HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-07-05_cityofsanrafael_1060c5c1e7e505691ae50e2b69ed6f604
Agenda Item No:
Meeting Date: July 5, 2011
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Community Development
Prepared by: Obert M. Brown City Manager Approval
Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Resolution accepting a grant from the Marin Community Foundation for the Resilient
Businesses Program and authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with
Natural Capitalism, Dominican University and SEO Copywriting for consulting
services associated with the Marin Community Foundation Grant.
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt resolution.
BACKGROUND: As part of its implementation of the San Rafael Climate Change Action Plan, a grant
was sought from the Marin Community Foundation (MCF) to subsidize a program to work with local small
businesses to assist them in reducing energy and water use, waste generation and greenhouse gas
emissions, saving money, engaging employees in promoting efficiency, and marketing to customers. The
grant application was submitted through a partnership of the City of San Rafael, the San Rafael Chamber
of Commerce and Dominican University, and was approved by the MCF Board in the amount of
$100,000.
The intention is to utilize the services of a national sustainability consulting firm which has developed a
program to assist in the "greening" of small businesses, as well as participation from Dominican
University's Green MBA program (through its Environmental Finance Center) to assist each business to
create a personalized action plan and in collection of program metrics (GHG and financial savings, etc.)
and a local marketing firm.
The MCF grant anticipates participation by a total of 36 businesses in two different program formats —
either four full-day sessions for groups of 8 businesses or a series of three half-day workshops for 20
businesses. A brief program summary/marketing piece is attached as Exhibit 3. Businesses will pay
approximately $500 to participate in the workshop format and approximately $1,000 for the more in-depth
"Sustainability Learning Circle" format. If necessary to fill the 36 openings, the program may be marketed
through other chambers of commerce, such as Novato, San Anselmo and Mill Valley.
The City's involvement in the program will be limited to monthly oversight meetings with the consultants,
the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and Dominican University. The City will also act as the financial
agent for the grant, and will be responsible for submitting mid-term and final reports on the program
accomplishments.
If the pilot program proves successful, it is being designed as a "train the trainer" format whereby the
participating Dominican Green MBA graduates will be trained and provided with all materials from the
consultant, Natural Capitalism, which will enable future program offerings to occur without the
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
File No.:
Council Meeting:
Disposition:
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
involvement and cost of the consulting firm and could result in the creation of a small consultancy
composed of local Green MBA graduates for significant reduced costs to local businesses, and without
further subsidies from the Marin Community Foundation,
FISCAL IMPACT:
There will be no direct fiscal impact to the City of San Rafael. The consultants will be funded entirely from
the grant funds allocated by the Marin Community Foundation. There will be some staff time contributed
to providing oversight to the consulting team in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and
Dominican University, in coordinating the preparation and submittal of two reports to MCF, and in
authorizing payments to the consultants.
OPTIONS:
The City Council could choose not to accept the grant from the Marin Community Foundation.
ACTION REQUIRED:
Staff recommends that the Council adopt the resolution accepting a grant from the Marin Community
Foundation for the Resilient Businesses Program and authorize the City manager to execute agreements
with Natural Capitalism, Dominican University and SEO Copywriting for consulting services associated
with the Marin Community Foundation Grant.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit 1: Draft Resolution
Exhibit 2: Marin Community Foundation Grant Agreement
Exhibit 3: Program description/marketing summary
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
ACCEPTING A GRANT FROM THE MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR THE RESILIENT
BUSINESSES PROGRAM AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AGREEMENTS
WITH NATURAL CAPITLISM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER AT DOMINICAN
UNIVERSITY AND SEO COPYWRITING FOR CONSULTING SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE
MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT
WHEREAS, in April, 2009 the San Rafael City Council adopted the San Rafael Climate Change
Action Plan to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael, the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and the
Environmental Finance Center at Dominican University jointly applied for a grant to subsidize the Resilient
Businesses Program to assist local small businesses in reducing energy and water use, waste generation
and greenhouse gas emissions, saving money, engaging employees in promoting efficiency, and better
marketing to customers; and
WHEREAS, the Marin Community Foundation has approved a grant in the amount of $100,000 to
implement the Resilient Businesses Program;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael hereby
accepts the grant of $100,000 from the Marin Community Foundation and authorizes the City Manager to
sign agreements with Natural Capitalism, the Environmental Finance Center at Dominican University and
SEO Copywriting to provide consulting services associated with the grant.
I, ESTHER C. BEIRNE, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was
duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of said City on Tuesday, the
fifth day of July, 2011, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ESTHER C. BEIRNE, City Clerk
EXHIBIT 1
MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
June 8, 2011
Ms. Nancy Mackle
City Manager
City of San Rafael
P.O. Box 151560
San Rafael, CA 94915-1560
Re: Grant # 2011-02562
Fund: Leonard & Beryl Buck Fund
Dear Ms. Mackle:
JUN 16 2011
On behalf of the Trustees of the Marin Community Foundation, I am pleased to inform you that the Board
has approved a grant in the amount of $100,000 to City of San Rafael to support the Resilient Businesses
climate change program. The period of this grant is 8 months, from May 1, 2011 through
December 31, 2011.
To confirm your formal acceptance of the following terms, please fax a copy of this agreement letter to
the Foundation, signed by the appropriate person authorized to sign for your organization.
1. As a condition of this grant, you are committing to report on your organization's progress against
metrics (including impacts, activities or outputs, and any additional outcomes) listed at the end of this
agreement at the frequencies specified. In addition, you will be required to submit narrative progress
reports, including a final report after the end of the grant period. Any payments scheduled for release
after the due date of a progress report will be held by the Foundation until the report has been submitted
and approved. The Foundation will be providing further guidance on reporting procedures in advance of
the due dates.
2. The grant and any accrued interest may only be used to carry out activities in or for the benefit of
Marin County and only for the charitable purposes and activities set forth in this letter of agreement.
3. Funds not used for the charitable purposes of the grant, including any unspent balance at the
conclusion of the grant period, must be returned to the Foundation. If any equipment or real estate
purchased with grant funds is diverted from the charitable purposes for which this grant is made, or if
your organization ceases operations, you agree to convey such equipment or real estate back to the
Foundation or to such other charitable organization as the Foundation may direct.
4. You agree to credit the Foundation in publications, press releases, brochures, videotapes, and other
publicity or public relations materials and presentations resulting from the use of these funds or developed
for activities authorized under this grant. Please refer to the enclosed Guidelines for Communicating
about Your Grant. The Foundation's Vice President for Marketing and Communications is available to
advise you on public information activities.
5. Your organization agrees to maintain accurate financial and operational records regarding your use of
grant funds and to make those records available to the Foundation promptly upon request for the
Foundation's review, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
5 Hamilton Landing, Suite 200 ■ Novato CA 94949 . ph: 415.464.2500 ■ fax: 415.464.2555 ■ www.marincf.org
Page 1 EXHIBIT 2
6. Your organization will make any publications, media presentations, studies, or research funded by this
grant available to the public in a manner acceptable to the Foundation. Any tangible or intangible
property, including copyrights obtained or created by your organization with funding from this grant,
shall remain the property of your organization, but your organization agrees to grant the Foundation a
royalty -free license to use, reprint, or distribute any such copyrighted materials for informational or
promotional purposes that do not conflict with your organization's charitable purposes.
7. The terms of this Agreement may be revised or modified only with the prior written consent of both
the Foundation and your organization. If your organization fails to meet any of the terms of this
Agreement, the Foundation may withdraw its award and terminate the Agreement, and the Foundation
will then have no responsibility to disburse any further funds. The Foundation may also, at its discretion,
require your organization to return any unspent grant funds and to refund any portion of the grant that was
not used for charitable purposes as required by this Agreement, as described in Paragraph 2 above.
8. The Foundation has no obligation to provide any additional support to your organization, and this
grant does not represent any commitment of future support.
We will process the payment when we receive a faxed copy of this agreement letter.
If you have any questions about the implementation of this grant or about Foundation procedures, please
feel free to contact Torri Estrada, the program officer responsible for overseeing this grant, or Sandy
Sherwood, program associate.
The Foundation is pleased to support the efforts of your organization on behalf of the community. We
look forward to working with you and learning from the experience to be gained from this cooperative
endeavor.
Sincerely,
Thomas Peters, Ph.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Enclosures
Page 2
Please sign this grant agreement and fax it to:
Debra White, Grants Manager
415.493.2455
Faxing all requested documents, as directed and using the fax number above, will ensure proper
handling of the submitted paperwork and expedite processing of the grant payment.
ACCEPTANCE: On behalf of City of San Rafael, I hereby accept and agree to the terms of grant #2011-
02562 as set forth above.
GRANTEE
By:
Print Name
Signature
Title
Allocation & Reporting Requirements
$100,000 to Spur energy, solar efforts
Associated Impact Metric(s)
• 6,300 tons CO2e reduced by December 31, 2011.
® 36 buildings & homes proceeding by December 31, 2011.
Calculation Method
The GHG estimate for similar programs is in the range of 5,400-7,200 metric tons/year; 6,300 right in the
middle of that range. The goal of the progrtam this year is to recruit 36 businesses.
General Reporting
Please estimate the tons of greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide equivalents) achieved by the cluster
of businesses participating in your program
Please describe how you tracked and quantified the greenhouse gas emissions reductions from your
program.
Please provide an overview of the key measures undertaken by Marin businesses to reduce their carbon
footprint.
Page 3
Report Due Dates
Final Report Due; 1/31/12 covering 5/1/11 - 12/31/11
Payment Schedule
May 1, 2011
Page 4
MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Guidelines for Communicating about Your Grant from the
Marin Community Foundation
Congratulations on your recent grant from the Marin Community Foundation. We are pleased to
provide funding to your organization. Sharing the news of your grant helps you by promoting your
good work, recognizes the Foundation for its support, and can promote further giving in Marin
County.
The following guidelines are intended to assist you in communicating about your grant. Please
forward this information to the appropriate person in your organization.
1. General publicity on your grant:
• Include news of your grant in publications, press releases, newsletters, brochures, annual
reports, website, videotapes, DVDs, advertisements, reports, direct mail, or other outreach
materials.
• Include the Foundation's logo in advertisements, signage, programs, brochures, etc. as
appropriate. Various formats can be downloaded from MCF's website, at
www.marincf.org/logo, along with guidance about its usage. Even if you have an MCF logo
on file, please download a new one to be sure you use the most current version.
• Include a credit of the Foundation when any program or project results in a service, product,
performance, or other tangible outcome.
• Consider, if appropriate, including a link to the Foundation's website (www.marincf.org) on
your agency's website—e.g., in a list of supporters.
NOTES: Whenever referencing support from the Foundation, please use this wording:
Support for this [program, activity, etc. ] was provided by a grant from the Marin Community
Foundation.
Also; at the end of press releases, please include, along with a description of your agency, the
following:
The Marin Community Foundation is the primary center for philanthropy in Marin County,
California. Dedicated to enhancing the community's quality of life, the Foundation provides support
in the areas of the arts, community development, education, the environment, community health, and
religion.
The Foundation administers assets from the Leonard and Beryl H. Buck Trust and from fimds
established by over 300 individuals, families, businesses, and community groups. MCF is one of the
largest community foundations in the United States, with assets of approximately $1 billion and
annual grant distributions of approximately $60 million.
2. Prior approval:
All materials that use the Foundation's name and logo, including press releases, must be approved by
the Foundation prior to publication or distribution. This also gives us the opportunity to provide
additional information and to include a quote, in the case of press releases, from the Foundation.
Please send all materials for approval to:
Fred Silverman
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
fsilverman@marincf.org
415.464.2527
3. Special initiatives:
For grants that focus on a special initiative or activity, the Grantee will work with the Foundation to
publicly announce the funding in an appropriate manner, such as a special community event, media
outreach effort, or other marketing opportunity. .
4. Let us know:
We are very interested in writing stories that show the progress and success of your grants. Please
let us know about special events, particular clients whose lives are being improved (of course, we
will honor confidentiality and privacy), and key milestones we may want to document for our website
and other materials.
Please send us copies of final versions of any materials that mention your grant from the Marin
Community Foundation.
5. How we can help:
Besides reviewing your materials, we can also help in the following ways:
• We, can discuss with someone at your agency how your grant can be publicized.
• We can help you make proper use of our logo. Please contact Suzuki Cady at 415.464.2534 or
scady@marincf.org.
• We can provide an MCF banner (6' X 3') for special events.
• We can provide an MCF staff member, when available, to represent the Foundation at key
events related to your grant.
If you have any questions, please contact Fred Silverman, Vice President for Marketing and
Communications, at 415.464.2527 or fsilverman@marinc£org.
CAP,
3
°IUVO"� Sustainability Learning Circle
A collaborative three-month program to help your organization implement sustainability,
save money and improve profitability
NCI helps you:
How it works:
Set Your Goals i=
Eight local companies
8
■
Sample Goals Include; '
• Save $10,000 in 18
Four full-day sessions
Reduce Costs
months, after capital *W
Improve Profitability
'
investment %01
Build Brand Equity
Once a month
Create Community
• Reduce energy usage
by 30% 0Guided
by expert
• Reduce packaging by O O
4
sustainability coach
10%
Monthly action plans and
• Increase employee
check -ins
productivity
• Comply with customer demands
Creating communities of leadership
Develop an Action Plan
• Specific measures to implement
• Detailed action items and time frames
• Return on investment associated with
each measure
Build the right tool -kit to make your plan a
success
• Free access to our innovative e -learning
program to help with implementation
• Financing resources and rebate
information
• Questionnaires to vet contractors
• Guidance on which certifications are
right for your business
Contact:
Sessions include:
Practical information in six technical areas:
• Lighting, Heating and Cooling, Office
Equipment, Water, Waste, Travel
and Transit
Strategic guidance in six business areas:
• Branding, Employee Engagement,
Change Management, Financing,
Customer/Stakeholder Engagement,
Purchasing
Collaborative problem solving
EXHIBIT 3