The City of Bend is launching a new Community Assistance Grant Program to help qualifying nonprofit organizations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will assist nonprofits that provide services to individual members of the community who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those individuals who were disproportionally impacted. The Program will initially be funded with $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Donor Name: City of Bend
State: Oregon
City: Bend
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/18/2022
Size of the Grant: $50,000
Details:
Community members disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 include racial and ethnic minorities, low-income households and socially vulnerable communities.
Purpose
The purpose of the Program is to assist qualifying nonprofit organizations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assist nonprofit entities provide services to individual members of the community who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those individuals who were disproportionally impacted.
Members of the Community Disproportionately Impacted by COVID-19:
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities
- Low-Income Households
- Socially Vulnerable Communities
The Program funds are not intended to replace other federal, state, county, or local ARPA assistance, such as financial assistance for rent, tourism, workforce training, or childcare; applicants may not receive Program funding for project expenses that were funded through other federal, state, or local grants. Applicants are encouraged to continue to pursue and take advantage of existing funding in these areas. Based on the number of applications received and funding available, the Stewardship Subcommittee will make recommendations on disbursement amounts. Final funding decisions will be made by the City Manager.
Grant Amount
Grants will be available up to $50,000 per grantee.
Pre-Qualification Screening
Applications will first be screened by City staff to ensure they are complete and meet ARPA and Treasury guidelines. The City reserves the right to reject applications not meeting City or ARPA requirements before their presentation to the Stewardship Subcommittee, or to request additional documentation showing eligibility, or if an application is not complete. The applications will be screened as follows:
- Did the applicant submit proof of non-profit status?
- Did they demonstrate the negative impact(s) caused by COVID-19?
- Is the applicant receiving a duplicate benefit from other sources for the same project?
- Is the organization located in Bend and/or serving community members that reside in Bend?
- Is the funding request reasonably proportional to the negative impact they are intending to address?
- If the applicant does not receive the full amount requested, how would they scale their budget and, consequently, how will they scale their impact?
Application Process
The intent of the Program is to make the grant application process as simple and easy as possible, while also gathering enough information verify fund eligibility and to allow reviewers to make informed funding decisions. The application process shall be as follows:
- Application – Eligible non-profits to complete an online application.
- Screening – Staff to screen applications for demonstrated eligibility to receive ARPA funding and ability to comply with all federal and Treasury guidelines. Applications will be evaluated based on objective prequalification questions.
- Review – Eligible applications will then be reviewed by the Stewardship Subcommittee. Grants will be considered and awarded on a non-discriminatory basis in accordance with state, federal, and local law, as well as the criteria described below.
- Award – The City Manager will enter into grant agreements in an amount up to $50,000 per grantee.
- Contractual Agreement, Funding, & Reporting – The grant agreement with will outline general grant obligations and reporting requirements, and will include, but is not limited to: general legal principles, reporting, access to financial records, audit provisions, and federal single audit compliance.
For more information, visit Community Assistance Grant.
