United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut is seeking applications for its Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
Donor Name: United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut
State: Connecticut
City and Town: Selected Cities and Towns
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/31/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The EFSP was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic (not disaster-related) emergencies. EFSP funding is restricted Federal Funding awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people.
Organizations Applying for Bridgeport Only: The Bridgeport jurisdiction covers the cities and towns of Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, Trumbull, and Shelton.
Assistance Category Descriptions for EFSP
- Served Meals – This category pertains to basic, nutritional, hot, or cold prepared meals that are served by the LRO or delivered to clients. Intended to allow mass-feeding facilities to pay for the purchase of food items, items used to prepare and serve food, and other food-related items to assist in the mass-feeding of eligible clients. Food costs for meals served in a shelter should be included here.
- Other Food – Intended to allow agencies such as food pantries and food banks to pay for the purchase of food items, food vouchers for food orders, and food gift cards/certificates to assist in the feeding of eligible clients. Expenses include such items as food bought from food banks or grocery stores, food vouchers/gift cards/certificates to grocery stores and/or restaurants, boxes and plastic storage bags, maintenance fees charged by food banks, and food transportation costs.
- Mass Shelter – Intended to allow mass shelter providers (five beds or more in one location) to provide on-site housing for clients.
- Other Shelter – Intended to allow agencies to provide off-site emergency housing for clients (i.e. motel/hotel, SRO, other non-EFSP funded shelter). Agencies typically funded in this category either do not operate mass shelters or cannot provide appropriate accommodation for a client. Expenses include such items as motel/hotel expenditures, lodging charges from a non-profit facility acting as a vendor (cannot be from your own agency or another EFSP-funded agency), shelter vouchers, and certain transportation costs related to the sheltering of a client, such as bus tokens needed to get to a facility. Agencies may provide up to 90 days or 3 months of assistance for clients if it is necessary to prevent homelessness.
- Rent/Mortgage – Intended to allow agencies to pay up to 90 days or 3 months amount of rent or mortgage for qualifying clients. Agencies funded in this category are providing emergency rental/mortgage assistance to clients. Each household may receive this assistance only one time per EFSP spending period. Expenditures include the payment of a client’s past due rent or mortgage, the payment of a client’s current balance of rent or mortgage, and first month’s rent. (Mobile home lot fees can be included in the cost when paying a client’s rent or mortgage).
- Utility Assistance – Intended to allow agencies to pay up to 90 days or 3 months billed amount of a metered (electric, gas, water) or non-metered (propane, firewood, coal) utility bill for qualifying clients.
- Supplies/Equipment – Intended to allow agencies including served meal facilities, mass shelter facilities, food pantries, and food banks to purchase supplies and equipment necessary for the provision of food and/or shelter. Agencies cannot claim any expenditure under the Supplies and Equipment category if the agency is using the per diem or per meal method for either Served Meals or Mass Shelter.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – This category pertains to personal protective equipment that may be needed to provide services to clients or for clients to receive services. PPE purchases are limited to 10% of an agency’s award.
- Emergency Repairs/Building Code – Agencies funded in this category must not use EFSP funding for routine maintenance or repairs. Agencies funded in this category must have had an unexpected emergency repair or building code citation that will cause the agency to close or curtail service without the work being done. This category includes expenditures for building code repairs or accessibility improvements of a mass shelter or mass feeding facility. The maximum expenditure in this category is $2,500.
Funding Information
EFSP Jurisdiction Available Funding by Jurisdiction/Local Board Focus of Funding for Phase 41
- Bridgeport Jurisdiction – Local Board #1422-01: $182,798 (All Categories).
- Danbury Jurisdiction – Local Board #1422-02: $55,634 (Food, Shelter, Utilities).
- Norwalk Jurisdiction – Local Board #1422-03: $67,556 (All Categories).
- Stamford Jurisdiction – Local Board #1422-04: $91,399 (Food, Rent/Mortgage, Utilities).
Eligibility Criteria
LROs must certify that they meet all eligibility requirements. The following list of requirements has been provided to help your organization determine its eligibility for and ability to administer the EFSP.
- Is a nonprofit, faith-based, and an agency of government with a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN)
- Has a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number issued by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) for federal grant tracking
- Is not debarred or suspended from receiving Federal funds
- Demonstrated capability to provide emergency food and shelter services within the guidelines and restrictions of the EFSP
- Will use funds to supplement and extend existing resources and not to substitute or reimburse ongoing programs and services
- Has an accounting system, a checking account in the organization’s name for EFSP deposits, and will pay all vendors by LRO check, LRO vendor-issued credit card, or LRO debit card within 90 days of services performed, and understands that cash payments (including petty cash) are not acceptable
- Will conduct an independent annual review if receiving $50,000 – $99,999 / an independent annual audit if receiving $100,000 or more in EFSP funds, and follows OMB’s Uniformed Guidance if receiving $750,000 or more in Federal funding.
- Has not received an adverse opinion or no opinion audit
- Practices nondiscrimination (LROs with a religious affiliation will not refuse service to an applicant based on religion, nor engage in religious proselytizing or religious counseling with Federal funds)
- Has a voluntary board if private, not-for-profit
- Will comply with the Responsibilities and Requirements Manual, particularly the Eligible and Ineligible Costs section and will inform appropriate staff and volunteers of EFSP requirements
- Will provide all required reports to the Local Board in a timely manner
- Will expend monies only on eligible costs and keep complete documentation as required by EFSP on all expenditures for a minimum of three years after the end of the program.
- Will expend all funds and close-out the program by the jurisdiction’s selected end-of-program date and return any unused funds ($5.00 or more) to the National Board
- Will provide complete, accurate documentation of expenses to the Local Board, if requested, following the jurisdiction’s selected end-of-program date.
- Has no known EFSP compliance exceptions in this or any other jurisdiction
- Will not use EFSP funding for any lobbying activities and if receiving $100,000 or more, will provide the “Certification Regarding Lobbying” and, if applicable, will complete Standard Form LLL, “Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying”, in accordance with its instructions.
- Will not and will ensure its employees, volunteers and other individuals associated with the program will not engage in any trafficking of persons during the period this award is in effect.
- Will not and will ensure its employees, volunteers and other individuals associated with the program will not use EFSP funds to support access to classified national security information.
- A financial management system is in place that provides for
- Accurate, current, and complete disclosures of the financial results of EFSP
- Records that adequately identify the source and application of funds for federally supported activities, including information pertaining to Federal awards, authorizations, obligations, unobligated balances, assets, outlays and incomes.
- Effective control over and accountability for all funds, property, and other assets
- Procedures for determining eligibility of costs in accordance with EFSP manual.
- Accounting records that are supported by source documentation. LROs must maintain and retain a register of cash receipts and disbursements and original supporting documentation such as purchase orders, invoices, canceled checks, sign-in logs and any other documentation necessary to support costs under the program
- A systematic method to assure timely and appropriate resolution of audit findings and recommendations.
For more information, visit UWCWC.
