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Grant Program Policy
(January 24, 2022)
SHORT TITLE .................................................................................................................................... 2
POLICY OBJECTIVE .......................................................................................................................... 2
POLICY PRESENTATION .................................................................................................................... 2
SCHEDULES ...................................................................................................................................... 9
CLERK'S ANNOTATIONS .................................................................................................................. 9
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- SHORT TITLE
This policy may be cited as the Grant Program Policy for the Town of Pictou.
- AUTHORITY
Authority for this policy is derived from the Municipal Government Act (provisions 65, 457 (a) to
(f) as amended.
- POLICY OBJECTIVE
The objective is to establish clear guidelines for Council, Administration and qualified
Associations and individuals to follow with respect to the application, evaluation and award of
municipal grants.
The policy is intent on:
- Receiving applications within an open and transparent process;
- Evaluating applications against known and published criteria; and
- Providing an accessible and equitable process for groups and organizations to follow when
seeking donations from Council.
- POLICY PRESENTATION:
Grant Categories include
1. Youth travel
2. Community Programming
3. National/Provincial/or Local Events
4. Community Economic Development Initiatives
Authority
The Municipal Government Act has been updated to include provisions that provide authority to a
"Municipal Auditor General". In part the Act states:
457B (1) The Municipal Auditor General is responsible for assisting a council in holding itself
and the municipality's administrators accountable for the quality of stewardship over public funds
and for achievement of value for money in the municipality's operations.
457B (2) The Municipal Auditor General shall examine in the manner and to the extent the
Municipal Auditor General considers necessary, the accounts, procedures and programs of the
municipality and any municipal body, as that term is defined in Section 461, or person or body
corporate receiving a grant from the municipality, to evaluate
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(a)
whether the rules and procedures applied are sufficient to ensure an effective control of
sums received and expended, adequate safeguarding and control of public property and
appropriate records management;
(b)
if money authorized to be spent has been expended with due regard to economy and
efficiency;
(c)
if money has been spent with proper authorization and according to an appropriation...
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Eligibility
This policy does not apply to property tax exemptions (section 71 of the MGA) or low income tax
exemptions (section 69 of the MGA). Both of which are covered under separate Town By-Law or
Policy.
The following types of organizations are eligible for funding:
- Registered Associations under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia (e.g. sporting, educational or
cultural organizations).
- Registered charitable organizations (e.g. foundations and charities).
- Community service organizations (e.g. VON, Red Cross).
- Membership and fraternal based not-for-profit organizations.
The grant program will not consider requests received that serves primarily the membership or
purpose of religious or political organizations.
General Application Requirements
- For applications involving the improvement or construction of real property the applicant must
have the deed/lease to the property or an alternative that is acceptable to the Town. Applicants
must also demonstrate that the project contributes to the community and can be completed
within the timeline indicated.
- Improvements and maintenance items that extend the life of a facility or items of a capital
nature are eligible, e.g. roofing and items of permanent tangible nature.
- Core activities are not eligible, for example cleaning, minor repairs, full time staff salaries or
wages.
- Must be for a public/community purpose where the need for financial assistance is
demonstrated.
- The organization or group receiving a grant under this policy must recognize the Town of
Pictou for its contribution.
Procedure
The CAO or designate will administer this policy. In doing so he or she will maintain a file of all
applications and immediately upon receipt, send a letter to the organization or individual to inform
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the applicant that the request has been received by the Town. Additional information will be
requested if the application is incomplete.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Grant applications are to include the following:
1. A statement outlining how the organization or individual intends to raise funds for provision
of services other than possible financial support from the Town;
2. The amount of funding requested must be specified and the associated information required in
Table 1;
3. A description of any benefit(s) the program, event or initiative may have on the local
community; and
4. Notwithstanding the above provision the Town reserves the right to require the organization
or individual to provide written documentation that all project funding has been secured as a
condition of the Town's approval.
TABLE 1.
Threshold and Reporting Requirements for Budgeted Grants, Events and
Community Economic Development Applications
Level
Thresholds
Budget (a)
Financial Statements(b)
Internally Generated Board
Approved
Financial Statements
Review Engagement(c)
Board Approved (d)
1
Under $5,000
√
X
X
2
$5,001 -
$10,000
√
√
X
3
$10,000+
√
√
√
Notes:
a) Budgets are to be presented in a manner that reports separately on operational costs and
revenues from those costs and funding sources related to capital and/or specific projects. When
possible, budgets prepared by eligible parties are to be submitted on forms detailed within the
appendices of this Policy.
b) Internal Financial Statements are at a minimum to include an income statement and balance
sheet (with applicable notes to the statements) and be approved by the Association's Board of
Directors and signed by two Directors.
c) In the case of grant requests over $10,000, the qualified organization will have to provide
financial statements that have been completed under Canadian Generally Accepted Standards
for Review Engagements by a qualified accountant.
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d) Notwithstanding the above and regardless of any funding level, the Town reserves the right to
require a qualified organization to submit financial statements that have been audited by a
qualified accountant under Canadian Generally Accepted Standards for Audit Engagements.
FORMAL AGREEMENTS:
Town Council may require the execution of a formal Agreement with eligible parties, within any
level of funding contribution as defined in Table 1. Notwithstanding this point, this policy requires
Town Administration to have formal Agreements executed with qualified organizations as part of
the approval process for applications falling within levels 2 and 3 as listed within Table 1. Formal
agreements will be required for multi-year commitments.
Formal Agreements shall include but may not be limited to provisions requiring the Association
to:
1. Detail and report on written internal controls followed by the Association;
2. Provide proof of land ownership and/or physical assets;
3. Confirm the procurement policies and procedures (of the Association);
4. Disclose any and all financial information requested by the Town's external auditor, the
Municipal Auditor General, and/or the Town's CAO; and
5. Uphold specific reporting requirements which may be in the form of written progress reports
filed at specified time intervals.
Once an agreement is executed for a multi-year commitment, the organization will not need to
apply for funding during the term of the agreement and the funding will be processed through the
annual budget process not the grant program.
TOWN BUDGETING:
All grant applications received throughout a current fiscal year will be referred to the budget
process for the following fiscal year unless the need is urgent. Additionally, a portion of an annual
budget allotment may be reserved for standing commitments, e.g., prior year applications that have
been approved on a multi-year basis. Town Council may request a representative(s) of the
organization or the individual applicant to attend a council meeting to make a presentation. At
that time it would be the responsibility of the representative(s) or individual(s) to provide a review
of information, to make the presentation at a designated time and to not exceed the appropriate
time allotted. Following the presentation, Town Council has the right to ask any questions pertinent
to the request.
Recognizing that Council will, from time to time, require flexibility to deal with unexpected or
emerging issues in the community, an amount will be included in the budget to provide for
unplanned grant requests during the year.
FUNDING LEVELS:
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TABLE 2.
Funding Levels by Category of Application
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Category
Criteria
Funding Level
Budgeted Grants
- Registered with the Nova Scotia Registry
of Joint Stocks
- Not awarded to individuals, businesses,
industry or sole proprietorships
- Not exceed
50% of total
project cost
- Advanced
payment of
up to 75% of
approved
funding level
Youth Travel
- Letter of request received by 1-2 months
prior to travel date
- Budget must accompany letter of request
- $200 per
team
- $50 per
individual
- Not to exceed
50% of cost
of trip
Community Programming
- Not for profit organizations
- Does not include maintenance items such
a equipment repair
- Must be a public program
- Must be completed in timeline submitted
- 75% of total
cost to a
maximum of
$500
- Advanced
payment of
up to 75% of
approved
funding level
National / Provincial /
Local Events
- Not-for-profit organizations
- completed within the time line indicated
- Applicants are eligible to additional
grants provided that there is a clear 12
(twelve) months between a previous grant
(date of application) and a current
application
- Issued in advance with sufficient
documentation
- To be
determined
by Council
and not to
exceed one
third (1/3) of
event cost
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Community Economic
Development
- Must submit proposed budget
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Does not include maintenance items
- Does not cover annual operating costs
- Must be completed in timeline submitted
- 50% of cost
to a
maximum of
$1,000
- Advanced
payment of
up to 75% of
approved
funding level
Financial assistance includes requests for monetary contribution as well as municipally owned
resources outlined below:
- Use of a municipally owned facility (rental fee waived/reduced)
- Municipal staff support / expertise (wages waived/reduced)
- Provision of equipment
APPROVAL PROCESS:
General Evaluation Criteria
Council shall review and evaluate each application based on the following:
1. A staffing report;
2. Ability of the Town to provide funding;
3. The mandate of the organization or individual and how it affects the citizens of the Town
and/or general community;
4. Level of fund raising required to meet the financial needs of the organization or individual;
and
5. Preference will be given to organizations that demonstrate community support, efficient use of
resources, sound business practice and development of self reliance.
6. Donations/grants made by the municipally are not to be regarded as a commitment by the Town
to continue such donations/grants in the future.
7. Applications received after the application deadline are considered "late". Late applications
are reviewed only after the regular review. Each year the Town receives more applications
than it can fund, it is import for applications to be on time and contain the correct information.
Council Approval
Council will render a decision based on one of the following:
1. Award the funds being requested or a portion thereof; or
2. Recommend that the application be deferred until subsequent budget deliberations or meeting
of Council; or
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3. Deny the application.
Council's decisions regarding eligibility are final. There is no appeal process.
REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
a) All grant recipients have until January 31st to submit their reporting form and documentation to
demonstrate the grant was spent and in accordance the terms of funding.
b) The applicant will keep accounting records for all receipts and expenditures relating to the grant
allocation.
c) In the event the project is completed without requiring the full use of the grant allocated by the
Town, then the unspent portion shall be returned to the Town.
d) Failure to report may result in ineligibility for further grant funding. In rare circumstances, an
applicant's eligibility may be suspended for a specified time for misappropriation of funds, failure
to report, or misrepresentation.
e) Grants approved below $1000 will not be required to report on how the money was spent in
accordance with this section.
NOTIFICATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. All applicants will be notified whether their application was funded or rejected.
2. Recipient's names and amounts donated shall be publicized.
- SCHEDULES:
- APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING OR COMMUNITY ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
- APPLICATION OF YOUTH TRAVEL AND EVENT HOSTING
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CLERK'S ANNOTATIONS
Clerk's Annotation for Official Policy Book
Date of Notice to Council Members
of Intent to Consider [7 days minimum]:
December 6, 2010
Date of Passage of Current Policy:
December 20, 2010
Date of Approval of Policy Amendment:
January 20, 2014
Date of Notice to Council Members
of Intent to Consider [7 days minimum]:
January 10, 2022
Date of Approval of Policy Amendment:
January 24, 2022
I certify that this Policy was adopted by Council as indicated above.
_Kyle Slaunwhite__
_February 28, 2022____________________
Kyle Slaunwhite
Date
CAO / Town Clerk
TOWN OF PICTOU
APPLICATION FOR YOUTH TRAVEL & EVENT HOSTING
Please check which grant you are applying for:
Youth Travel
Event Hosting
APPLICANT INFORMATION:
APPLICANT
(INDIVIDUAL OR
ORGANIZATION)
MAILING AND
CIVIC ADDRESS
EMAIL ADDDRESS
DAYTIME PHONE #
ORGANIZATION INFORMATION IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE:
ORGANIZATION
YOU REPRESENT
MAILING AND
CIVIC ADDRESS
CONTACT FOR
ORGANIZATION
DAYTIME PHONE #
If your application is successful, who should the cheque be made out to?
______________________________________________________________________________________
For team applicants, indicate the number of people in your organization: __________________________
For team applicants, indicate the number of Town of Pictou residents in your organization (please attach a
list of their names and phone numbers): _______________________
Indicate why you require assistance (describe the activity, location, date, duration, and provide any other
information that will help assess your application):
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please provide information on the expenses and revenues of the activity/event on the next page. Attach
any additional information that you feel may be important to this request.
EXPENSES
Leadership
Administration
Equipment and Material
Facility Rental
Travel
Fees
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
TOTAL (A)
REVENUES
Funding Source
Department or Agency Name
Amount Requested
Result of Request
Registration Fees
Membership Fees
Fund Raising
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
TOTAL (B)
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
OVERALL COST (TOTAL A)
LESS OTHER REVENUE SOURCES (TOTAL B)
TOTAL REQUESTED FROM THE TOWN OF PICTOU
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the information supplied in this application is, to the best of my knowledge,
exact and that the activity/event has received the approval of the organization I represent. If the allotted funding is
not used for its intended purpose, I agree to ensure the return of the money to the Town of Pictou.
_____________________________________________ ________________________________
Name
Date
Please complete and return by March 31, 2022 or at least six weeks prior to start date to:
Pictou Recreation & Parks Department, Town of Pictou, 40 Water St., PO Box 640, Pictou, NS B0K 1H0
TOWN OF PICTOU - APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING OR
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
Please check which grant you are applying for:
Community Programming
Community Economic Development Initiative
ORGANIZATION
NAME
MAILING AND
CIVIC ADDRESS
CONTACT PERSON
TITLE/ POSITION
WITH ORGANIZATION
EMAIL ADDDRESS
DAYTIME PHONE #
Is your organization incorporated under the Societies Act, Cooperative Association Act or Companies Act?
________ If so, please indicate which act: ____________________________________________________
Is your organization registered through the Registry of Joint Stock Companies? ________
If not, do you operate with a constitution/ bylaws? ________
If not, please explain by what authority you function? __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Does your organization own or lease the property in question? N/A _____ YES _____ NO _____
Actual site (civic address) of project location: _________________________________________________
Proposed start date: _________________________ Proposed finish date: __________________________
Describe the initiative to be funded: ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
How does your organization feel this program or initiative will benefit the community, once it is
completed?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please provide information on expenses and revenues on the next page. Attach any additional
information that you feel may be important to this request.
EXPENSES
Labour Costs
Materials & Supplies
Equipment Rental(s)
Sub-Contracting Costs
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
TOTAL (A)
REVENUES
Funding Source
Department or Agency Name
Amount Requested
Result of Request
Federal Grants
Provincial Grants
Donated Material
Donated Labour
Fund Raising
Other (Specify)
Other (Specify)
TOTAL (B)
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
OVERALL COST (TOTAL A)
LESS ORGANIZATION CONTRIBUTION (TOTAL B)
TOTAL REQUESTED FROM THE TOWN OF PICTOU
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the information supplied in this application is, to the best of my knowledge,
exact and that the program has received the approval of the organization I represent. Upon completion of the
project or initiative, the organization I represent agrees to provide a copy of its annual financial statement. If this
statement cannot demonstrate the allotted funding was used for its intended purpose, the organization I represent
agrees to return the money to the Town of Pictou.
_____________________________________________ ________________________________
Name
Date
Please complete and return by March 31, 2022 or at least six weeks prior to start date to:
Pictou Recreation & Parks Department, 40 Water Street, PO Box 640, Pictou, NS B0K 1H0