TO: CRA Board of Commissioners
FROM: Alexina Jeannite, Grant Manager
THROUGH: Renée A. Jadusingh, Esq., Executive Director
DATE: September 14, 2020
Title
FY 2020-2021 CRA A-GUIDE FUNDING REQUEST - GREATER DELRAY BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INC.
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Provide funding for the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (Chamber) in the CRA’s FY 2020-2021 Budget.
Body
Background:
At the August 25, 2020 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Regular Board Meeting, the funding request the Chamber was presented for consideration. The board raised several questions about the program and increased funding request and was not able to make a recommendation for funding at the time. Since then, the Chamber has modified their A-GUIDE funding request.
The Chamber amended their request by dividing programming into two separate programs: Program A ($40,000) and Program B ($100,000). The total request amount remains at $140,000.
The Chamber intends to provide two levels of program service as follows:
Program A is for the continuation of services provided by the SBDC to support small businesses within the CRA District, which includes a dedicated Delray-based consultant and access to a team of 12 consultants who are available to all businesses on a first come first serve basis. Program B is a NEW program service level which intends to deliver a multi‐disciplinary approach to consulting and mentoring to best address the individual needs of the Delray Business Community Post COVID.
Program B offers a series of additional consulting services, tools and approaches, in order to address the impact of the Covid‐19 shut‐down to help business owners rethink, redesign, and pivot business operations. Business owners will have access to additional programs, mentor teams, and virtual financial management tools all created specifically to address the current economic roadblocks.
The Chamber’s request is summarized below.
Funding Request Amount: $140,000
Program Amount: $129,000
Admin Fee to Chamber: $11,000
Program “A”: SBDC at the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce
Request Amount: $40,000
FY 2019-2020 Funding: $40,000
Program “B”: SBDC Mastering Resiliency (NEW)
Request Amount: $100,000
Please review the attached Application Evaluation Form (Exhibit A) that includes the rating of the committee members on each Project/Program. The outcome of the committee’s review is as follows:
Total Evaluation Score: 94%
In addition to the attached Application Evaluation Form and budget forms, the following documents are available upon request:
A-GUIDE Application
A-GUIDE Logic Model
A-GUIDE Evaluation Plan
Strategic Plan
IRS Form 990
Audited Financial Statements
Refer to the funding request overview for more information.
As stipulated in the A-G.U.I.D.E. guidelines, the Funding Evaluation Committee reviews each application according to established criteria and makes preliminary funding recommendations to the CRA Board of Commissioners. Then the CRA Board considers and makes final decisions regarding the funding request. At this time, the Funding Evaluation Committee recommends funding the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce for fiscal year 2020-2021.
At a minimum, staff respectfully request that the Board consider funding Program A as an economic development tool that would be accessible to businesses within the CRA District.
Attachments: Exhibit A - Application Evaluation Form; Exhibit B - Logic Model (Program A & B); Exhibit C - Combined Budget Form and Narrative (Program A & B).
CRA Attorney Review:
N/A
Finance Review:
Reviewed by Lori Hayward, CRA Finance & Operation Director.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
TBD - allocated from General Ledger #7376 - A-GUIDE Funding.