Playing Smart changelabsolutions.org | kaboom.org 46 California The California Office of Public School Construction (within California’s Department of General Services) has grant funds to finance the construction or modernization of indoor school facilities (such as multipurpose rooms, gymnasiums, or child-care facilities) for joint use. To receive grant funding, a school district or county office of education must enter into a joint use agreement with another governmental agency, a nonprofit organization, or a public institution of higher education. In addition, the school district/ county office of education must demonstrate that the facility will be used to the maximum extent possible for both school and community purposes. A 50/50 match of state funds is required by the local entities. This grant program is funded through general obligation bonds issued by the state. Nearly $190 million has been granted to schools to build nearly 250 joint use facilities throughout the state.63 For more information about the program, see www.dgs.ca.gov/opsc/Programs/jointuseprogram.aspx. Private Foundation Grants National, state, or local community foundations may have grants available that could be used to support joint use programs. Schools may wish to partner with community-based organizations or other government agencies to solicit grant funding from a wider spectrum of private foundations and thus gain access to funds that would not otherwise be available. To begin your search for possible grant opportunities, search the Foundation Center’s grant-maker database at http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders. Development-Generated Options Even with the significant downturn in new housing development, cities and counties may want to collect development-generated revenues in anticipation of future growth. New housing developments generate an increased demand for community amenities such as recreational opportunities and school facilities. To meet this demand and offset the costs, local jurisdictions might look to housing developers to help fund or build new parks, schools, and other public facilities. Development Fees or Impact Fees Development fees or impact fees64 are paid by developers of new construction projects and are used to help fund the public infrastructure needed to serve the additional population brought to the community as a result of the new development. Fees can be used for capital improvements such as roads and sidewalks, transit systems, schools, parks and recreational facilities, libraries, and water and sewer systems. Development fees can be levied against residential, commercial, and industrial projects, with residential impact fees generally assessed as a per-dwelling-unit fee and nonresidential development fees based on the square footage of the building project. The collected fees cannot be used for operation, maintenance, repair, alteration, or replacement of existing facilities and cannot just be added to
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