Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $5,000,000 from the Community Benefits Stabilization Fund to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account to be used: (1) for grant agreements with nonprofit organizations to address the City’s most pressing service needs, and (2) to enter into a contract with a Project Evaluator to work with the grant recipients as well as the Community Benefits Advisory Committee (CBAC), which is overseeing this effort

Attachment A: Guiding Principles for Community Benefits Funding Frame Needs Thoughtfully 1. Fund programs or services that directly benefit Cambridge residents. 2. Emphasize funding priorities established by the City Council informed by the outcomes of the needs assessment. 3. Prioritize support for vulnerable and underserved populations. 4. Consider neighborhood(s) impacted by development projects. 5. Consider other public resources allocated to a neighborhood in order to better understand unmet needs. Build on Existing Assets and Programs 6. Promote awareness of and connection to existing programs and services. 7. Prioritize approaches that leverage other private and public resources. 8. Encourage an asset-based approach that recognizes and builds on the resilience of Cambridge residents and communities. Promote Holistic Approaches, Innovation and Collaboration 9. Recognize the inter-connectedness among community needs. 10. Emphasize holistic and creative ideas that promote prevention and coordination across systems and organizations. 11. Remain open to bold and innovative approaches to challenging issues. 12. Recognize that addressing community challenges takes time and provide the latitude for longer term interventions. 13. Prioritize funding for nonprofit applicants that promote collaboration, partnership and collective impact. 14. Encourage and incorporate program evaluation to identify which strategies work best. Simplify the Application Process 15. Establish a transparent, inclusive, and collaborative process. 16. Provide support and technical assistance to nonprofits in the application process to ensure equal opportunity and access. 17. Provide opportunities for renewable grants to returning nonprofit providers that have an excellent performance evaluation record and programmatic success.


Attachment B: Tiered Needs The full Community Needs Assessment is available here.