economic Development Branch and must include all applicable items below:
§
Organization
details including appropriate contacts
§
An
outline of the project, its objectives, benefit to the regional economy and/or
community, and proposed dates;
§
Evidence
of the need for a project;
§
The level
of support sought and the proposed timing of grant payments in the event the
application is successful
§
Evidence
of other support as appropriate;
§
An
itemized budget that is supported by evidence of cost estimates (including
supplier quotes where appropriate);
§
Information
on how the project or its outcomes will be sustained after the funding period;
Project funding applications
for following year should be received between September – December time frame
of the current year by the Economic
Development Branch at the address
above. Applications received after these dates are still eligible for funding,
subject to availability.
Applications will also be
accepted by e-mail or fax (the pages that require signatures must be faxed or
mailed). Applications received by mail will be accepted if postmarked by the
application deadline date. Late or
incomplete applications will not be considered.
Upon receipt of the application by the EDB, it will be
assessed against the following funding criteria. If the application meets the
criteria, it will then be submitted for review and approval to a committee
comprised of City of Ottawa staff and representatives from the local business
community.
i)
Economic
Development Outcomes
Outcomes are the long-term
economic benefits that a project brings to the community. For example, outcomes
might include:
§ Increased
employment opportunities
§ Improvement
in skills
§ Expansion/upgrade of infrastructure to provide economic
development
§ Increase
in community capacity to become economically more sustainable
§ Increase
in economic diversity in the area
§ Entrepreneurship
and small business development
§ New
business training and skill development opportunities
§ Potential
for attracting more visitors to the region (tourism marketing or major event
attraction potential)
Applications
should quantify or otherwise demonstrate what the project will achieve, and
what the ongoing community benefits will be, e.g. identify the number of jobs
or training positions created.
ii)
Project
Need
Is there an
established need for the project? What
is the demand and how has it been demonstrated? (e.g. needs assessment,
community consultation). How will the
identified needs be addressed by the project?
iii)
Alignment
with City of Ottawa Economic Strategy
Projects should support the goals and objectives of
the City’s Economic Strategy (link to Strategy on www.ottawa.ca)
Projects are assessed
on both the requirement for direct support from or involvement of
City of Ottawa staff and/or Council in delivering the project or event, as well
as the level of financial support from partners, other sources and from the
organization itself (i.e. the greater the leveraging of other funds, the better
the application will be viewed). The level of potentially negative impacts on
adjacent neighbourhood, environment, etc. will also be taken into
consideration.
v) Project Viability
§ Clear mandate and effective planning (program and business)
§ Fiscal responsibility and financial stability
§ Balanced revenue (earned, private, government) and appropriate expense
breakdown
§ Effective, appropriate governance and solid management
§ Appropriate and effective marketing and promotion
It
is important to establish how the project will be sustained over the next 3 - 5
years. Projects will be assessed from the following perspective:
§ Who will be responsible for the operations and maintenance costs of the
project over the next 3-5 years?
§ Should the project require further finances over the next 3-5 years
who/what will be the source of such finances?
§ What role will the municipality undertake?
vii) Applicant Capability
Consideration
will be given to the nature of the project and the applicant including:
§
The type
of organization
§
Evidence
of skills/expertise to manage the project
§
Ability
to deliver the outcomes
§
The level
and likelihood of risks and how identified risks will be managed.
viii) Local Support
Consideration
will be given to the degree that the broader community, such as local business
and organizations, supports the project, including a commitment to keep the
project going after the funding period, if appropriate.
Release of Funds
If you are awarded funding, you will
receive a letter from the City of Ottawa Economic Development Branch outlining
the total amount funded, terms and conditions, and a funding disbursement
schedule. The letter will also include a Funding Agreement document,
which describes conditions attached to the use of these funds.
Use of Funds
Funds shall be used only for the
purposes outlined in the original Economic Development Funding application. Any
changes to the scale and activities, including changes in budget and
programming, must be reported in writing to and receive approval by the
Economic Development Branch. Please read the Funding Agreement document
for more information on the use of funds.
All successful applicants are required to submit an
activity report detailing how they used the funding awarded to them. This
report must be submitted either following completion of funded activities,
twelve months after receipt of the funds, or at the time of subsequent
application to the Economic Development Funding Program, whichever is soonest. Failure
to provide a report may result in you or your organization being ineligible for
subsequent City of Ottawa funding.
Instructions
- How to Submit your Report:
Please
submit two copies of your report by the deadline date. Your report must include
the following:
Please
provide one copy of paper materials only that support your
project
Funding recipients are required to
acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa as follows:
Print materials - By
reproducing the City of Ottawa logo* or making a written acknowledgement
using the following formulation: [Name]
gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City
of Ottawa.
To appear in or on:
Verbal announcements - By mentioning support verbally in:
*An electronic version of the City logo
can be obtained by contacting Economic Development at
economicdevelopment@ottawa.ca or by calling 613-580-2424, ext.
16663