(a) The Department of Education shall solicit competitive proposals under this program for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, and every two years thereafter. The Department of Education shall notify the eligible agencies of the amount of funds provided for each city in accordance with section 7-127d. Eligible agencies may file a grant application with the Department of Education on such form and at such time as the department may require.

(b) Grant funds made available for the provisions of sections 7-127d to 7-127g, inclusive, shall not be used to supplant existing services. A minimum of twenty-five per cent of the total program costs for each neighborhood youth center program shall be supported with local funds or in-kind contributions which may include federal, local and private funds which support existing services.

(c) The Department of Education shall review all grant applications received and make the decisions concerning which applications shall be funded and at what funding levels. Criteria for such decisions shall include (1) documentation of need for the program through crime and poverty statistics for the neighborhood to be served; (2) responsiveness to program component requirements; (3) reasonableness of costs; (4) soundness of program plan; (5) experience of the applicant agency in providing youth recreational services; and (6) evidence of collaboration and coordination with other children's services providers in the neighborhood. The Department of Education shall convene and chair an advisory committee to assist in grant application review. Such committee shall include representatives of the Judicial Department and the Departments of Children and Families, Education, Public Health and Social Services.

(d) In order to be eligible to receive funds from the Department of Education for the Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) program, or the neighborhood youth centers program, an applicant must provide a match of at least fifty per cent of the grant amount. The cash portion of such match shall be at least twenty-five per cent of the grant amount.

(May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-6, S. 6, 28; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-226, S. 2–4; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 186; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 30; P.A. 11-48, S. 207.)

History: May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-6 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-226 amended Subsec. (a) to require the solicitation of competitive proposals for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 1996, and July 1, 1999, and every two years thereafter and allowed the Office of Policy and Management to designate when agencies may file a grant application, replacing provision which had specified application date, and amended Subsec. (c) to add Subdiv. (6) including evidence of collaborations and coordinations with other children's services providers in the neighborhood as criteria for funding, effective July 1, 1996; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit solicitation of competitive proposals for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 was added editorially by the Revisors as Subsec. (d) re matching funds for the Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership program and the neighborhood youth centers program, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 11-48 replaced “Office of Policy and Management” with “Department of Education” and made conforming changes throughout, and amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “1996, and July 1, 1999” with “2011”, making a conforming change and deleting exception re no solicitation of proposals for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, effective July 1, 2011.