Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines to Board and staff in making decisions regarding selection and distribution of Strategic Plan Mini-Grants. The Town of Zebulon wishes to contribute to the efforts of non-profit organizations whose focus areas align with those of the Town of Zebulon Vision 2030 Strategic Plan.

Policy Statement:

The Town of Zebulon is committed to providing financial assistance to those non-profit agencies which supplement the Town services that are provided to its citizens. Non-profit agencies should also focus on one or more of the Town of Zebulon’s focus areas defined in the Strategic Plan. The focus areas and priority goals within those areas are:

• Focus area 1: Vibrant Downtown – We will have a clean, attractive, and historic downtown with a variety of special events, entertainment, shops, restaurants, businesses and housing to serve as the heart of Zebulon, providing a gathering place for the community and a destination for visitors.
  • Goal: Revitalize downtown Zebulon
  • Goal: Develop events, entertainment, and cultural attractions to draw people downtown

• Focus area 2: Small Town Life – We will preserve and enhance our small-town feel by developing more activities and locations to gather with family and neighbors, making Zebulon a safe, connected, family friendly and walkable town.
  • Goal: Promote more community events and festivals
  • Goal: Enhance and create more community gathering places
  • Goal: Increase the connectedness and walkability in the community

• Focus area 3: Growing Smart – Our community is growing, and we will plan for the growth with appropriate staffing and service levels to address land use and traffic concerns; promote economic development and preserve the affordability of our community
  • Goal: Plan for appropriate land use to meet transportation and housing needs
  • Goal: Pursue economic development opportunities with our community partners
  • Goal: Maintain appropriate staffing to support expected service levels for the growing community

Projects & Initiatives:

The Board of Commissioners are interested in projects that meet the above focus areas and will help fill gaps in services in the following areas:

• Transportation
• Youth and senior services
• Education enhancements to meet grade level standards
• Family health
• Services to traditionally underserved communities

Consideration will not be limited to above projects. The Board will be looking for projects that will offer a measurable and visible direct impact to the citizens of Zebulon. The Board also seeks projects that will offer opportunities to engage the growing Latino population in Zebulon.

The Board of Commissioners will also consider:

• Projects that promote an established Town initiative
• Projects that provide a public purpose outside the Town’s focus areas
• Organizations with a substantial presence in the community
• Organizations with a proven track record over time of contributions to the benefit of the Town, its institutions and citizens
• Projects that stimulate or encourage community participation in non-profit activities

Eligibility:

The Town of Zebulon will consider providing assistance to non-profit agencies meeting the criteria detailed below.

• The organization’s proposal must offer a service that will directly benefit the citizens of Zebulon.
• If selected for funding, non-profits shall verify their non-profit status by submitting an IRS determination letter confirming 501(c)(3) status and sign an acknowledgement statement that their status has not been revoked.
• One application per organization will be accepted.
• To be eligible for a $5,000 grant, the applicant must have operated for two years preceding the application deadline. Start up organizations will be eligible for $2,000 grants only.
• Applicants may partner with another non-profit agency.
• Grants will not fund research, maintenance, repair, personnel, or benefit costs.
• Organizations are only eligible for one strategic plan grant from the Town of Zebulon per Fiscal Year.

Insurance Requirements:

Grant recipients provide a general liability insurance policy in the amount of $1,000,000 (or higher dependent upon the size or nature of activities defined in the grant) per claim naming the Town of Zebulon as additional insured covering claims for injuries, deaths, and/or property damage arising out of the use of the premises by Licensee. Proof of this liability insurance coverage must be provided to the Town of Zebulon.

                The Certificate Holder address should read:

Town of Zebulon, 1003 North Arendell Avenue, Zebulon, North Carolina, 27597

Coverages: Insurance must cover activities as identified for the event. The Town may request specific activities be listed on the COI.

Please note that the policy coverage period should cover the time period of the event, contract and/or project. Be sure to obtain an updated COI for the period and duration of the event, contract and/or project.

Any recipients that are recommended to have more than $1,000,000 general liability insurance coverage will be noted during the Board of Commissioner selection process. 

Accountability:

Non-profits agencies shall adhere to accountability standards set by the Town and as required by law. Compliance with these standards is a criterion for funding. These standards include but are not limited to:

• Recipients will be expected to submit quarterly progress reports and a final report detailing the outcomes and impact of their projects.
• Recipients will also be required to submit quarterly financial records related to their funded projects.
• Recipients will comply with program performance measurement requirements including quarterly reports to the Board of Commissioners.
• Recipients must adhere to all applicable local, state, and federal regulations, as well as Town of Zebulon policies and procedures.

Application Process:

The application will be available on the Town of Zebulon website (www.townofzebulon.org).

Completed applications must be submitted online no later than the date indicated in the public notice. Applications will not be considered if submitted after the deadline passes.

A complete application includes any support documentation required submitted before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

All applicants are asked to provide a short video, no more than 3 minutes, and include a short introduction to their organization and an overview of their grant proposal. The video will be shown at the Boards of Commissioners March regular meeting and made available to them for further review. Applicants are welcome to attend the March regular meeting and present to the Board in lieu of submitting a video. If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete an application or to otherwise participate in the application process, please contact clerk@townofzebulon.org.

The application will include the following elements:

• Project statement
• Organization history and key projects
• Description of activities that will be conducted or service provided
• Description of public engagement
• Project timeline
• Description of stakeholders or partners
• Description of measured impact
• Description of funds requested and how they will be spent

Selection & Criteria Matrix

Each application will be blindly reviewed by a committee and scored against the Strategic Plan Grant Matrix. Identifying factors such as the organization’s name, staff members, board members, and project titles will be removed from all applications for the committee to review.  Only complete applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed.

The committee will have 6 members and a staff liaison. Each Commissioner and the Mayor will select someone to participate on the committee. Committee members may not be an applicant or have a leadership role in an organization with an application being considered.

Committee members will review applications and score them independently. The committee will meet to review the score summary, address any scoring discrepancies, and prepare a recommendation for the Board of Commissioners.

The Board of Commissioners will select applications to be awarded. Commissioners will receive a copy of each application, a summary of scoring, and the Committee recommendation. The applicants will have an opportunity to present their request at the March regular meeting.

At the Board of Commissioner’s March work session, the Board will be asked to rank their top two $5000 projects, and top five $2000 projects individually. The projects with the highest scores in each respective category will be presented to the Board to consider as a recommendation for funding. The Board will engage in discussion and recommend award of projects by way of motion and vote. The Board is not bound to the recommendation of the Committee.

Funding Award

Funds distributed by the Town of Zebulon may only be spent as indicated on the application submitted by the organization. In the event funds are not used as indicated, the full amount of funding will be required to be returned to the Town.

Any organization receiving funding will hold the Town of Zebulon harmless from any claim or liability that may arise or result from the operation of any program or service assisted with funding from the Town of Zebulon.

A grant agreement will be executed between the Town of Zebulon and the awarded organization. The agreement will include a W9 and a Certificate of Insurance naming the Town of Zebulon as additionally insured in the amount of $1,000,000. Once executed, funds will be made available to the organization by check within 30 days of contract execution.

Grant Reporting and Monitoring

Each funded agency must submit a grant project status report. Each report will include a description of the status activities related to the project, an expenditure report for related expenses, and a summary of results. This report will be due no less than 9 months after the grant agreement is executed. Reports will be shared with the Board of Commissioners.

Funded agencies who do not submit reports will not be eligible for consideration of Town grants in the next fiscal year.