Selection Process/Criteria

All grant applications will be reviewed by the Chairs of Common Sense California's City/Regional and K-12 Task Forces and the UserVoice leadership team. All those applying for grants will be contacted within two weeks of their submission to confirm receipt. Those deemed qualifying may be contacted by Common Sense California for further questioning regarding their application.

We will be awarding at least five (5) projects in this year's Grant Program with the first grants reviewed on a "rolling basis" following the conclusion of "Phase I" application period on March 8, 2010.

Eligible Applicants:

1. Mayors, City Council, City Managers, Assistant City Managers
2. County Supervisors/Senior Staff
3. School Superintendents and School Board Presidents
4. Executive Directors of regional governance associations (COG's)
5. Executive Directors of non-profit organizations
6. Local/Regional Newspaper (online/print) Editor

Selection Criteria:

CSC understands that governing and civic institutions view "civic engagement" in a myriad of ways – from informing to involving their publics. We understand that while online engagement can be a powerful idea gathering and prioritization tool, it does not replace face-to-face deliberation. Still, on local policy questions that demand creative solutions and a "space" in which these ideas can be reviewed by the public, online engagement programs can be vital participation tools. The UserVoice platform also provides an award-winning online environment in which to inform the public about the various sides of a policy decision.

The following factors will be considered in the awarding of all Online Citizen Engagement Grants:

Commitment:

• Are you committed to "take your hands off the wheel" of the results of this process? While you may be very concerned about the particular issue, can you conduct this process without biasing the outcome?
• Along with support and consultation from UserVoice and CSC are you also willing to commit staff resources towards the engagement project? How?
• While CSC is not looking for guarantees that the results of a project will be fully and completely implemented, what is the commitment of key administrators and electeds to use the work of their citizens in the decision-making process?
• CSC would expect to receive a brief performance review of the engagement process after its completion summarizing lessons learned and successes.

Readiness (of issue and recipient):

• Have you reached a stage in the decision-making process where your organization is ready to begin involving citizens in the next several months?
• Is the issue at hand common to challenges faced by other cities/regions?
• Does the policy issue being addressed have a "timeless" quality? In other words, if circumstances (economic, political) change dramatically without civic involvement will the outcome of your engagement process become irrelevant?
• Have you held any civic engagement events (online or in-person) in the past?