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Community Support Agency Grant Program
Now accepting applications for the FY 2025 Commmunity Support Agency Grant.
We recognize that not-for-profit organizations fill an important role in improving the quality of life for our community. To encourage not-for-profit organizations to provide services to residents of Newport News, we have established a system to award monetary grants to qualified not-for-profit organizations. These grants are intended to:
- Provide funding to not-for-profit agencies serving the city of Newport News whose services are easily accessible to Newport News residents and whose service costs can be documented.
- Provide incentive funding to develop new services or capital improvements to meet specific needs of Newport News residents and to complement services provided by city departments.
These grants are incentives designed to foster new services or expand existing services in the city. A goal of the process is to encourage community/local/citizen support for programs so that city funds can be replaced with funds from other sources. This will allow the city funds to be directed toward new programs in the future.
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| October | Agencies can access grant application and budget worksheets from website |
| December | Agencies submit grant applications by 5 p.m. on posted due date |
| February | Applications are reviewed by City staff |
| March | City Manager presents Recommended Operating Budget, including CSAG funding |
| April | City Council holds public hearings on the Recommended Budget |
| May | City Council adopts Operating Budget, including CSAG funding |
| June | Grant award letters are sent to agencies |
| July 30 | Grantees submit first quarter required forms in accordance with reporting requirements |
| July/August | First quarter payments disbursed after receipt and review of required forms |
| November | Second quarter payments disbursed automatically (no reports required) |
| January 15 | Grantees submit third quarter required forms in accordance with reporting requirements |
| January | Oversight departments verify consistency of proposed services with services delivered |
| February | Third quarter payments disbursed after receipt and review of required forms |
| July 15 | Grantees submit fourth quarter required forms in accordance with reporting requirements |
| July | Oversight departments verify consistency of proposed services with services delivered |
| July | Fourth quarter payments disbursed |
The City of Newport News is now accepting applications for the FY 2025 Community Support Agency Grant. Applications are due no later than December 8, 2023 and can be submitted via the online portal below. Please contact the Department of Budget and Evaluation with any questions or concerns by email at budget@nnva.gov or by telephone at 757-926-8733. The goal is for all applicants to submit through our online portal and therefore we will not be posting any other method to apply at this time.
Application Process
- In October of each year, a public notice of availability of grant applications will be placed in a local newspaper.
- Applications will be available each November at Budget and Evaluation's website. Applications are due no later than 5 PM on the posted due date.
- The applications will be reviewed for completeness. The agency will be contacted if significant information is lacking. It is the responsibility of the agency to provide the missing information within 5 working days of notification. Applications received after the published deadline will be deemed ineligible for a grant in the upcoming budget year. Applications will also be disqualified if all required information is not provided or corrected within 5 days as set forth above.
- The agency may be scheduled for a subsequent interview with the Community Support Agency Grant (CSAG) Review Committee if necessary.
Application Requirements
- A completed application with comments limited to space provided must be submitted by the posted due date. Additional pages and/or comments outside space provided will not be considered by the Committee.
- Attachments to the application must include the following if not already on file:
- A copy of the IRS determination letter verifying the applicant agency's not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) status, or proof of application for that status.
- A copy of the agency's current by-laws, mission statement, charter, and board of directors list.
- A copy of the agency's registration with the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Consumer Services, if applicable.
- Applications shall reflect whether any or all of these items are currently on file. Applications will be disqualified if the above mentioned required attachments are not provided or are not already on file.
- Additional attachments other than the above mentioned will not be considered during the application review.
- Applicants should submit the appropriate number of copies of the application, as is instructed on the cover of the application.
Application Review
Should there be any questions concerning an agency's application, the agency will be contacted, and may be scheduled for a subsequent interview if necessary.
Grant Award
- Prior to reviewing the applications, the City Manager will provide the Committee with the amount of funding he is planning to recommend to the City Council for the total CSAG program. The proposed program funding is designed to assist the Committee in determining final allocations that will be recommended to the City Manager.
- City Council appropriates funding for individual Community Support agencies at the time the Annual Operating Budget is adopted in late May or early June.
- Letters announcing the final grant amount for each agency are sent to each applicant soon after final funding levels are approved, but not later than July 1.
Eligibility
A Community Support Agency is an agency that provides services for the health, safety and education of the citizens of Newport News that are directed toward the prevention or treatment of disease, protection from the elements or physical or mental abuse, nutrition, leisure activity or literacy programs.
These programs shall not duplicate programs offered by the city, state or federal governments, the United Way, Salvation Army and/or other national or regional organizations such as the Red Cross, Cancer Society, Heart Association, etc. Community Support Agency programs may supplement programs already in existence when the agency can prove that existing programs cannot serve all citizens of the city of Newport News that have applied for assistance from them.
Policy
It shall be the policy of the City Council that agencies request funding from the city only after all other avenues to raise revenue have been exhausted. Agencies will be required to show:
- Their requests for funding from other agencies or governmental entities have been denied
- An analysis indicating why fees cannot be implemented or increased to pay for services delivered
- The effect on the citizens of Newport News if city funding is not provided
Criteria
An agency is eligible to apply for a Community Support Grant from the city of Newport News if it meets the following criteria:
- The agency must be a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization meeting the legal requirements of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the city of Newport News.
- The agency must provide significant, measurable direct services to residents of Newport News.
- The agency cannot receive grants from other city resources for the same program for which Community Support funding is requested.
- Contractual services which a grant agency provides the city must be disclosed in grant applications. Payments for such services do not automatically exclude an agency from grant eligibility. However, grant funds will not be provided to support the same services or costs which are provided under contract to the city.
- The agency must have fulfilled all reporting, auditing, and payment obligations for any previous loans or grants from the city.
- Programs, activities, employment opportunities, etc., of the agency which may be funded totally or partially by the city of Newport News must comply with local, state and national legal requirements related to nondiscrimination.
- Funds which may be provided by the city of Newport News cannot be used to support programming or activities which advocate a particular political or religious viewpoint.
- The agency shall not be controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society.
Section 15.2-953 of the State Code authorizes any locality to make appropriations of public funds, of personal property or of any real estate to any charitable institution or association, located within their respective limits or outside their limits if such institution or association provides services to residents of the locality, provided that such institution or association shall not be controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society.
Church Control
The Attorney General of Virginia has listed a number of factors to determine whether the entity is controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society. Among the factors which constitute control by a church or sectarian society are:
- Appointment or confirmation of the board of directors or officers by a church or religious sect, religious qualifications for membership on the board of directors or for the various offices
- Formal ties to church or religious sect
- Religious indoctrination
- Religious preferences or quotas for employees or recipients of the services of the organization
- Substantial financial support from a religious sect
City employees may participate in agency activities or programs but may not be compensated.
Below are the required forms and due dates. If you have any questions, please call Budget and Evaluation at 757-926-8733.
| Form | Reporting Requirement and Due Dates |
Link |
|---|---|---|
| Agency Information Form | As needed when agency information changes | |
| Adopted Budget Form | First Quarter, Due July 30 | Excel |
| Capital Expense Form | First Quarter, Due July 30 (only for capital / equipment purchases) | Excel |
| Conditions of Grant Form | First Quarter, Due July 30 | |
| Proposed Performance Measures Form | First Quarter, Due July 30 | |
| First Quarter Payment Request Form | First Quarter, Due July 30 | |
| Mid Year Financial Reporting Form | Third Quarter, Due January 15 | |
| Performance Measures Reporting Form | Third Quarter, Due January 15 Fourth Quarter, Due July 15 |
|
| Third Quarter Payment Request Form | Third Quarter, Due January 15 | |
| End of Year Financial Reporting Form | Fourth Quarter, Due July 15 | |
| Final Payment Request Form | Fourth Quarter, Due July 15 |
Capital Projects
Agencies may request funding from the city of Newport News for capital improvements, equipment purchases and extraordinary or special events. The following definitions apply to requests for funding in this category:
- Capital Improvement: any new or replacement project designed to add to or replace buildings, major building components (ex. HVAC systems) or other infrastructure. Repair or renovation projects qualifying for capitalization rather than expensing also qualify as capital improvements.
- Extraordinary Events: an expense so unusual in type or amount as to be accorded special treatment. Generally, these expenses are unplanned and result from destruction of property due to catastrophic events such as extreme weather or fire.
- Special Events: an expense associated with an event that occurs without regularity. Examples are festivals, fairs, shows, participation in regional, state or national competitions, etc., which do not occur annually.
Policy
It shall be the policy of the City Council that funding may be provided to agencies for any of the above named items only after all other avenues of funding have been exhausted and all other provisions of the Community Support Agency Policy have been satisfied. The following additional provisions apply:
- Emergency funding for Extraordinary Events may be requested at any time. Funding granted by the city is dependent upon the availability of funds.
- Funding for Capital Projects, Equipment and/or Special Events must be requested during the regular budget preparation cycle as outlined in this Policy.
Agencies awards CSAG funding specifically for capital and/or equipment purchases are to submit the following to the city:
- Conditions of Grant Award (PDF): The agency's director or designee must sign the Conditions of Grant Award to accept the grant. The Conditions of Grant Award outlines the requirements of the grant, and must be returned prior to the release of the first payment.
- Summary of Proposed Capital Expenses (XLS): List the proposed capital/equipment purchases on the Capital Expenses Form and submit it by July 30.
- Copies of payments and invoices related to the capital and/or equipment expenses.
Additional Requests
For one-time construction or equipment requests, payments may be made in one payment at the discretion of the Department of Budget and Evaluation. No exceptions to this policy are permissible and there is no appeal process.
If the purchase is dependent upon receipt of the funds from the city of Newport News, the agency is to provide a copy of a purchase order or other documentation that shows the actual cost of the item(s). The city will then release the funds to the agency. Any remaining balance of the CSAG funding award may not be used for any other purpose. These funds will revert to the city of Newport News.
Non-Capital Projects
Grant award letters from the city of Newport News will be mailed to the agencies upon approval of the city's operating budget. This letter will specify whether or not funding was approved for your agency and if so, the amount. To accept the Community Support Agency Grant (CSAG) and to request the first payment, four forms must be completed by the agency prior to disbursement of funds. All forms must be reviewed and signed by the agency's director or designee. If a due date falls on a weekend, the following work day will be the due date.
1st Quarter Reports, Due July 30
- Conditions of Grant Award (PDF): This form specifies the requirements and conditions of the grant.
- Adopted Budget Form (XLS): The form provides agency's adopted budget for the new fiscal year, to include CSAG and other funding.
- Proposed Performance Measures Form (PDF): This form is used to describe the agency's proposed performance measures for the year.
- First Quarter Payment Request (PDF): The first request for payment form must submitted by July 30 for the agency to receive 25% of the total grant award. Subsequent payments of 25% will be released in November and February. The final payment of 25% will be released after the end of the grant period (July) upon receipt of all final reports. For small grants (under $5,001), payments may be made in one payment at the discretion of the City. No exceptions to this policy are permissible and there is no appeal process.
2nd Quarter, November
No action by the agency is needed for the 2nd quarter payment. This payment will be disbursed automatically in November.
3rd Quarter Reports, Due January 15
If actual agency performance is not consistent with the expectations upon which the grant was awarded, the third quarter payment will not be made. To receive the third payment of the grant, the agencies must submit the following:
- Independent Financial Audit: A copy of the agency's Independent Financial Audit for the most recently completed accounting year.
- Performance Measures Reporting Form (PDF): This form is used to provide an update on the agency's performance measures for the first half of the fiscal year.
- Mid Year Financial Reporting Form (PDF): This form is used to report revenues and expenditures for the first half of the fiscal year.
- Third Quarter Payment Request Form (PDF): Agencies are to submit this form to receive the third payment (25% of grant award) in February.
4th Quarter Reports, Due July 15
If actual agency performance is not consistent with the expectations upon which the grant was awarded, the final payment will not be paid. To receive the fourth (final) payment of the grant, agencies are to submit the following:
- Performance Measures Reporting Form (PDF): This form is used to provide an update on the agency's performance measures for the second half of the fiscal year.
- End of Year Financial Reporting Form (PDF): This form is used to report revenues and expenditures for the second half of the fiscal year and the full fiscal year.
- Final Payment Request Form (PDF): Agencies are to submit this form to receive the final payment (25% of grant award) in July.