Sponsored by:
Senator PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Expands eligible grantees under New Jersey Civic Information Consortium; establishes provisions for tracking and reporting progress of grantee; requires grantee to post statement on Internet website.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium and amending P.L.2018, c.111.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 7 of P.L.2018, c.111 (C.18A:64-100) is amended to read as follows:
7. a. To be eligible for a grant from the consortium, a grant proposal application shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) evidence of a collaboration between at least one academic or administrative representative of a member university and at least one local community organization, media organization, or technology-based organization;
(2) information demonstrating that the collaboration would be a mutually respectful partnership wherein all community and member university participants invest in a project designed to serve the consortium's mission and the goals cited pursuant to subsection b. of this section; and
(3) proof that the member university or universities in total will provide an amount of funding or make an in-kind contribution having a value that matches 10 percent of the amount of grant funding for which the applicant has applied, if one or more member universities acts as fiscal sponsor for the applicant. For a grant proposal application sponsored by a member university housing the consortium and providing back-office support pursuant to subsection c. of section 5 of P.L.2018, c.111 (C.18A:64-98), the cost of that housing and support to that member university shall count towards the funding or in-kind contribution match from that member university.
b. The consortium shall provide grants for projects that achieve the following goals:
(1) improve the quantity and quality of civic information in New Jersey communities;
(2) give residents enhanced access to useful government data and public information through innovative applications, platforms, and technologies;
(3) train students, professionals, and community members in the practice of community storytelling, journalism, and media production;
(4) nurture better civic engagement and dialogue inside and between New Jersey communities;
(5) better meet the information needs of low-income communities and racial and ethnic communities that have been underserved by the media; and
(6) invest in research and practices that can help media outlets become more closely connected to their audiences and more sustainable without government support.
c. Any unspent State appropriations to the consortium from one fiscal year shall be carried over to the next fiscal year.
d. The consortium shall not require a grant proposal applicant, except for a local community organization, to be a tax exempt organization pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. s.501(c)(3) or obtain a fiscal sponsor that is a tax exempt organization pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. s.501(c)(3).
(cf: P.L.2023, c.323, s.3)
2. Section 8 of P.L.2018, c.111 (C.18A:64-101) is amended to read as follows:
8. A grant issued by the consortium shall be in the form of a grant agreement. A grant agreement shall include a provision establishing a set of metrics for assessing the goals contained in the agreement to ensure evaluation of a grantee project on how well those metrics are being met and any other relevant accountability measures. The set of metrics shall be established by the board in conjunction with consortium staff. The consortium shall track the progress of the grantee towards meeting the goals contained in the agreement through periodic meetings with consortium staff. The grantee shall submit a report to the consortium at the end of the grant period which shall include a narrative and financial report describing the grantees activities and progress towards meeting the goals contained in the agreement. The agreement shall include the expectations stated between the consortium and the grantee, which shall include, but not be limited to, a statement that:
a. the grantee shall be independent from the influence of the State, a member university, and any other grantor or contributor of funds or outside source; [and]
b. any grantor or other contributor of funds to the grantee shall acknowledge in writing the grantor's or contributor's understanding that the grant or donation does not entitle the grantor or contributor to dictate or influence the content of any work the grantee produces or may produce; and
c. the grantee shall post a statement on its Internet website that the grantee project receives grant funding from the consortium.
(cf: P.L.2023, c.323, s.4)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes requirements for tracking and reporting the progress of New Jersey Civic Information Consortium grantees and requires grantees to include a statement on the grantees Internet website.
The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium is a consortium of six public institutions of higher education whose purpose is to advance research and innovation in the field of media and technology to benefit the States civic life and evolving information needs. The consortium, with the approval of its board of directors, awards grants for projects that meet the goals of the consortium, provide evidence of a collaboration between at least one academic or administrative representative of a member university and at least one local community organization, media organization, or technology-based organization, and demonstrates that the collaboration is a mutually respectful partnership with community and member university investment in the mission and goals of the consortium.
The bill prohibits the consortium from requiring a grant proposal applicant to be a tax exempt organization or obtain a fiscal sponsor that is a tax exempt organization.
Under current law, a grant agreement for a grant issued by the consortium is required to include a provision establishing a set of metrics for assessing the goals contained in the agreement to ensure evaluation of a grantee project on how well those metrics are being met and any other relevant accountability measures. The set of metrics is established by the board in conjunction with consortium staff. The bill requires the consortium to track the progress of the grantee towards meeting the goals contained in the agreement through periodic meetings with consortium staff. The bill also requires the grantee to submit a report to the consortium at the end of the grant period. The report is to include a narrative and financial report describing the grantees activities and progress towards meeting the goals contained in the agreement.
Finally, the bill requires the expectations enumerated in the grant agreement to include a statement requiring the grantee to post a statement on its Internet website that the grantee project receives grant funding from the consortium.