[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Re: Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program Update

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Morzel, Lisa

Dear Amanda,

First, this communication should be posted on hotline so please do that.

Second, I would offer a different perspective than Matt regarding the "usual suspects".  The announcement for a neighborhood partnership grant was made public so anyone can apply. Obviously people who have been involved are going to apply and they should so I would not shunt nor discourage those who applied to apply. People who have applied have done so for a specific reason so that is great!

The city should not be in the position of cherry picking the grants from their wanted neighborhoods but should have an open inclusive process whereby anyone who feels the need to apply for a grant can do so with the unbiased help of your office.

I just wanted you to hear from another council person who is very involved with the neighborhoods and came into council from that perspective.

Lisa

720-530-408

"We interact with one another as individuals responding to a complex haze of factors: professional responsibilities, personal likes and dislikes, ambition, jealousy, self-interest, and, in at least some instances, genuine altruism.  Living in the here and now, we are awash with sensations of the present, memories of the past, and expectations and fears for the future. Our actions are not determined by any one cause; they are the fulfillment of who we are at that particular moment.  After that moment passes, we continue to evolve, to change, and our memories of that moment inevitably change with us as we live with the consequences of our past actions, consequences we were unaware of at the time." The Last Stand, Nathaniel Philbrick


On Nov 2, 2015, at 6:55 AM, "Nagl,  Amanda" <NaglA at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:NaglA at bouldercolorado.gov>> wrote:

Council Members,

Please see below a clarifying question from Mayor Appelbaum and additional information about the Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program and the resulting communication about how we are trying to make that program (and others) more accessible across the community.  Please note that these efforts are at early stages and that I am learning more about community resources and systems every day.  I know that many of you and constituents you serve already have knowledge and experience to be applied to these efforts.  I am eager to learn and grow and appreciate the willingness you and others may have to share your knowledge and experience with me as we work together to strengthen Boulder neighborhoods.  Thank you for your interest and support.

Have a wonderful day.

Amanda Nagl
Neighborhood Liaison
303-441-1895

From: Appelbaum, Matt
Sent: Sunday, November 1, 2015 9:05 PM
To: Nagl, Amanda
Cc: Weideman, Mary Ann; Brautigam, Jane
Subject: RE: Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program Update

Amanda – Thanks much for the thorough response.  Up to you, but it might be helpful to copy this email thread to everyone on council since it provides much useful information.
--Matt

From: Nagl, Amanda
Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2015 7:50 PM
To: Appelbaum, Matt
Cc: Weideman, Mary Ann; Brautigam, Jane
Subject: RE: Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program Update

Mayor Appelbaum,

This is a wonderful question and one that needs to stay at the forefront as we develop and revise this program and neighborhood services in general.  I hosted one grant workshop session for this year’s funding cycle, in September—designed to walk potential applicants through the application process and explain what would be needed for different types of projects.  The timeline for the first round applications was fairly short and probably lent itself to neighborhoods that already contained some level of organization and, in some cases, that had tracked the development of the grant program.

I am hopeful that in 2016, we will be able to do more targeted outreach to neighborhoods that are less organized, develop relationships and host additional training sessions for the grant program and overall capacity building.  The Spark grants provide a pretty simple way to gain access to a small amount of funds.  Orchard Grove residents attended the workshop in September—I hoped they would apply for a Spark grant, at least, but they have not—maybe next year with additional dialogue and encouragement.  Maybe I should offer to help neighborhoods, such as Orchard Grove, organize their own planning session/workshop—bringing people together in the neighborhood that have an interest and providing more individualized assistance with the application.  Perhaps the larger group setting is intimidating or not conducive to completing the application.

I am working to develop a relationship with the Community Foundation, serving on the Health and Human Services Grant Committee, which is becoming a great mechanism to both learn about and interact with service providers.  It is my hope that those agencies will also serve as a pipeline to build connections with areas across the city that may not reach out directly to Neighborhood Services, or even be aware that such resources exist.  Perhaps by connecting to the services already being sought, we can work with groups when specific needs are identified to consider trying to fulfill portions of need through the grant program.   It also seems that by connecting to the Leadership Fellowes program hosted by the Community Foundation/Chamber of Commerce, we could start to discuss and train neighborhood leadership concepts—increasing the likelihood that neighborhoods that have less formal systems may find champions through the process that then become interested and I can assist them in completing the application.

Your question is one that will merit asking and answering repetitively as we revise the grant program and as we create and implement additional neighborhood programs.   I will be sure that our employee committee discusses and answers it as we seek to improve the grant process going into 2016.  Currently, there is a weighted score to “favor” neighborhoods that have not previously received grant funding.  This will not impact applications this year, as they are all first-time requests, but it should positively impact newcomers in future years.  We are exploring two communication tools that we hope will provide information to more residents—at the neighborhood (place-based) level, at least increasing the potential for awareness about the opportunity and not limiting the knowledge to neighborhoods that are already connected.

I am very open to any ideas or potential resources to make this opportunity available to others and to assist groups in overcoming perceived challenges.

Thank you,

Amanda

From: Appelbaum, Matt
Sent: Sunday, November 1, 2015 6:58 PM
To: Nagl, Amanda
Cc: Weideman, Mary Ann; Brautigam, Jane
Subject: RE: Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program Update

Amanda – Hi.  Looks like a good start, but I do have a concern that these groups are all the “usual suspects.”  How do we get others involved and ensure that they too get a fair share, even if we need to help them get organized?
Thanks –Matt Appelbaum

From: Nagl, Amanda
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2015 8:30 PM
To: Appelbaum, Matt; Cowles, Macon; Jones, Suzanne; Karakehian, George; Morzel, Lisa; Plass, Tim; Shoemaker, Andrew; Weaver, Sam; Young, Mary
Cc: Weideman, Mary Ann; Brautigam, Jane
Subject: Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program Update

Hello.

Please accept the attachment as an update to the Neighborhood Partnership Grant Program process and funding decisions for Round 1 applications.  This information has been communicated to the applicants and will be shared publicly the week of November 2, allowing for issuance of official Grant Award letters.  I appreciate the support and vision of both City of Boulder City Council and Management for the creation and implementation of this program.  It is a wonderful way to gauge neighborhood level interest and to build relationships.  I look forward to working with applicants toward completion of these projects.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Amanda Nagl
Neighborhood Liaison
City of Boulder
303-441-1895