Sec. 118.805. - Eligibility to Apply for Public Service Grants.

(a) Certain Programs Ineligible. A requesting agency's program shall be ineligible to receive a Public Service Grant if the requesting agency's program receives funding through another City program, including but not limited to, the programs listed below: (1) Cultural Service Grant Program pursuant to Chapter 118 , Part 6; (2) Arts in Public Places Program pursuant to Chapter 126 , Part 9; (3) Kids Hope Alliance program pursuant to Chapter 77 ; (4) Downtown Investment Authority and Office of Economic Development Programs pursuant to Chapter 55 and Chapter 26 ; (5) Housing and Community Development Division programs pursuant to Chapter 30 , Part 7; (6) Social Services Division programs pursuant to Chapter 28 , Part 5; (b) Eligibility Documents. Notwithstanding the prohibition in subsection (a) above, a requesting agency shall include the following eligibility documents listed in subsections (1)—(5) below (collectively, the "Eligibility Documents") in its Public Service Grant application submittal. If a requesting agency fails to include the Eligibility Documents in the form and manner prescribed below, the requesting agency shall be ineligible to apply for a Public Service Grant and such requesting agency's application shall not be reviewed and evaluated by the PSG Council. The Eligibility Documents are as follows: (1) A copy of a good standing certificate issued within the last 12 months by the Florida Division of Corporations evidencing that the requesting agency is in good standing and has been in existence for three years prior to the Public Service Grant application deadline; and (2) Either: a. A copy of the requesting agency's current Charitable Solicitation Permit issued by the State of Florida evidencing that the requesting agency is current on State charitable permitting fees; or b. A State letter of exemption indicating that the agency is exempt pursuant to F.S. § 496.406(3); and (3) The following Financial information as applicable: a. Copies of the requesting agency's fiscal balance sheets and statements of income and expenses for the last two fiscal years of the requesting agency; and b. Copies of the requesting agency's completed and filed federal tax returns for the last three tax years; or c. Agencies exempt from filing federal tax returns shall file: 1. IRS certification of exemption; and 2. Copies of audit reports for the last three years. Audit reports shall be conducted in accordance with both GAAS and Government Auditing Standards (GAS) issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and if applicable the provisions of the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133 "Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations" made by a certified public accountant; or d. If the Agency does not have the financial information requested in subsections (3)a—c above, then the agency must submit its financial information in form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Department of Finance and Administration. The form shall be identified by the Department prior to the commencement of the application cycle and be uniform for all agencies completing the form. (4) A copy of the completed Mandatory Application Workshop certificate issued by the Grants Administrator evidencing the requesting agency's compliance with the Mandatory Application Workshop pursuant to Section 118.803 herein; and (5) An original affidavit, in the form provided by the Office of General Counsel, executed by the requesting agency's executive director, chief executive or operating officer, president, vice president or board chairman certifying that: (i) The requesting agency's program will be operated in Duval County and serve the people of the City; (ii) The requesting agency's program will serve a category of Most Vulnerable Persons and Needs designated by the City Council for the grant application cycle in which the requesting agency is applying for; (iii) The requesting agency's program is not eligible to receive funding from any of the City programs listed in Section 118.805 (a)(1)—(7); (iv) The requesting agency's appropriation request for multiple or single programs does not exceed in the aggregate 24 percent of the requesting agency's annual revenue (as shown on filed tax returns) averaged over the previous three tax years; (v) The requesting agency is in compliance with the terms of all existing City agreements in which the requesting agency is a party; (vi) The requesting agency is in compliance with all applicable federal, State, local laws, rules, regulations and ordinances, as the same may exist and may be amended from time to time; and (vii) The requesting agency has not provided more than one application per category of Most Vulnerable Persons and Needs. (c) Eligibility Notification. The PSG Council staff shall notify requesting agencies in writing within three business days of its decision to deem a requesting agency eligible or ineligible to apply for a Public Service Grant. In the instances where a requesting agency is deemed ineligible, such notice shall specify the reasons for the requesting agency's ineligibility and information regarding the appeals procedures set forth in Section 118.810 . The PSG Council shall be informed by staff of the requesting agencies deemed by staff to be ineligible pursuant to this Section at the earliest PSG Council meeting following the staff's determination. (d) Waiver of Eligibility Requirements. The eligibility requirements set forth in this Section may not be waived except by two-thirds vote of the City Council. (Ord. 2016-56-E , § 4; Ord. 2016-140-E , § 16; Ord. 2017-317-E , § 1; Ord. 2017-563-E , § 11; Ord. 2019-210-E , § 2; Ord. 2021-851-E , § 2; Ord. 2025-191-E , § 2)