The Greater Worcester Community Foundation (GWCF) is accepting applications for its Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG-CV”) Food Security Program in Central and Southern Worcester County.
Donor Name: Greater Worcester Community Foundation (GWCF)
State: Massachusetts
City/Town: Selected Cities/Towns
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/29/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000 to $100,000
Details:
This grant is intended to direct vital resources to individuals and households experiencing food insecurity as a result of COVID-19. GWCF’s goal is to significantly impact vulnerable and underserved populations across central and southern Worcester County who are living below 80% of the applicable area median income and households with no, or very limited, access to sources of economic relief.
What They Seek to Fund
Funds are intended to support capacity building for food security programs demonstrably affected by the Covid 19 pandemic. Grants will be made available to Community Based Organizations (CBOS) that seek to expand and/or improve the capacity of food provision programs to deliver services – specifically through the purchase of operational supplies and equipment.
Activities must meet applicable CDBG-CV requirements, which includes that a public service must be either:
- A new service; or A quantifiable increase in the level of a service above that which has been provided as a result of Covid-19.
- There must be documentation that the public service prepares for, responds to, or prevents the impacts of Covid 19.
- This requirement is intended to prevent the substitution of CDBG funds for recent support of public services by the grant recipient using local or state government funds.
Funds may be used for:
- Hard costs: The purchase of supplies and equipment.
- This can include vehicles and technology, if used exclusively for service expansion.
- Soft costs: The installation and/or assembly of supplies and equipment (state-set terms & conditions apply).
- Administrative costs: Personnel time related to managing purchases and installation; temporary insurance expenses, licensing and/or permitting fees (state-set terms & conditions apply.).
Funding Information
- Most grants awarded will fall in the range of $5,000 to $100,000. Grants outside of that range may be considered, pending discussion and consultation with the state.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organization Type. Qualified 501(c)(3) CBOs – or CBOs in a formal fiscal sponsorship relationship with a qualified 501(c)(3) CBO (pending state approval) – working in the food security space will be eligible to apply for these grants.
- Priority consideration will be given to food banks, food pantries, food delivery/pickup programs, food/meal packaging programs, and other programs working to provide food to needy households.
- They will also consider organizations whose primary intent is providing food to the needy, that do so by benefiting restaurants, servers and other workers, food suppliers, and farmers.
- Population Served. Each project funded must be able to demonstrate that at least 51% of the persons being provided assistance qualifies as having low or moderate income (up to 80% of area median income).
Impact. CBOs that apply must:
- Have a history of serving low-income and non-English or limited English speaking and historically underserved communities,
- Have a history of serving populations whose economic hardship has been exacerbated by COVID-19,
- Can demonstrate that their numbers served have increased due to the pandemic and will continue their food programs over 18 months,
- Have the ability to conduct outreach to identify individuals and households that qualify for assistance; and,
- Have the ability to adhere to reporting requirements of CDBG.
For more information, visit Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
