The Hardest Hit Community Organizations Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is designed to provide support to neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations serving populations experiencing disproportionate socio-economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This NOFA aims to build capacity for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) organizations to better support residents.
Donor Name: City of Providence
State: Rhode Island
City: Providence
Type of Grant: Grant
Size of the Grant: $10,000
Deadline: 10/21/2022
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Details:
The City of Providence is dedicated to supporting residents and the nonprofit organizations that strengthen our communities and support economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This NOFA will (1) build capacity and support for BIPOC nonprofit organizations and (2) offer funding for direct relief programs within neighborhoods most disrupted by COVID-19. The goal of this funding opportunity is to strengthen the operational capacity of neighborhood-based, nonprofit organizations within the city of Providence.
Investment Priorities
Capacity Building: The Providence COVID-19 Hardest Hit Community Organizations Fund will be administered through the Office of Economic Opportunity. The Fund will provide grants of up to $20,000 to non-profit neighborhood-based organizations to directly assist those organizations in strengthening their operational capacity to deliver critical social services, and also further assist organizations in carrying out their mission.
Areas of investment include:
- Management/Leadership Development
- supporting a leadership training experience for two or more members of the organization’s leadership/ management team.
- Planning Activities
- including organizational assessments, strategic planning, fund development, communications/marketing, or business planning.
- Board Development
- including activities such as leadership training, defining the role of the board, and strengthening governance.
- Strategic Relationships
- providing technical assistance/consultant support to help two or more organizations work through collaboration and strategic restructuring; positioning for merger or affiliation; or business planning for social enterprise.
- Internal Operations
- improving financial management, human resources, or volunteer management.
- Technology Improvements
- improving information technology capacity through upgrades to hardware and software, networking, websites, and staff training to optimize use of technology.
- Collaboration
- matching leadership from successful city and state non-profit organizations with BIPOC organizations to share models of operational innovation, success, and best practices.
Direct Relief Program
Additionally, the Hardest Hit Community Organizations Fund will provide grants of up to $10,000 for non-profit neighborhood-based organizations to administer and operate direct relief programs that address the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on the communities that have been hardest hit and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Direct Relief Program Focus Areas Include:
- Food Access and PPE
- Immigrant Communities
- Low-Wage Workers
- Domestic Violence
- Youth and Children
- Small Business Relief
- Workforce Training
- People with Compromised Immune Systems
- LGBTQ+ Communities
- Senior Citizens
- People Who are Formerly or Currently Incarcerated
- Support for Asian Americans
- Healthcare
- People Who are Homeless or Housing Unstable
- Community Artist Relief
- Community Safety
Investment Priorities
$300,000 is available to be granted to up to twenty (20) BIPOC agencies. The total investment will be apportioned in the following sections. Applicants are welcome to apply for one or both options: (1) Capacity Building (up to $20,000) and/or (2) Direct Relief Programs (up to $10,000). This funding has been allocated through ARPA by the City of Providence to address the areas and populations that are the most disrupted. As such, funding for this NOFA grant program should be used to support one of the following overarching project structures:
- Capacity Building: $20,000 is available for ten BIPOC organizations ($10,000 per year for two years) for the areas of investment listed below for a total city-wide investment of $200,000.
- Direct Relief Programs: $10,000 is available for ten BIPOC organizations to deliver direct relief programs to populations and neighborhoods most disrupted by COVID-19 for a total city-wide investment of $100,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants seeking to apply must be based within the city of Providence and must meet two or more of the criteria detailed in the “Qualification Criteria” section to be funded as a part of this grant application. Applicants must be a qualified BIPOC non-profit organization in positive standing with the City of Providence. All proposals are subject to follow guidelines outlined within the ARPA Sample Contract in addition to the ARPA Handbook: City of Providence SLFRF Manual.
Qualification as a part of this grant will be based on the following factors:
Qualification Criteria:
- Strong community standing with history of providing social and/or direct relief services within Providence, Rhode Island Qualified Census Tracts as defined in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- Established history of managing programs and initiatives of similar size and bandwidth.
- Organizational ability and overall capacity to provide supportive social services within Providence or related underserved communities.
- Clearly defined funding plan completed as a part of this application.
For more information, visit Hardest Hit Community Organizations Fund.
