October 26, 1998

To:Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee

From:City Clerk

Subject:Administration of Grants Program

Recommendation:

The Municipal Grants Review Committee on October 26, 1998, recommended to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee the adoption of the attached report (October 9, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services respecting the administration of the various grants policies and programs.

City Clerk

R. Dyers/tl

Item No. 2

(Report dated October 9, 1998, addressed to the

Municipal Grants Review Committee from the

Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services)

Purpose:

To recommend procedures for the administration of grants policies and programs.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the general responsibility for the administration of grants policies and programs be assigned to the department responsible for the policy area addressed by the grants program;

(2)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer be designated the lead commissioners for the purposes of administering corporate and residual grants policy matters;

(3)the terms of reference for a staff co-ordinating committee be adopted as presented in Appendix 1;

(4)the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, allocate part of the time of an existing position to serve as a departmental representative for a team to undertake the work related to corporate and residual grants policy matters; and

(5)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Council Reference/Background/History:

At its meeting of September 28, 1998, the Municipal Grants Review Committee considered the City of Toronto Grants Policy. It was indicated at that time that a report on various implementation issues associated with the policy would be submitted to the October 26, 1998, meeting of the Committee. One of these issues is the way in which grants are administered by staff.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Administration of Grants Policy and Programs:

Two options have been considered for the assignment of responsibilities for grants programs within the administrative structure.

(1)Create a centralized grants unit consolidating all existing grants staff and resources.

(2)Continue to administer grants at the appropriate divisional/departmental level, but designate one or more members of senior management responsible for co-ordinating corporate grants policy.

Creating a centralized grants unit offers benefits related to consolidating resources and such a unit can easily bridge the gap between corporate grants policy development and program-specific grants policy.

However, a centralized unit would lead to a fractured approach to policy and program delivery. In any given policy area, responsibilities would be split over two or more departments. For example, those staff handling recreation grants would be separated from those making recreation policy.

A centralized grants unit would result in fundamental changes to the job descriptions of City staff with grants administration experience. At present most grants staff combine their responsibilities with community development, research and policy tasks.

Practically speaking, a centralized grants unit would require political review of grants issues to be centralized in a Council grants committee. It may prove to be inefficient for such a unit to report to several different standing committees.

The principal benefit of continuing the current practice is the integration of grants programs with all other policy instruments used by the operating department. Furthermore, it allows staff resources to move more freely between grants administration, community development and policy development activities within the department.

Administration of Corporate and Residual Matters:

If grants policy and programs are administered at the departmental level, a mechanism will be needed to co-ordinate corporate-wide policy and those residual matters that do not naturally fall within the mandate of any one department. Furthermore, mechanisms are needed to ensure the sharing of information between programs and to explore opportunities for sharing of resources. Three measures are recommended in this report.

The first is the designation of members of the senior management team as leads for all corporate and residual matters. The majority of the grants programs are administered by the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development, Culture and Tourism. Between them, they account for 90 percent of the grants made through established programs. The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has an important role in the administration of line-item grants and in supporting the budgetary and accounting processes related to grants. Given this, it is recommended that these three commissioners assume the lead role for corporate and residual matters.

The second is the formalization of the grants managers work group to ensure co-ordination, sharing or resources, and the consistent application of practices and standards. Terms of reference are presented in Appendix 1.

The third measure is the designation of a small interdepartmental team of staff to undertake the work associated with corporate and residual grants policy matters. This team should include representation from the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department, the Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Department, and the Finance Department. The functions of this team should include:

(1)Policy Development - advising Council on corporate-wide grants policies.

(2)Co-ordination - leading the staff grants co-ordinating committee and providing secretariat support to the committee.

(3)Grants administration - reviewing, assessing and monitoring all grants outside of the established grants programs.

(4)Common standards development - liaising with the Legal Services and Audit Divisions, Finance Department, and Corporate Access and Privacy Office to develop and maintain administrative standards.

Conclusions:

The administration of grants programs should continue to be delivered by the appropriate department, division, or agency. However, three measures are recommended to ensure co-ordination and the elimination of duplication of effort: designation of lead commissioners for corporate and residual matters, continuation of the staff co-ordinating committee established following amalgamation, and the creation of a three-member staff team that will undertake the work required by corporate and residual policy matters.

Contact Name:

John Elvidge

Tel: 392-9046

E-Mail: john_d._elvidge@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

--------

Appendix 1

Terms of Reference

City of Toronto Grants Co-ordinating Committee

Reports to:

(a)Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services;

(b)Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism; and

(c)Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

Membership:

(1)The committee shall comprise representatives of:

(a)each grants programs offered by City departments, agencies, boards and commissions;

(b)the Finance Department;

(c)the Audit Division; and

(d)the Legal Services Division.

(2)The committee shall be chaired by the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services or her designate.

Purposes:

(1)To ensure the sharing of information between programs, especially information related to common applicants.

(2)To develop and maintain City-wide grants administration practices and to explore opportunities for the sharing of resources.

(3)To advise senior management and Council on policies and initiatives that affect the charitable and not-for-profit sector as a whole.