These are draft minutes and are subject to confirmation by the Committee at its next meeting. The confirmed minutes will replace this draft version on the website.

Meeting Name	Councillor Grants Committee
Date	7 May 2024	Time 5:01PM
Venue	PHIVE, Level 4 – Civic Reception, Parramatta + MS Teams
Attendees	Committee Members · David Moutou – A/Executive Director Community & Culture (Chairperson) · Councillor Donna Wang · Councillor Kellie Darley · Councillor Sameer Pandey Council Staff · Lucy Brotherton – Community Capacity Building Lead (Convenor) · Rodrigo Gutierrez – Community Capacity Building Manager · Gregory Radford – A/Group Manager Social & Community Services · Stephanie Raileqe – Community Grants Officer · Navneet Cheema – ICT Service Desk Officer
Apologies / Leave of Absence	· Lord Mayor, Councillor Pierre Esber · Councillor Ange Humphries
Secretariat	Melissa McIsaac – Governance
HPRM Reference	F2022/01409

No.	Item
1	Acknowledgement of Country The City of Parramatta Council acknowledges the Burramattagal Clan of The Dharug Nation, the traditional owners of land of Parramatta and pays its respects to the elders past, present and emerging.
2	Apologies The Committee noted apologies from the Lord Mayor, Councillor Pierre Esber, and Councillor Ange Humphries.
3	Disclosure of Interests The Chairperson did not call for any disclosure of interests, as no individual grant applications were on the Agenda for determination.
4	Proposed Annual Community Grants Program – 2024/2025
Description	The Committee received a presentation from Rodrigo Gutierrez, Community Capacity Building Manager, with an overview of Council’s proposed 2024-25 Community Grants Program, including the changes to the program as outcomes of the review presented to the Committee in March. The Committee were informed about Council’s existing Community Grants Program, with funding sub-categories totalling $575k, and considered proposed options for key changes for the 2024-25 program, including: · Applying a CPI increase to the total program budget of $50k through Council’s budget process, with the option to distribute the increase to the sub-categories as an equal distribution by percentage, or as specified amounts. · Adding two new sub-categories to the annual Community Grants Program, being to consolidate Council’s existing Night-Time Creative Economy Grants into the program, and the new Heritage Activation Grants. Each sub-category is proposed to provide $50k in funding, adding $100k to the total Community Grants Program funding pool. The Committee noted that these new sub-categories would operate on a matched-funding model. · Implementing two funding rounds as part of the annual program, a Community Round from July through December, and a Cultural Round from January through June. Sub-categories would be allocated to a round as appropriate. · Amending the Cultural Heritage and History Projects sub-category to be the History, Culture, and Stories Fund. The update would broaden sub-category eligibility to encourage uptake. · Increasing the individual grant cap for the Community Capacity Building sub-category to $12,500, and up to $20,000 for multi-stage projects. · For the year-round grants program, moving funding from the Sport and Recreation Grant scheme to the Representative Sports Grant Scheme, to address levels of uptake. During consideration of these proposed program changes, Committee Members raised the following feedback: · Councillor Pandey informed the Committee that he had raised with the CEO to consider allocating a portion of funds from Council’s Ward Initiatives program budget towards a local entrepreneurial grants program. It is intended to put this matter to Council for decision as part of a planned Notice of Motion. Council staff further recommended that if this Ward Initiatives proposal proceeds, to incorporate the new grant as a sub-category offered during one of the Community Grants Program rounds, to support efficient administration. · Clarification was requested on the purpose for targeting First Nations and women & gender diverse-owned business applicants through the Night-Time Creative Economy Grants. The Committee recommended to ensure the program will be broad-reaching to support all types of diverse business owners, such as business owners with disabilities. · Clarification was requested regarding the measures taken by Council to encourage uptake by clubs of the Sport and Recreation Grant program. Council officers provided an overview of strategies used and the feedback received from Sports Clubs contacts. · The Committee enquired about the potential to develop a youth grants sub-category to support Council’s planned youth inclusion framework. Council staff advised the Committee that it would be alternatively recommended to encourage uptake by youth and youth service providers for the existing broader grant sub-categories. The Committee noted that it is intended to report the proposed 2024-25 Community Grants Program to Council in late May or early June, with the intention for the Community Round to open for applications on 1 July. Applications for the Community Round will be reported back to Council in December 2024 for determination.
Outcome	· Council staff took the following questions on notice: a. Confirm the percentage of project cost to be funded through the matched funding model for the Night-Time Creative Economy Grants, with a view to ensure consistency with the existing Community Events sub-category. b. Provide additional information to the Committee regarding how the intended rollout of the Night-Time Creative Economy Grants will target supporting First Nations and women & gender diverse-owned businesses. · Council staff agreed to upload the meeting presentation to the Councillor Portal, for viewing access by all interested Councillors.
5	Confirmation of Minutes
Description	The Committee were advised that the Minutes from the previous meetings held on 9 November 2023 and 28 March 2024 are yet to be confirmed by the Committee. The Committee requested for additional time to consider the Minutes before resolving confirmation.
Outcome	· Council staff agreed to circulate the draft Minutes from the 9 November 2023, 28 March 2024, and 7 May 2024 meetings to Committee Members for consideration after the meeting. · Council staff took a question on notice to determine if the Committee may resolve to confirm the Minutes via email after the meeting.
6	Next Meeting Date: TBD

Meeting Closed:  6:18pm