July 9, 1999

To:Board of Health

From:Dr. Sheela V. Basrur, Medical Officer of Health

Subject:1999 Community Services Grants - Recommended Allocations to AIDS Service Organizations

Purpose:

This report outlines recommended allocations for approval by the Board of Health regarding 1999 Community Services Grants allocations to be administered by Public Health to five AIDS service organizations.

Funding Sources:

Funding of $132,236 for the 1999 Community Services Grants to five AIDS service organizations is available in the 1999 Consolidated Grants Budget, approved by City Council at its meeting of April 26/27, 1999.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

1. Community Services Grants, totaling $132,236 allocated to five AIDS service organization applicants, as described in Appendices A and B of this report be approved;

2. Release of the funds be subject to the satisfactory completion of a Declaration Form regarding the adoption of the City of Toronto's Non-Discrimination Policy; and,

3. The authority be granted to the Medical Officer of Health to take the necessary action to give effect thereto, including the execution of the Letters of Understanding on behalf of the City, on the terms and conditions as outlined in this report (see Appendix C).

Background:

At its meeting of March 4, 5, and 6, 1998, City Council approved the report titled "Municipal Grants Review Committee"(Clause No. 15, Report No. 3 of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee) which established the Municipal Grants Review Committee to oversee the development of a 1999 integrated Municipal Grants Policy. The development of an integrated Municipal Grants Policy included reviewing and revising grants policies for each service area. As part of the review, Public Health's AIDS Prevention Grants Program undertook a service review with key stakeholders in 1998 to identify directions for the program for 1999. The September, 1998 Board of Health report "AIDS and Drug Abuse Prevention Grants Review" provided a summary of the findings of the public health consultations. The report recommendations were then forwarded to the Municipal Grants Review Committee.

The AIDS Prevention Grants review re-affirmed that Public Health grants are a policy-supported, integrated component within Public Health programs. The integration of grants with programs is critical to ensuring responsiveness to emerging trends and access to program-specific and client-specific expertise.

In 1998, the five applicant agencies being recommended in this report for funding through Public Health had their funding administered by the Social Development and Administration Division of Community and Neighbourhood Services. As a result of efforts to rationalize services and programs, the corporate grants review recommended that funds which support community groups whose primary mandate is provision of HIV/AIDS-related services (referred to as AIDS service organizations) be transferred from the Community Services Grants budget to the AIDS Prevention Grants budget administered by Public Health.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

1999 is the transition year for the transfer of the administration of funding for five AIDS service organizations from the Social Development and Administration Division of Community and Neighbourhood Services to the Public Health Division. Accordingly, the purposes for which funding was allocated in 1998 is being grandfathered for 1999 and the funding request is flatlined at 1998 allocation levels. This information was conveyed to the agencies in a March, 1999 letter from the Manager of the Community Services Grants Program. The submission requirements were simplified for 1999 to include a 1-2 page overview of the applicant's proposed funding program description, a program budget, a completed "Part A - Organizational Information" from the grants application, letters patent and the most recent audited financial statement.

Of the five applicants recommended for funding, four currently receive either AIDS Prevention Grants funding or AIDS purchase of service contract funding. Having Public Health administer these five grants will streamline the assessment and application processes, on-going program support, reporting, etc. Also, agencies undertaking HIV-related activities/services would be linked to the overall comprehensive Public Health Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS programs, and will have access to staff with program-specific expertise.

AIDS grants staff will continue to meet with the five AIDS service organizations in summer, 1999 and with other relevant community groups and stakeholders in fall, 1999 to review Community Services Grants criteria for AIDS service organizations and to determine the required revisions to the year 2000 grants cycle. One of the key issues to resolve in aligning the grants funding will be to clarify eligibility criteria, since priorities for AIDS Prevention Grants and Community Grants differ.

The primary goal of the 1999 Community Services Grants Program is to support and sustain the social well-being of Toronto's communities by building community capacity, supporting vulnerable communities, and addressing community service needs through provision of direct community services. The priority of the 1999 AIDS Prevention Grants is to support innovative, targeted education programs to positively influence behaviours and situations that put people at risk of acquiring HIV.

Hence AIDS Prevention Grants provide funding for targeted prevention educational initiatives, and Community Services Grants have provided funding to AIDS service organizations for activities such as support services and volunteer development activities. Over the years, as health promotion programs evolved to address the needs of persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, the AIDS Prevention Grants Program has enhanced funding for activities that provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS, although support-related activities continue to make up a small component within the overall AIDS Prevention Grants funding.

Conclusions:

Five Community Services grants have been transferred to Toronto Public Health for administration as part of municipal grants harmonization. This report requests the Board of Health's approval of recommended allocations, and describes challenges to be resolved in corporately aligning AIDS-related grants.

Contact Name:

Connie Clement

Director, Public Health Planning and Policy

Toronto Public Health

Tel: (416)392-7463

Fax: (416) 392-0713

Liz Janzen

Regional Director, South Region

Toronto Public Health

Tel: (416) 392-7458

Fax: (416) 392-0713

Dr. Sheela V. Basrur

Medical Officer of Health

Appendix A

1999 AIDS Community Services Grants

1998 Approved Allocation /1999 Amount Recommended

Africans in Partnership Against AIDS$19,000$19,000

AIDS Committee of Toronto$58,606$58,606

Positive Straight Men$12,500$12,500

The Teresa Group$15,000$15,000

Toronto People With AIDS Foundation$27,130$27,130

Appendix B

Recommended Funded Services for Each Applicant

Africans in Partnership Against AIDS

That funds in the amount of $19,000 be provided to Africans in Partnership Against AIDS to carry out the following services: To employ a 3 days/week Support Services Coordinator to:

(1)Recruit, train and support 10 Buddy volunteers to assist with counselling, support groups and practical assistance to persons living with HIV/AIDS;

(2)Provide one-to-one counselling, referrals and practical assistance services; and,

(3)Coordinate support groups, drop-in centre and soup kitchen programs.

AIDS Committee of Toronto

That funds in the amount of $58,606 be provided to the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) to carry out the following services: To employ a half-time Director of Support Services and a half-time Support Group Coordinator to:

(1)Provide training, supervision and coordination services to ACT volunteer support group facilitators; training to be available and offered to other AIDS service organizations;

(2)Provide short-term and ongoing support groups on a variety of topic areas (e.g., Living with HIV, Being an HIV-Negative Gay Man, Being a Care Partner to a Person Living with AIDS, Strategies for Health, What Now?, Riding the Rollercoaster, Living with HIV on a Restricted Income, Affected Women's Support, therapy group for depression); and,

(3)Provide 10 issues of the volunteer bulletin; ongoing provision of emotional and practical support to volunteers; 2 workshops for volunteers on topics related to their work and ongoing supervision meetings with volunteers (one-to-one and by program teams).

Positive Straight Men

That funds in the amount of $12,500 be provided to Positive Straight Men to carry out the following services: To employ a 10 hours/week Office Coordinator to:

(1)Support volunteers to assist with support groups, lay counselling, mailouts and office help; and,

(2)Facilitate monthly educational workshops/support group meetings for heterosexual and bisexual men living with HIV/AIDS.

Funding is conditional upon the agency undertaking an organizational development process. Positive Straight Men is encouraged to consider partnership or collaborative models of service delivery with appropriate agencies serving the community.

The Teresa Group

That funds in the amount of $15,000 be provided to The Teresa Group to carry out the following services:

(1)To provide administrative, volunteer, peer and practical support to the Family Support Program for the development, printing and distribution of resources; and, for the purchase of program materials.

Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

That funds in the amount of $27,130 be provided to Toronto People With AIDS Foundation to carry out the following services:

(1)To provide ongoing support to the Foodbank Program for equipment maintenance (van and freezer); for insurance and supplies needed to prepare 125 to 150 weekly food boxes; and,

(2)To purchase items for the holiday hamper baskets to be distributed in December, 1999.

Appendix C

Sample Letter of Understanding with attached

Terms & Conditions

July 28, 1999

The following model "Letter of Understanding" will be used for grants from both the AIDS Prevention Program Grants and the Drug Abuse Prevention Program Grants.

(Date)

(Agency name,

Address etc.)

Re: 1999 (name of program) (name of project)

Dear (contact person),

At its meeting of (date) City council authorized that a grant in the amount of ($) be made to (organization's name) for (service or project name). This represents the total amount of the grant, including any applicable taxes and disbursements. The grant will be payable in (#) instalment(s) according to the following schedule:

(Examples: one payment after the signed letter of understanding is received. Or two equal payments, the first payment after the letter of understanding is received, and the second payment after a satisfactory progress report).

(Add any conditions specific to this grant here, e.g. release of the funds is conditional on the organization providing¼)

The services which are to be provided with this funding must take place within City of Toronto boundaries unless otherwise specified. The services to be provided are:

(Description from allocations report.)

These services are to be completed by (date). Material changes to the nature of, or budget for the activities for which the grant has been made, must received prior written consent from the City. (Spending will be in accordance with the attached budget.)

The support of the City of Toronto (Department or program name) must be acknowledged by the recipient on any materials, reports, events, signage or publicity which are paid for, in full or in part with this funding.

Reports outlining the progress in providing services or activities, and including a financial statement for the period of the report are to be submitted in accordance with the following schedule (and attached guidelines): (Insert reporting schedule. For example: a progress report by January 31, 2000 and a final report by July 31, 2000.) Please submit all reports to (staff name) your City contact for this grant.

Any unused portion of the grant remains the property of the City of Toronto and shall be returned immediately to the City. If you breach any of the terms and conditions of the grant, as set out in this letter and in the Terms and Conditions, or if you cease operating; cease to operate as a non-profit organization or collective; wind up or dissolve; merge or amalgamate with any other party; commence or have commenced against you any proceedings in bankruptcy, or are adjudged a bankrupt; knowingly provide false information in the grant application; use grant funds for purposes not approved by City Council; or breach any of the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code in your operations, the grant must, at the request of the City be repaid in whole or in part to the City.

The City shall not be liable for any damages, injury or any loss of use or profit of the Recipient arising out of, or in any way related to, the grant recipient's operations. The grant recipient shall indemnify the City, its officers, employees and agents, against all costs, damages and expenses incurred as a result of a claim or proceedings related to the grant recipients operations, unless such costs, damages or expenses arise from the negligence or wilful act of an officer, employee or agent of the City.

Two copies of this Letter of Understanding are provided. Please retain one copy for your files. Sign and return the second copy to your City contact person for the grant at the address below.

(Program contact name and address)

When a signed copy of the Letter of Understanding is received by this office, arrangements will be made for you to receive your cheque.

Yours truly,

(Authorized City Official)

I/we have read, understand and agree to comply with the terms and conditions contained in this Letter of Understanding. I/we have authority to bind the organization.

Name_____________________________Name_____________________________

Title______________________________Title______________________________

Signature__________________________Signature__________________________

Date______________________________Date______________________________

TERMS & CONDITIONS

At its meeting of December 16 and 17, 1998 City Council approved the report City of Toronto Grants Policy which sets out a City of Toronto grants policy. The purpose of the policy is to establish standards and common practices for all its grant-making activities to ensure consistency and fairness. The list of conditions includes general conditions for all organizations receiving grants from the City of Toronto, as well as terms specific to the administration of the (name of program).

Additional reports on grants administration will be reviewed by the Municipal Grants Review Committee (MGRC) in 1999. Grant applicants will be notified should any of the MGRC decisions affect the terms and conditions of City grants for 1999.

If funding is granted by the City of Toronto (the City) from the (name of grant program) the applicant (the Recipient), by signing the application authorization (application form), acknowledges the following conditions and agrees to them.

1.Use and Purpose of the Grant

1.1 The grant shall be used only for the purposes approved by City Council, as further described in the grant application form and set out in the Letter of Understanding. (Program name) grants will be used by the Recipient to (statement of program purpose) for people within the City of Toronto.

1.2The grant Recipient shall notify the City of any proposed material changes to the nature of, or budget for, the activities for which the grant has been made and shall use the grant for such altered activities only with the prior written consent of the City.

1.3The grant recipient shall not transfer or assign the grant or any part thereof to another organization or individual, without the prior written consent of the City.

1.4Any funds awarded will be put to their intended use by (date) unless the City has provided prior written approval regarding extension.

1.5Any unused portion of a grant remains the property of the City. If an unused portion of the grant has already been paid by the City to the Recipient, it shall be repaid by the Recipient to the City on request.

2.Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The information provided in the grant application and progress reports is subject to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All granting decisions are publicly available.

3.Anti-Racism, Access and Equity Guidelines

The Recipient must complete and file a Declaration of Non-Discrimination, indicating the organization has adopted and upholds a policy of access and non-discrimination based on the Citys Human Rights Policy. The Recipient will work actively to integrate anti-racism, access and equity, throughout their operations, in accordance with the Citys approved Anti-Racism, Access and Equity Policy as it relates to all grant recipients (please refer to attached Policy).

4.Repayment of Grants

4.1The grant recipient shall, at the request of the City, repay to the City the whole or any part of the grant as determined by the City, if the grant recipient:

(a)ceases operating;

(b)ceases to operate as a non-profit organization or collective;

(c)winds-up or dissolves;

(d)merges or amalgamates with any other party;

(e)commences or has commenced against it, any proceedings in bankruptcy or is adjudged a bankrupt;

(f)has knowingly provided false information in its grant application;

(g)uses grant funds for purposes not approved by City Council;

(h)breaches any of the terms or conditions of the grant; or

(i)breaches any of the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights code in its operations.

4.2 The Recipient shall notify the City of the occurrence of any of the events referred to in clauses 4.1 (a) through (e).

4.3The City may, in its sole discretion, require the Recipient to pay interest on any amount required to be repaid pursuant to this section at the prime rate of the Royal Bank of Canada from the date of the request for repayment to the date of repayment.

5.Accounting

5.1The Recipient shall keep and maintain all records, invoices and other documents relating to the grant in a manner consistent with generally accepted accounting principles and clerical practices, and shall maintain such records for a period of three (3) years from the date of approval of the grant by City Council.

5.2The grant recipient shall keep records of names, titles and salaries of persons whose positions are funded by the City, in whole or in part, and provide this information to the City on request.

5.3The Recipient authorizes the City and its agents at all reasonable times to inspect and copy any and all records, invoices and documents in the custody or control of the Recipient which relate to the grant, for a period of three (3) years from the date of approval of the grant by City Council. This right of inspection includes the right to perform a full or partial audit of the aforementioned records, as considered appropriate by the City.

6.Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

6.1The City shall not be liable for any damages, injury or any loss of use or profit of the recipient arising out of, or in any way related to, the grant recipients operations.

6.2The Recipient shall indemnify the City, its officers, employees and agents, against all costs, damages and expenses incurred as a result of a claim or proceedings related to the grant recipients operations, unless such costs, damages or expenses arise from the negligence or wilful act of an officer, employee or agent of the City.

7.Further Conditions

The City shall be entitled, at any time, to impose such additional terms and conditions on the use of the grant which, in its sole discretion, it deems appropriate.

8.Grant Payments

When a grant is approved, the Recipient will be advised in writing as to the amount, timing and payment schedule for the grant.

9.Acknowledgment of funding

The recipient will acknowledge the support of the City of Toronto, through (name of Dept or program) on any materials, reports, events, signage or publicity, which are paid for, in full or in part with this funding.

10.Reports

The Recipient will provide reports on activities and financial statements for (name of program) grants in a format satisfactory to the City. The reports will be submitted according to a time schedule set out in the Letter of Understanding. Reports are to be submitted to the (name of program) contact person for the City as set out in the Letter of Understanding.

11.Consultation

The City will involve individuals with appropriate expertise in the review process, which may include a peer/citizen review mechanism. The City reserves the right to consult with other funding agencies to determine the eligibility of an organization or project to receive a grant.

12.Status of the Organization

The applicant must be in good standing with the City of Toronto, having met the terms and conditions of any previous grant provided to the applicant by the City.