TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement, and any necessary documents including any necessary subsequent amendments, with the Knight Foundation and/or the Long Beach Community Foundation, to accept and expend grant funding in the amount of $150,000 for the Technology and Innovation Department’s Long Beach Collaboratory Program, for program activities including community engagement, technology deployment, and technology training; and
Increase appropriations in the General Services Fund Group in the Technology and Innovation Department by $150,000, offset by grant revenue. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is requested for the Technology and Innovation Department (Department) to enter into an agreement with the Knight Foundation and/or Long Beach Community Foundation to accept and expend grant funding for program activities related to the Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab) Program. The Long Beach Community Foundation will act as grant administrator for the Knight Foundation.
Long Beach Community Foundation serves as a local granting agent for The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In 2010, the Knight Foundation announced an initiative with community foundations aimed at helping communities find creative ways to use new media and technology to keep residents informed and engaged. Long Beach Community Foundation Knight Donor Advised Fund invests in civic innovators using place-based strategies to accelerate civic engagement, attract and keep talented people, expand opportunity for all, and support innovative recovery approaches to increase equitable digital engagement.
In 2020 and 2021, the Department engaged over 800 community members and learned there is growing demand for new, diverse, and more comprehensive technology services, in addition to a need to equip residents with skills to compete in today’s “smart” economy. The LB Co-Lab Program (Program) was designed to address these two service gaps. The Program will generate excitement around new technology and give communities the ability to design inclusive and sustainable technology solutions that work for them. The technology implemented through this program will catalyze additional funding for neighborhood improvements. Examples of technology solutions program staff may implement through this program include digital wayfinding kiosks, charging stations, public wi-fi stations, interactive cultural augmented reality exhibits, smart bus shelters, and other similar projects that advance digital equity.
The Long Beach Co-Lab is currently supported by $70,000 in existing Long Beach Recovery Act funds for economic inclusion. The additional $150,000 in funding from the Knight Foundation will be used to maximize the impact of the Program. The Department will design and implement technology infrastructure solutions in high-need Long Beach neighborhoods that solve challenges identified by residents to improve their daily lives. The Department will then conduct technology skill-building and training workshops so residents are better equipped with the skills to thrive in the new digital economy and compete for local technology job opportunities. A report describing results of the Program will be provided to the Knight Foundation and the Long Beach Community Foundation upon completion. The Program aligns with many City priorities, including the Digital Inclusion Initiative, Smart City Initiative, Long Beach Recovery Act, and the 2030 Strategic Vision.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Erin Weesner-McKinley on September 29, 2022 and by Budget Operations and Development Officer Rhutu Amin Gharib on October 3, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on October 18, 2022, to receive and expend grant funding.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City will receive grant funding in the amount of $150,000 from the Knight Foundation in partnership with the Long Beach Community Foundation for the LB Co-Lab Program, for a period of one year. An appropriation increase is requested in the amount of $150,000 in the General Services Fund Group in the Technology and Innovation Department, offset by grant revenue. The grant has no required match or in-kind service mandate and will further support the Department’s existing efforts in the LB Co-Lab program. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. This recommendation will result in a positive impact on local jobs, although the exact number is unknown at this time.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
LEA D. ERIKSEN
DIRECTOR
TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER