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Application For Funding &
Information on Grants For Community Projects

Contact Information

Applications may be submitted by mail or sent electronically to both;
Powell River Community Forest Ltd and the City of Powell River

attention; Greg Hemphill, President.
greghemphill@telus.net

attention; Mallory Denniston, Chief Financial Officer
mdenniston@powellriver.ca

Grant Application Review Process

• Powell River Community Forest (PRCF) reviews applications and recommends grants. City council approves the grants and City staff administers the distribution of grant funds. The Chief Financial Officeris considered the “keeper” of the fund. There is periodic, joint review of monies in the fund, the status of previous grants and the application list.

• New applications or adjustments to existing applications may be submitted at any time. PRCF advertises when the application review process will commence. In recent years, with substantial dividends, PRCF has opted for both spring and fall application reviews and grant awards.

• Applications from the City are assumed to be consistent with the intent of the bylaw and have council’s support. PRCF is less involved with review and follow up, however will point out issues council should beaware of and may ask which city projects are a priority.

• The actual grant process has a number of steps. PRCF keeps a digitized application list and application files, which are shared with the City via Dropbox. The PRCF board goes through a shortlisting process based on our evaluation criteria. If PRCF needs more information or seeks adjustments to an application, board members do follow-ups with applicants.

• PRCF reviews the shortlist with council at an in-camera committee of the whole. PRCF points out any specific issues council should be aware of and council may ask questions or comments.

• After input, the PRCF board passes a formal motion recommending which grants go to Council for approval. Those recommendations go back to an open committee of whole, then directly to the next available council meeting for approval. In normal times, community group grant recipients are invited to attend and say a few words about their projects.

• Applications not selected remain under consideration for the next application review period. The amount requested in applications generally exceeds the amount available in the fund so some good projects may not get selected initially.

Grant Evaluation Criteria

To guide the PRCF board and City’s staff’s review of grant applications and inform proponents as to what are desirable attributes, PRCF identified the following evaluation criteria;

• The broader objective of the fund is to invest in projects which will provide sustainable benefits for the community.

• The allocation of funds by the City must be consistent with the intent of the bylaw. That intent applies to applications from other local government and government-funded agencies.

• PRCF encourages partnerships between the City and their user groups. Most projects involving city facilities will be managed by the City.

• The grants are intended to support capital investment. Design/build will be considered but not feasibility studies, administration or ongoing program funding. Grant monies cannot be used to cover costs retroactively.

• The fund is not intended to be used for sponsorships or donations.

• Monies in the fund may be identified to match or leverage funds applied for from other sources such as BC/Canada infrastructure grants.

• PRCF is open to being a grant funding partner with other community entities doing grants; Rotary, First CU, United Way, Community Foundation, 100 Women Who Care etc.

• Applications are accepted from community groups, non-profits, public sector agencies and local government.

• Applicant groups must have a solid track record in the community and be a stable entity going forward.

• Where club members will gain the most benefit, we look for their monetary contribution and/or a voluntary component in their application.

• We favor community projects which are ready to proceed. Grant funds should be used in a timely, efficient manner.

• We favor projects which create opportunities for local contractors, workers and suppliers and we encourage use of locally manufactures wood products.

2022 update

• Some grant funds (both City and community groups) are not being used in a timely, efficient manner. More attention to the project schedule will be made both in application review and follow-up on commitments made in the grant funding agreements. Timely submission of paperwork to finalize the project (and receive the final 30%) is expected.

• We recognize that there has been Covid-19 impacts related to supply chain issues, building supply price increases and contractor availability and those may present a challenge. Please keep us informed on your schedule with simple email.

• The average amount of monies requested in grant applications has increased. The larger the amount requested, the more support information must be provided in the application. The short form application template is only intended for small, direct purchase projects. If the requested grant amount is substantial and most of the amount requested is to cover one contract, PRCF will be asking applicants to seek out and provide more than one quote in the application.

• We support using community forest grants as being identified as matching funds for grant applications from other sources. If that application is not successful, we expect applicants to provide notice so the community forest grant funds can be de-committed and available for other community grants. If a matched grant project comes in less than the budgeted amount, then the savings should be pro-rated as well.

Background

Profits from Powell River Community Forest Ltd (PRCF) forestry operations are returned to the community in the form of grants to support community projects. The City of Powell River has established the Community Forest Reserve Fund (the fund) to receive PRCF’s annual dividend deposits. Dividends result from the PRCF board approving our audited yearend financials at the Annual General Meeting in the spring.

Community Forest Reserve Fund – City Bylaw # 2212 (2008)

“Money from the fund will be used for special community projects that will benefit the community as a whole. The money in the fund is not intended to be used for city operations or capital expenditures of a regular nature. Before any money is used from the fund the city will seek input from the PRCF board”