Administrative Procedure #7.04 - Community Grant Programs

Purpose

Administer specific community grant programs established by City Council to support Corvallis community groups through financial support of grass-roots projects where group and organizations support community members and the strategic goals of City of Corvallis leadership.

Scope

Administer specific community grant programs established by City Council to support Corvallis community groups through financial support of grass-roots projects where group and organizations support community members and the strategic goals of City of Corvallis leadership.

Policy

The Empowerment Grant Program and the Green Grant Program are financial assistance tools developed and administered by the City Manager’s Office. The programs have been funded out of Mayor and Council Department budget and are contingent upon budget appropriations.

The Empowerment Grant Program is designed to help individuals and organizations work together to accomplish common goals that support the overall health, vitality, and inclusivity of our community. It has also been historically used to support Corvallis Neighborhood Associations.

The Green Grant Program encourages projects and initiatives that advance efforts that support response to climate change within the Corvallis community as outlined in the Corvallis Climate Action Plan. It was established as a Climate Action Advisory Board program.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Board and the Climate Action Advisory Board assist with making funding recommendations for the Empowerment Grant Program and the Green Grant Program, respectively.

Procedures

The grant programs offer funds to facilitate neighborhood and community projects when the following conditions are met:

1. Empowerment Grants
   1. The project must occur within City limits.
   2. The project must not result in a new or on-going cost to the City.
   3. The project must be completed within the award term.
   4. The project must demonstrate neighborhood and/or community support in the form of matching funds or in-kind donations.
   5. A grant application must identify project contact, including the address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
   6. A grant application must identify the payee name and address for funds disbursement.
   7. Projects proposed to occur within the City’s right-of-way or on City owned property must be approved by the appropriate City department.
2. Green Grants
   1. The project must occur within City limits.
   2. The project must be completed during the award term.
   3. Projects that benefit one individual or household will not be considered.
   4. A grant application must identify project contact, including the address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
   5. A grant application must identify the payee name and address for funds disbursement.
   6. Projects proposed to occur within the City’s right-of-way or on City owned property must be approved by the appropriate City department.

Grant Requests

1. Applications for the grant programs must be received by the date, time, and location specified by the City in order to be considered. Late applications will not be accepted.
2. The financial contact for the grant should be at least 18 years old at the time the Funding Agreement is signed.

Grant Application Review Process and Criteria

1. An advisory board shall meet as needed to provide input on application scoring criteria and to assist in formulating funding recommendations to City Council.
   1. The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Board (JEDI) shall act for Empowerment Grants.
   2. The Climate Action Advisory Board (CAAB) shall act for Green Grants.
2. Criteria are reviewed annually and should reflect the strategic objectives of the grant programs and of the City as described in the City of Corvallis Strategic Plan.
3. Application of the scoring criteria is completed by the policy advisory board. The Board can delegate this task to staff. 
4. The advisory board will use the following criteria:

1. Empowerment Grant
   1. Fosters and promotes leadership, organization, and healthy relationships within the communities and neighborhoods of Corvallis.
   2. Promotes inclusivity and diversity.
   3. Serves older populations, low-income, at-risk or historically underserved residents.
   4.  Creates or improves spaces or assets shared by residents.
   5. Enables neighborhoods or communities to further develop constructive, common identities.
   6. Enriches the community through support of health, safety, or education that serves the common good.
2. Green Grant
   1. That the proposed project addresses strategies detailed in the Corvallis Climate Action Plan.
   2. The impact on the community. Projects with larger impacts on climate change or on a larger number of households or individuals will be more favorably reviewed.
   3. The feasibility of the project and on time completion.
3. Grants are usually provided on an “all or nothing” basis. However, a limited amount of partial awards may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Award amounts will also be reduced for non-applicable costs in the proposal.

1. To ensure that the program is meeting objectives, additional criteria, which enhance the goals of the program, make the process more equitable, or capture criteria that were previously included in discussion, may be developed and modifications can be made year-to-year in how the applications will be scored. This annual adjustment would be made by the policy advisory board.

Recommendations and Funding

1. Once recommendations have been formulated, City staff will prepare a summary report to the City Council for its consideration and approval.
2. After the Council has approved a final allocation plan, City staff will prepare funding agreements for execution by the City and the grantees.
   1. The term for Empowerment Grants will be July 1 through March 31.
   2. The term for Green Grants will be July 1 through March 31.
   3. Grants awarded in previous years will proceed under the term listed in the completed Funding Agreement.

Grant Disbursements

1. A funding agreement must be executed between the City and the grantee before grant funds are disbursed. The funding agreement will follow City contract policies and procedures.
2. Funds will be released to the grantee after the funding agreement is in place. If the grantee receives greater than $599.99, they are required to provide a Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number for tax purposes.

Monitoring and Reporting

Each grantee will submit a Grant Project Completion Form to the City following the completion of their project and final expenditure of grant funds. The form is available on the City website and will include:

1. The project start and end dates.
2. Amount of funds received.
3. An itemized list of all funds expended.
   1. Recipients must retain records of how funds were spent. These records can be invoices, receipts, and other acceptable bookkeeping methods. The City may request and inspect these.
   2. If the recipient reports unspent funds, staff should request more detailed records from the recipient and ask them to return or spend funds in a manner congruous with the intent of the awarded project.  
      1. Staff will pursue unspent funds equal to or more than $200 or 25% of awarded funds (whichever is lesser).
4. The number of participants.
5. How the project accomplished the goal(s) contained in the recipient’s grant application.

Grantees will be encouraged to include photographs, videos, and other types of materials to highlight the project in the final report.

City staff will evaluate Grant Project Completion Forms to assess outcomes and ensure that the City is gathering required records and data to support the grant programs.

Definitions

Community Organization: A group of people located within the City and organized around a common goal or interest. A Community Organization does not have to be a formal entity such a federally recognized non-profit or for-profit entity. 

Low Income Resident: A resident whose household income is at or below 80 percent of the Corvallis Median Income, applied by household size.

Neighborhood Association: A group of people located within the City , defined by specific geographic boundaries, organized by self-determined by-laws and recognized by the City of Corvallis. A listing of recognized associations can be found at corvallisoregon.gov/cd/page/existing-neighborhood-associations. New neighborhood associations can be officially recognized by the City of Corvallis when they are created.

In-Kind Donation: Contributions from people, businesses, or organizations, in the form of labor, materials, services, or other measurable contributions.

Older Resident: A resident aged 65 or older.

Review/Update

The City Manager’s Office will prepare this Administrative Policy for review and revision as needed for City Manager approval.

Last reviewed: 12-2025

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