To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INNOVATION FUND PHASE 1 PLANNING GRANT AWARDS
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE Innovation Fund Phase 1 Planning Grant awards in the amount of $5,000 to each of the ten applicants listed on Attachment 1 and DIRECT the County Administrator to execute grant contracts with each applicant, with awards conditioned upon applicants submitting a Phase 2 Innovation Fund proposal.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The current $2,000,000 Innovation Fund derives from a second allocation of Measure X sales tax revenue. Recommended Phase 1 grants, if approved, will reduce the fund by $50,000, leaving a balance of $1,950,000 for Phase 2 allocation.
BACKGROUND:
On November 16, 2021, the Measure X Community Advisory Board presented a report and funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for Measure X revenue. Among the many recommendations approved by the Board of Supervisors that day was a one-time allocation of $2 million to establish an Innovation Fund to seed pilot programs and innovative projects. The County Administrator was charged with administration of the fund and grant process, with guidance from the Board of Supervisors and its Finance Committee.
Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors allocated two rounds of Innovation Funds, each in the amount of $2M. The first round was allocated in October 2023 and the five awarded projects are expected to wrap up by the end of this fiscal year or sooner. The first round leaves an unallocated balance of $179,263, which is available to augment/extend 1st Round projects, add to the second round, or redirect to other County needs.
The second round grant eligibility, principles, priorities, and project categories were substantially the same as in the first round, except that a requirement to be a California registered organization was removed:
Guiding Principles:
• The first question is not ‘Is this going to work?’ but rather, ‘If it works, would it matter?’
• Unlike traditional grantmaking, intentionally seek to trade off probability of success in return for greater potential impact.
• Invest in approaches that may have a higher risk of failure, but the potential to be lasting and truly game changing if they succeed.
• Seek out ideas with transformative potential, take risks on less proven approaches, and recognize that innovation requires flexibility, iteration and, yes, even failure.
• Strive to balance rigorous analysis with intuition about a project’s potential for transformative change.
• The impact from one or two big, transformational successes in a portfolio can justify the opportunity cost of many failures. Recognize that money given away for social purposes is effectively gone, regardless of outcomes.
Innovation Fund Priorities
• Projects that respond to local service needs.
• Projects that improve equitable access to public services
• Projects that remove structural barriers that cause inequities and poverty
• Projects that have the potential to provide the greatest impact for every dollar spent
• Projects that have potential for transformative change rather than simply replicate safe, established programs
Innovation Fund Categories
• Safe & Engaged Communities - Improving health, wellness, and public safety outcomes through community outreach/awareness, education, and engagement.
• Agriculture and Food Systems - Improving environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.
• Economic Vitality - Providing education, job training, decent jobs, and viable businesses to reduce the number of people at a poverty level.
• Clean & Sustainable (Clean and Green) Environment - Safe food and water, proper waste disposal, clean air, pest control; preventing waste.
• Reliable & Accessible Infrastructure - Modernization, technology, or equity in digital access, cybersecurity, and resilience.
The County Administrator's Office issued a request for concepts on September 13, 2024 with a submission deadline of October 7, 2024 (3½ weeks). Thirty-six qualifying applications were received.
The County Administrator convened a diverse 7-member review panel comprising highly qualified representatives from the Contra Costa County Funders' Forum, the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, the County Health Services Department, the County's Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board, the Community Corrections Partnership Community Advisory Board, the Council on Homelessness, and the Measure X Community Advisory Board. The County Administrator is deeply appreciative of the time and effort volunteered by the Panelists, who are also committed to participate in Phase 2 evaluations and whose identities are, therefore, withheld in respect to the ongoing competitive process.
As compared to the first round in 2023 in which 14 applications were received, 36 qualifying applications were received in the second round. The Review Panel met October 21st, November 7th, November 21st to evaluate, rate, and rank proposals in accordance with the guiding principles and priorities adopted by the Board. As a result of its deliberations, the Review Panel recommends that 10 of the 36 applicants be invited to submit full proposals during Phase 2 of the grant process. Attachment 1 shows the list of the applicants recommended to be invited to participate in Phase 2, and Attachment 2 shows a list of proposals that are not recommended for advancement to Phase 2.
The County Administrator appreciates the careful consideration of the Panel of each proposal and proffers the Panel's recommendations for ten Phase 1 awards today. Upon direction by the Board of Supervisors, the County Administrator will execute grant contracts to award each selected applicant $5,000, conditioned upon both attendance at a bidder's conference at which the requirements for the Phase 2 applications will be explained, and submission of a responsive and responsible proposal. Awardees will be given 45 days from the bidder's conference to submit their Phase 2 proposals for consideration by the Review Panel in February/March.
The County Administrator, today, requests Board approval of the Phase 1 grant recommendations.
Next Steps
The precise schedule for the remaining steps will depend somewhat on the schedules and availability of the Review Panelists, ten Phase 1 grantees, and Board of Supervisors. However, the Board can be assured that the County Administrator's Office is working as efficiently as possible to complete the entire process in an expeditious manner.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR REMAINING STEPS:
• CAO executes Phase 1 contracts with recipients
• CAO conducts Phase 2 Bidder’s Conference to explain the full RFP
• CAO issues RFP (likely in December and due in January)
• Review Panel reviews and rates Phase 2 proposals (target for Feb/Mar)
• Board consideration of Phase 2 recommendations (likely Mar/Apr)
• CAO executes contracts with recipients (likely in May)
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the Board reject the Review Panel’s recommendations, a new grant solicitation would need to be conducted in order to allocate the second round funds.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1: Innovation Fund Phase 1 Grant Recommendations
Attachment 2: Innovation Fund Phase 1 Proposals Not Selected