Teresa Parsons – Community Governance OfficerNovember 18, 2008

Welcome

Small Poppy Fund

• The context of the Small Poppy Grants program

• What our ‘matching’ grants program looks like

• What are the successes and challenges?

• Future of the Small Poppy program

Today’s talking points

About the City of Port Phillip

• Area: 20.62 km2

• Seven neighbourhoods

• Population: over 90, 000 (based on estimates from the 2006 Census)

• 47% rent, 18% own residence

• 40% live in high density housing, 35% medium density, 12% separate housing

Developing the 2007-2017 Community Plan

1. Community Survey 2006 (2300 respondents)

2. Joint Council Community Steering Committee - Dec 06 to

Sep 07

3. Team up with AmericaSpeaks - Dec 06

4. Event design and logistics – Jan to April 07

5. Discussion guide – Feb to April 07

6. Community Summit - April 07

7. Follow-up neighbourhood meetings – May 07

8. Conceptual framework – July to Nov 07

9. Launch of the Community Plan – December 2007

Port Phillip Speaks Community Summit

• April 28, 2007

• 750 people

• 5 Topics

• End of the day, participants moved into their neighbourhoods to discuss what they could do together to make their neighbourhood better

• Next fortnight follow-up neighbourhood meetings were held

2007 – 2017 Community Plan

A framework of 4 parts:

1. Working Together

2. Neighbourhood Development

3. Community Leadership

4. Monitoring Progress

Four action plans to set out commitments and accountabilities

• Core component

• Annual action plan to address the 15 priorities

identified by the community

• Sets the scene for partnership with others to

address community priorities

1. Working Together to Take Action

• Supporting local connections, networks and improvements to neighbourhoods

• Local character and sense of place

• Emphasis on locals

• Small Poppy Grants program

2. Neighbourhood Development Component

3. Community Leadership Component

• Celebrating and supporting the contribution of active citizenship

• Promotes learning about and contributing to community

• Promotes learning opportunities relevant to participatory democracy

Ensuring accountability and reporting back drives the Community Plan.

4. Monitoring Progress Component

Why have a matching grants program?

• Meet the objectives of the Neighbourhood Development and Community Leadership components of the Community Plan

•Try new ways of engaging with and supporting the neighbourhoods

•Broaden the range of people eligible for council funding and engaging with council

Community and Neighbourhood Building in Port Phillip

• Neighbourhood Forums

•Street Parties

•Community Pulse including Smiles per Hour

•Apartment coffee cart

•SLAH

Grant programs at Port Phillip

• Community Grants program

• Cultural Development Fund

• Community Celebrations Fund

The Seattle Neighbourhood Program

In 1988, the City of Seattle established a Department of Neighbourhoods under directorship of Jim Diers

• Neighbourhood Matching Fund

Podcast of Jim Diers speaking about the Seattle program is available by following the links from www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/community_plan

Small Poppy Fund

• Launched in November 2007

Council will match the community’s contribution of time and resources and make it as easy as possible for good ideas to get started.

•Publicised at Civic Awards, local papers, Council’s quarterly magazine

Small Poppy Grants Program - Principles

• Make it accessible

• Provide funding when and where the energy happens

• Locals getting involved and making a difference in their local area

• Provide resources to help people with their project

• Prioritise fun, one-off, and new ideas

Small Poppy Grants Program – How did it look?

Simple and accessible guidelines and application forms

Simple administration and selection processes

Avoiding as much paper-work and bureaucracy as possible

Small Poppy Grants Program – How does it look now?

• Less categories

• Clearer guidelines

• More accountability

Small Poppy Grants Program – What has happened?

• Eight projects funded

• Four completed

• Three underway

• One project pending start

Small Poppy Grants Program – How did that look?

“People still stop to talk about the farms”

“I was surprised how some needed advice and how tentative they were about growing plants”

p g yexciting. This is the shot after the first plant went in!!! You can see the prepared garden beds in the background.”

“One of us has borrowed a submersible pump which we have lowered into our storm water pit. This has enabled us to water the nature strip (during establishment) using recycled water”

What is working well?

• Connecting with people who haven’t previously connected with Council

• Building better relationships within council which leads to better understandings of what it is like for the average person in the community who wants to do something in their neighbourhood

What are the challenges?

• Council bureaucracy

• Getting the message out

• Ensuring the application process isn’t onerous for the applicant but that it also allows us to make responsible and informed decisions

• Cross-over with existing council programs

• Working with apartment building residents

What are the challenges?

• Supporting potential applicants

• Ensuring that projects have enough neighbourhood support

• Knowing what success is

The future of Small Poppies

• Sharing stories

• Better using the fund as a tool to work better with our neighbourhoods

• Building on the existing links between council and the community

•Continuing to work across the organisation

Thank you