City Enrichment Fund Enhancements Approved - 26 Aug 26

A council subcommittee reviewed the status of 2026 City Enrichment Fund grants and approved changes to the program for 2027. Staff reported that three organizations forfeited their 2026 grants after failing to meet requirements, while councillors discussed proposed framework changes aimed at making the application process easier to navigate, especially for smaller groups. The 2027 City Enrichment Fund program enhancements were approved by electronic vote with no dissent.

Topics Discussed

1. 2026 CITY ENRICHMENT FUND GRANT STATUS

Staff reported that three organizations had forfeited their 2026 City Enrichment Fund grants because they did not meet program requirements. Heather Anderson, director of communications and engagement, said: "Since the submission of this report and as of August 5th, three organizations have not met the requirements and have effectively forfeited their grants. These are the Greater Hamilton Arts and Events, Community Rising Alliance, and Sports Hamilton."

2. CITY ENRICHMENT FUND POLICY AND FRAMEWORK CHANGES

The subcommittee reviewed proposed framework and policy updates under report GRA26005. According to the meeting summary, the changes are intended to support applicant success, apply fair and consistent processes, improve administration, and respond to the high number of applicants needing additional support.

3. 2027 CITY ENRICHMENT FUND PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS

Council approved enhancements to the 2027 program after discussion about how applicants experience the process. Councillor Crutch said staff were responding to a recurring concern from applicants: "I want to just say that I appreciate that we're trying to do something that's growing applicant capacity because that's something that we hear from applicants all the time is that they're struggling to fill out our forms and they find the process a bit onerous."

4. SUPPORT FOR APPLICANTS

Discussion on the 2027 changes focused in part on helping applicants navigate the process more successfully. The proposed updates are intended to help organizations identify and correct problems earlier in the application cycle and reduce issues after submission, particularly for newer or smaller groups.

5. FORFEITED STATUS UPDATE

The subcommittee also received an update confirming that three organizations remain in forfeited status.

Motions

Passed: - 2027 City Enrichment Fund Program Enhancements — approved by electronic vote with no dissenting votes.

Discussed / Received: - 2026 City Enrichment Fund Grant Status - Framework and Policy Updates under report GRA26005 - Update confirming three organizations remain in forfeited status

Attendees

Named participants in the meeting summary: - Councillor Crutch - Heather Anderson, Director of Communications and Engagement

Councillors listed: - Tom Jackson - Andrea Horwath - Mark Tadeson - Esther Pauls - Rob Cooper - Alex Wilson - Jeff Beattie - Mike Spadafora - Cameron Kroetsch - Ted McMeekin - Brad Clark - Craig Cassar - Tammy Hwang - Maureen Wilson - Matt Francis - Nrinder Nann