Council reviews revised city sponsorship grant application; staff to open portal Dec. 1

City staff presented a revised city sponsorship grant policy and a single, combined application form and told the City Council the online portal will open Dec. 1 and remain open through Dec. 31.

The policy changes, shown to the council in redline, remove requests for applicants’ financial statements and lists of board members after council direction. Amy Sprinkles, who led the presentation, said the blue text in the packet shows additions and strikethroughs show deletions; she said staff will notify prior awardees and applicants of the opening date.

Council members asked whether proof of nonprofit status should be required. One councilor said asking for a 501(c)(3) determination and documentation is reasonable to confirm eligibility; another said the council itself decides awardees and questioned whether detailed funding source disclosure is necessary for organizations already recognized as 501(c)(3)s.

Sprinkles said staff had initially proposed asking for proof that applicants are financially viable and for board membership lists but removed those fields after council feedback. She confirmed staff can reinsert questions about board membership or other financial documentation if the council prefers.

The council clarified how partnerships should appear on the form: multiple organizations may partner on a single program, but the city can issue only one check and applicants should agree on a lead agency. Sprinkles said applications from collaborative projects are acceptable but staff will only cut one check to a single agency and applicants must indicate the lead organization.

Councilors pressed on post-award documentation. Sprinkles said grants require receipts and detailed documentation of how award funds were spent; returning agencies must submit receipts to be considered in future years. For events with dates after the October 31 receipts deadline, she said those recipients must submit receipts by the close of the application window in December.

Council members also discussed how the application should capture event attendance estimates and asked staff to add a parenthetical field clarifying how to report expected attendance. The council indicated smaller edits are acceptable on the consent agenda but asked staff to bring substantive changes back for further review if necessary.

Sprinkles said staff will notify previous awardees and the list of people who had inquired. She confirmed staff will post the application Dec. 1 and send outreach to prior applicants and the inquiry list.

The council did not take a formal vote on the policy at the meeting; members directed staff to proceed with outreach and to bring any material changes back for council review.