A Community Support Agency is an agency that provides services for the health, safety and education of the citizens of Newport News that are directed toward the prevention or treatment of disease, protection from the elements or physical or mental abuse, nutrition, leisure activity or literacy programs.

These programs shall not duplicate programs offered by the City, State or Federal governments, the United Way, Salvation Army and/or other national or regional organizations such as the Red Cross, Cancer Society, Heart Association, etc. Community Support Agency programs may supplement programs already in existence when the agency can prove that existing programs cannot serve all citizens of the City of Newport News that have applied for assistance from them.

It shall be the policy of the City Council that agencies request funding from the City only after all other avenues to raise revenue have been exhausted. Agencies will be required to show (1) their requests for funding from other agencies or governmental entities have been denied, (2) an analysis indicating why fees cannot be implemented or increased to pay for services delivered and (3) the effect on the citizens of Newport News if City funding is not provided.

An agency is eligible to apply for a Community Support Grant from the City of Newport News if it meets the following criteria:

• The agency must be a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization meeting the legal requirements of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the City of Newport News.
• The agency must provide significant, measurable direct services to residents of Newport News.
• The agency cannot receive grants from other City resources for the same program for which Community Support funding is requested.
  
  Contractual services which a grant agency provides the City must be disclosed in grant applications. Payments for such services do not automatically exclude an agency from grant eligibility. However, grant funds will not be provided to support the same services or costs which are provided under contract to the City.
• The agency must have fulfilled all reporting, auditing, and payment obligations for any previous loans or grants from the City.
• Programs, activities, employment opportunities, etc., of the agency which may be funded totally or partially by the City of Newport News must comply with local, state and national legal requirements related to nondiscrimination.
• Funds which may be provided by the City of Newport News cannot be used to support programming or activities which advocate a particular political or religious viewpoint.
• The agency shall not be controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society.
  
  Section 15.2-953 of the State Code authorizes any locality to make appropriations of public funds, of personal property or of any real estate to any charitable institution or association, located within their respective limits or outside their limits if such institution or association provides services to residents of the locality, provided that such institution or association shall not be controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society.
  
  The Attorney General of Virginia has listed a number of factors to determine whether the entity is controlled in whole or in part by any church or sectarian society. Among the factors which constitute control by a church or sectarian society are formal ties to church or religious sect; the appointment or confirmation of the board of directors or officers by a church or religious sect, religious qualifications for membership on the board of directors or for the various offices; religious preferences or quotas for employees or recipients of the services of the organization; religious indoctrination; and substantial financial support from a religious sect.

City employees may participate in agency activities or programs but may not be compensated.