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City of Fernley – Grants Administration Grant Planning – Evaluation Cycle The success of the City’s grant funded programs is dependent on an effective planning evaluation cycle, illustrated below. This illustration is intended to capture only the following overarching elements: strategic planning, individual project/program planning, and evaluation; it is not intended to represent all aspects of the planning-evaluation cycle. The three elements are part of a continuous feedback loop and are defined as follows: • Strategic planning sets departments’ overall direction to meet identified needs and Council priorities. Grant seeking is an integral tool to identify resources to help fund projects that will achieve strategic goals. • Project planning details the implementation of those projects considered essential to carry out the strategic plan. Project planning also involves budgeting to ensure adequate resources are available to implement the program, and achieve its goals and objectives. • Program evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the program in meeting the goals and objectives that were defined during project planning. The evaluation results should also be used to modify future strategic and individual projects plans. The City’s current grant seeking practices are not formally driven by Council priorities, strategic plans or identified needs. Grant funds should not be sought simply because money is available, rather, departments should identify funding priorities and seek grants for programs and projects that help advance departmental and Council priorities and goals. There is a risk in allowing the availability of grant monies to drive departments’ programs and projects. First, although a grant may fully fund the program, programmatic and administrative tasks can be time consuming and may prevent staff from taking on higher priority projects. Second, if grant funds expire, community expectations may make it difficult for the City to discontinue the program. City resources may then be committed to funding lower priority programs rather than new, innovative projects that directly fulfill broad, strategic goals.