Community and Regional Organizations (CRO) Grant

Community and Regional Organizations (CRO) Grant is sponsored by City of Portsmouth. The City of Portsmouth offers this grant to nonprofit organizations that enhance community welfare.

# Recommended Funding Process F Y 2 0 2 8 B u d g e t C y c l e > City of Portsmouth | Department of Finance The City of Portsmouth provides annual funding to community and regional organizations whose programs directly serve Portsmouth residents and advance the city's strategic Every funded program is measured through mandatory annual impact reports. No organization receives funding without demonstrating results.

A documented, structured process with clear timelines, published criteria, and an evaluation team that scores applications on merit. Funding priorities are set annually based on Council-endorsed strategic pillars and identified community needs — not inherited from prior years. CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

2 Policy Guardrails These rules will be applied to every funding cycle regardless of evaluation team composition Three-year consecutive funding cap Organizations may receive CRO funding for a maximum of three consecutive years. After three years, an organization must sit out at least one cycle before reapplying. Annual applications required There are no automatic rollovers.

Every organization must submit a new application each year to be considered for funding. No guarantee of future funding One year's award does not guarantee any future year's funding. Each cycle is evaluated independently.

Mandatory annual impact reports Every funded organization must submit an impact report at the close of the program year. Reports inform the iterative improvement process and the next cycle's evaluation. Minimum newly funded organizations Each funding cycle will be limited to include a maximum number of previously funded organizations, ensuring the program remains open to new entrants.

CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl. 3 Phases 1 –5: Planning through Evaluation Phase 1: Goal & priority setting Staff establishes funding priorities for the cycle, informed by Council's strategic pillars and the prior year's program review. Defines evaluation criteria and weighting.

Phase 2: Advertising & outreach Phase 3: Application window Applications are open with a firm deadline. Applicants submit organizational information, proposed program scope, budget, and alignment with city priorities. Phase 4: Staff review & completeness Staff confirms all applications are complete and flags missing materials.

Applicants receive a brief cure period if needed. Applications are compiled into standardized packets. Phase 5: Evaluation & scoring The evaluation team reviews and scores applications against the published rubric.

Individual scoring is followed by a consensus session. CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl. 4 Phases 6 –9: Recommendation through Review Phase 6: Recommendation and feedback Staff presents the evaluation team's ranked recommendations to Council liaisons for informal feedback.

The recommendation is incorporated into the proposed budget. Phase 7: Budget adoption and award notification Council adopts the budget, which includes CRO funding allocations. Funded organizations are notified and execute funding agreements.

Phase 8: Impact reports due At the close of the program year, every funded organization submits an impact report documenting program outcomes, populations served, and use of funds. Phase 9: Iterative improvement Staff reviews impact reports and evaluates the prior cycle's process — what worked, what didn't, and whether evaluation criteria or priorities need adjustment. Findings feed directly into the next Phase 1.

CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl. 5 Process Lifecycle Full annual cycle from goal-setting through program review Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul 1. Goal & priority setting 2.

Advertising & outreach 4. Staff review & completeness 6. Recommendation and feedback Budget development & adoption CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

6 Evaluation Criteria Applications are scored against a published rubric tied to Council-endorsed priorities Criterion Description Type Application completeness All required materials submitted: budget, organizational documents, program description Threshold Alignment with strategic pillars Proposed program connects to one or more Council-endorsed strategic pillars Scored Alignment with policy priorities Program addresses specific community needs or policy priorities identified during Phase 1 Scored Organizational capacity Staffing, financial stability, and track record to execute the proposed program Scored Demonstrated community impact For returning applicants: impact report results.

For new: evidence of prior program effectiveness Scored Budget reasonableness Requested amount proportionate to scope; presence of other funding sources or matching capacity Scored Program design & measurability Clear, measurable outcomes that can be evaluated through the impact reporting process Scored Threshold criteria are pass/fail — incomplete applications are not forwarded to the evaluation team.

Scored criteria are weighted and evaluated by the evaluation team using a standardized rubric. Criteria weights are established during Phase 1 (Goal & Priority Setting). CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

7 Option A: Evaluation Team Composition Council members participate directly in application scoring and selection 1. Goal & priority setting ✓ ✓ 2. Advertising & outreach ✓ — 3.

Application window ✓ — 4. Staff review & completeness ✓ — 5. Evaluation & scoring ✓ ✓ 7.

Budget adoption and award notification ✓ ✓ 8. Impact reports due ✓ — 9. Iterative improvement ✓ ✓ Council participates in 5 of 9 phases: goal- recommendation, and budget adoption CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

8 Option B: Evaluation Team Composition Council sets priorities and adopts the budget — staff handles implementation, evaluation and selection 1. Goal & priority setting ✓ ✓ 2. Advertising & outreach ✓ — 3.

Application window ✓ — 4. Staff review & completeness ✓ — 5. Evaluation & scoring ✓ — 6.

Recommendation and feedback ✓ ✓ 7. Budget adoption and award notification ✓ ✓ 8. Impact reports due ✓ — 9.

Iterative improvement ✓ ✓ Council participates in 4 of 9 phases: goal-setting, recommendation feedback, budget CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

9 Next Steps 1 Council selects its participants on evaluation team composition (Option A or B) 2 Finalize evaluation criteria and scoring rubric weights during Phase 1 3 Develop standardized application form and impact report template 4 Establish minimum number of newly funded organizations per cycle 5 Draft advertising and outreach plan for the inaugural cycle 6 Identify and confirm evaluation team members CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl.

10 C I T Y O F P O R T S M O U T H , V I R G I N I A Department of Finance • FY 2027 Proposed Budget CRO Process Changes | May 12, 2026 | Sl. 11