COMMUNITY SAFETY INNOVATION FUND

Legally constituted community-based non-profit organizations, charities or social enterprises that provide services to the citizenry and businesses of the Town of Cobourg. In the event there are multiple local qualifying organizations partnering, only one would identify as the project lead and others as co-applicant partners.

Research bodies, post-secondary educational institutions or other non-local organizations can participate as a co-applicant partner only.

Eligible organizations could receive non-repayable performance-based funding for incremental project activities that invest in effective and sustainable innovative community safety solutions, with 75% reimbursement of eligible and approved costs up to $50,000.

Project funding may vary depending on the vision and scope of the activity will not normally be less than $20,000 or greater than $50,000.

Successful recipients, upon request, may be eligible for an advance of up to 10% of the award.

Supported projects must be completed in full by June 30, 2023. Additional terms and conditions may apply and will be reflected in the CSIF Contribution Agreement.

Funding provided by CSIF must not be transferred by the lead application to organizations outside of Cobourg without the written approval of CPS.

Eligible activities should support community safety with an aim to:

• align with the Cobourg Police Service 2022-2025 Strategic Plan
• increase the efficiency and effectiveness of community policing
• strengthen community and police partnerships
• advance the work of community organizations in supporting constructive intervention and prevention strategies for at-risk populations
• utilize evidence-based and scalable models and best practices
• integrate emerging technologies and/or innovative approaches

Innovative projects may include but are not limited to:

• demonstration projects to test and evaluate new approaches to preventing crime that consider how benefits may be sustained beyond the funding period
• the development of practical tools and resources to improve the understanding and/or management of crime and community safety related issues
• initiatives that work with and engage diverse communities or groups (such as cultural groups, women, young people or members of the LGBTQ2IA+ community) to identify, test and document practical strategies that build resilience and improve safety and community well-being.
• initiatives that establish or strengthen partnerships across community, business, government services and other sectors to address the causes of crime and/or build community cohesion, strength, confidence and outlook.

Eligible and supported costs will start on the date on which an electronic copy of a fully executed Agreement is received by CPS and will end as stated in a CSIF Contribution Agreement. All project costs incurred and activity must be fully completed by September 30, 2023.

Incremental costs directly related to the project may include:

• Minor capital costs (technology, equipment, etc.)
• Non-capital
• Third party expertise

 Ineligible and/or unsupported costs include:

• Any costs deemed not reasonable, not incremental, and/or not directly related to the eligible project
• Cost incurred prior to the eligibility date or after the project end date as defined in the Project Contribution
• Major capital costs (such as land, building or vehicle acquisition, major equipment costs, cost of amortization, etc.).

Eligible projects will be confidentially evaluated by a panel consisting of, but not limited to, police leadership, CPS Board representation, V13 Policetech Accelerator members, and representatives of the community.

Evaluation criteria will be equally weighted on 4 key elements:

Rationale and Potential Impact.Clear rationale indicating and substantiating how the proposed project will impact community safety in the immediate to near-term with a view to sustainability and social return on investment.

• The proposed activities are well planned, realistic, and can achieve the goals.
• The lead organization, key personnel and partners are experienced, ready, and able to collaboratively carry out the work including analysis and project reporting and accounting.
• The budget is appropriate for the project and the proponent has the ability to carry out the project including contributing cash (and any other resources). The proponent will commit to reporting, accounting, transparency and to measuring project impacts and other key performance indicators.

Eligible organizations must acknowledge they are prepared to and have mechanisms in place to submit data, schedules, plans and reports in sufficient detail for the CPS to assess project progress and evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of the CSIF pilot.

CSIF recipient organizations will be required to provide the CPS with progress/activity reports and financial claims with supporting documentation on a monthly basis, quarterly or as required and outlined in the CSIF Contribution Agreement.

Claims must show proof of payment, invoices etc. There is a form on the website for applicants to use. Click here to access the form.

No, municipalities are not eligible to apply.

However, if a local municipality has a great idea that they feel should be explored, we recommend working collaboratively with a locally serving community-based not-for-profit that will lead and pursue the fund. Thus, building partnership, capacity, and potential funding support from the local municipality.

Strong communications is central to the Cobourg Police Service’s (CPS) work and contributes directly to the public’s trust in the police service. Given the Community Safety Innovation Fund is a trial program intended to inspire new and innovative methods for addressing community safety challenges, we must work collaboratively to capture and share the learning through transparent and proactive disclosure.

Successful project applicants can expect their contribution agreement to include visibility requirements that will involve making information publicly available. This may include:

• Working together with CPS to develop a mutually agreed-upon communications plan to maximize the visibility of the intent of the project and the support received from CPS.
• Participating and assisting with coordinating a public announcement of the project in the form of an event and/or news release as determined by CPS. The successful proponent shall maintain the confidentiality of the agreement until the public announcement takes place.
• Highlighting project achievements and milestones in the form of public events, news releases or social media posts.
• Celebrating project completion; its impacts and sharing the learning in the form of a news release, virtual event, success story and/or social media engagement.

 All public events requested by the successful project lead are at the discretion of CPS and will be supported by the CPS communications team. Public communications will include the appropriate “Cobourg Police Service” wordmark and/or CPS funding acknowledgement in all publications and activities that describe or promote the project funded in whole or part through the Community Safety Innovation Fund, including, but not limited to: websites, social media, public announcements, digital and print media. CPS identifiers will be provided to the successful project recipient by CPS and communication products must be approved by CPS prior to publication.

The successful applicant(s) maintains ownership and responsibility for the specific, detailed results or research work. Reporting requirements to CPS are mainly high-level reporting.