Selection Process and Criteria
All grant applications will be reviewed and selected by Common Sense California’s City/Regional and K-12 Task Forces. The Board of Directors will finalize their decisions. All those applying for grants will be contacted within one week of their submission to confirm their application. All Catalyst Grant applicants will be contacted within three weeks for either further questioning or final notification. As mentioned, Common Sense Grant recipients will be notified on October 1, 2008.
Eligible Applicants:
- Mayors, City Managers, Assistant City Managers
- Executive Directors of regional governance associations
- School Superintendents and School Board Presidents
- Executive Directors of non-profit organizations
Selection Criteria:
The following factors will be considered in the awarding of all 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 CSC are you also willing to commit financial and 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 elected’s 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 in the past?
