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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">FOR RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
January 4, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">PRESS CONTACT</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">:
<br>
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773.478.8417 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">OIG Follow-up Finds Improvements in the Department of Planning and Development’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund Small Grants
Program<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:#212529">The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released a follow-up report to its December
2022 audit of the Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) administration of its Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) Small Grants Program, which provides grants of up to $250,000 to encourage development in Chicago’s West, Southwest, and South Side commercial
corridors. OIG’s original audit found <span style="background:white">a well-administered program that follows its own set of protocols for selecting and monitoring grantees but concluded that DPD lacked specific, documented goals for the program and did not
formally measure program performance. This follow-up review finds</span> that DPD has positively implemented most of the corrective actions related to OIG’s recommendations. The Department has defined measurable goals and developed key performance indicators
to monitor the success of the NOF program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:#212529">“OIG commends DPD's progress in refining the NOF Small Grants program, emphasizing transparency and
strategic growth across Chicago's South and West sides,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “These improvements render the program stronger with a clearer public view of the dollar amount of City investment, total project costs,
number of projects, and number of locally selected applicants by corridor, ward, region, and community area.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:#212529">DPD assessed and implemented corrective actions related to OIG recommendations in the following areas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Grantee Selection & Monitoring: DPD has fully implemented corrective actions, including a detailed NOF Application Timeline and Review process.
<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Performance Measurement: DPD has converted the NOF's guiding principles into goals for FY 2024, targeting:<o:p></o:p></span></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">20 new grant contracts awarded,<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">$4.5 million disbursed, and<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">completion of 24 projects.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Performance Measurement Procedures: DPD has rolled out performance measurement procedures, encompassing weekly data collection, and quarterly and annual reporting.
<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="color:#212529;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif">Program Reporting: DPD initiated a standard quarterly reporting system capturing metrics like active projects and disbursed funds. However, key metrics, including the total number of jobs
created and vacant commercial units occupied, are yet to be integrated, reflecting the need for further enhancement.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:#212529">Read the full report:
<a href="https://igchicago.org/publications/follow-up-audit-of-dpd-nof-small-grants-program/">
https://igchicago.org/publications/follow-up-audit-of-dpd-nof-small-grants-program/</a></span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">Please let us know if you have any questions.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:black">Regards,</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial Nova Light",sans-serif;color:#212529"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Deanna Shoss<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Director of Communications and Outreach<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Office of Inspector General<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">740 N. Sedgwick, Suite 200<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Chicago, IL 60654</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:dshoss@igchicago.org">dshoss@igchicago.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">773-478-8417<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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