Bend staff proposes Climate Action Partner grants; ECC to review applications and advise awards

City of Bend staff presented a proposed Climate Action Partner grant program at the Energy and Climate Committee meeting on May 8, asking the ECC to review the program design and to take a central role scoring applications and recommending award recipients.

Staff said the program is intended to fund community organizations that deliver services aligned with the Climate and Community Action Plan (CCAP), particularly education and outreach, workforce development, technical assistance and community support programs. Staff proposed requesting $150,000 per year in the biennial budget to support the program and suggested flexible award sizes so the ECC could recommend a few mid-sized awards or a larger single award in a given cycle.

Key program features discussed: - Eligibility: staff proposed the program be open to nonprofit organizations and higher-education institutions. Committee discussion encouraged permitting nonprofit lead applicants to subcontract with private businesses when necessary. Committee members debated whether to open eligibility to for-profit entities; the group generally favored keeping the lead-applicant requirement focused on community organizations while allowing subcontracting. - Award size and cadence: staff proposed 3–7 awards per year in the $20,000–$50,000 range but said the program language would be flexible. Committee members suggested allowing small “planning” or seed grants (several thousand dollars) and making multi-year performance periods possible so projects have adequate runway. - Uses of funds: staff recommended allowing staffing costs, technical assistance, materials, venue and food costs for events, stipends for participants and other programmatic costs. Committee members asked staff to clarify whether limited capital costs (for pilot equipment) would be allowable; staff agreed to add language to cover capital costs where appropriate. - Review process and governance: staff proposed that ECC members score and rank applications, then forward recommendations to city staff; the city manager would make the final award decision. Committee members discussed scoring rubrics, the weight of impact versus organizational capacity and whether the committee should retain discretion to fund projects that are strategically valuable but lower-scoring on a pure rubric. - Accountability and disbursement: staff said recipients would sign contracts with reporting requirements. Committee members discussed disbursement options (upfront payment, partial payments or reimbursements) and recommended at least a final report and suggested a split-payment option to balance flexibility and accountability.

Committee members also raised process and practical issues: several members declared potential conflicts of interest because they work for local nonprofits that could apply; staff confirmed conflict disclosures would be required when the committee later considers actual applications. Members urged simple application and reporting forms to avoid creating barriers for small groups. Some members recommended a 2–3 month initial application window for the program launch and informational sessions for potential applicants.

Next steps: staff said they plan to bring a program resolution to council in June and to hold informational meetings in late June or July, with a multi-month application period planned for the first round. Staff said the ECC will be asked to evaluate applications during a scheduled ECC meeting cycle and that the program can be refined after the first year.