Item - 2020.TA6.11

The Board of Directors of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund:

1.  Approved the following grant requests to be funded jointly from the Ontario and City of Toronto endowments except where otherwise indicated:

 
a. $195,890 over 24 months to Durham Region Transit to develop a scaling-up strategy to electrify its bus fleet, and to finalize recommendations for the construction of Ontario’s first dedicated zero-emission mass transit charging depot (funded from the Ontario endowment only). Approval to be subject to the following conditions:

- develop an impact assessment report to identify project activities and timelines that have been affected by COVID-19, and propose strategies to overcome these challenges;

- seek federal funding for the activities contemplated in the grant proposal and subsequent implementation of electric bus fleets;

- develop an agreement in principle to offset Toronto Atmospheric Fund grant funds, up to the full value of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund grant, should relevant funding be successfully secured.

 
b.  $175,000 over 24 months to Pembina Institute to convene stakeholders, produce research, and engage the federal government to ensure that strong regulations are included in the Clean Fuel Standard so that it delivers on its potential to reduce emissions and grow the clean economy.  Approval to be subject to the following conditions:

- develop an impact assessment report to identify project activities and timelines that have been affected by COVID-19, and propose strategies to overcome these challenges, particularly as they relate to convening partners and stakeholders;

- with the support of a Developmental Evaluation coach, prepare a Developmental Evaluation plan for approval by Toronto Atmospheric Fund staff, use the plan to assess progress against objectives on an ongoing basis, and report against the plan in interim reports.
 

c.  $40,000 to Passive House Canada over eight months to develop a concept plan for a Zero Emissions Buildings Exchange in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, which will seek to rapidly increase building industry capacity to meet growing demand for energy efficiency retrofits and near net-zero new construction practices.  Approval to be subject to the following conditions:

- develop an impact assessment report to identify project activities and timelines that have been affected by COVID-19, and propose strategies to overcome these challenges, particularly as they relate to convening partners and stakeholders;

- present the business plan to at least three potential funders to support the next phases of implementing the Centre of Excellence.

 
2.  Referred the following funding requests to the Grants and Programs Committee for review and a recommendation to the Board for its meeting scheduled on November 6, 2020:  

a.  $121,700 over 24 months to QUEST Canada to develop and disseminate a toolkit to support Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in existing multi-unit residential buildings, consisting of practical guidance for stakeholders to overcome challenges of installing Electric Vehicle chargers.  

b.  $114,824 over 12 months to Sustainable Buildings Canada to create a software tool that will enable municipal staff to implement and enforce energy performance requirements within their municipal green development standards.
 
c.  $122,000 over one year to Clean Air Partnership to support the adoption of new building code requirements for Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure by leading a costing study of installing "Electric Vehicle Ready" requirements in new multi-unit residential buildings.

3.  Declined the following grant requests:

 
a.  $100,000 over two years to Ontario Clean Air Alliance to lead a public communications and aware-raising campaign with the goal of phasing out natural gas-powered electricity generation by 2030 in Ontario. This recommendation is due to concerns about the efficacy of the proposed strategy, and the lack of coordination with other stakeholders leading complementary initiatives in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

 
b.  $19,500 over six months to Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to assess the socio-economic impacts of zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) adoption, which will inform strategies and actions in the Region of Peel ZEV Strategy. This recommendation is due to concerns about the efficacy of the proposed communications activities, and the limited scope of knowledge transfer activities to scale-up the potential impact and mobilize lessons from this project.

The Grants Manager gave an overview on Grants Recommendations.

Eight grant applications were reviewed by staff and members of the Grants and Programs Committee and six were identified as worthy of consideration for Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) funding. In addition to their alignment with TAF’s granting criteria and priorities, staff was asked to assess the extent to which the current COVID-19 pandemic is likely to help and/or hinder the achievement of project outcomes and wider economic recovery. With consideration to TAF’s financial situation, the Chair of the Grants and Programs Committee recommends approval of three grant requests with a combined value of $410,890, declining two grant requests totalling $119,500, and deferring consideration of three grant requests totalling $358,524