ARPA
The Community Foundation of Snohomish County is partnering with Snohomish County’s Department of Human Services to grant ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding to nonprofits in our community. We are partnering to help nonprofits who may not have the infrastructure, connections or capacity to apply for County funds directly. The two areas of grants are Youth Mental Health and Senior Serving Organizations.
As these funds are federal dollars, there are some criteria that we must implement in order to be in compliance. Some of these are not part of CFSC’s usual grant processes. However, our Board and staff felt getting these dollars into the community and to organizations who might not otherwise have the ability to access these funds was worth the compromise.
Specifically, there is an eligibility test that each nonprofit must complete. Some significant eligibility differences include that fiscally sponsored organizations cannot apply, a nonprofit must have an IRS designation prior to March 2020, a grant contract must be signed, and each organization must be registered with Sam.gov, or be eligible to do so.
You can preview the eligibility tests on the ARPA grant pages.
Additionally, there are many criteria that are in total alignment with our trust-based philanthropy model. Specifically, the grant funds can be used to pay for expenses such as, but not limited to, payroll and benefits costs, mortgage, rent, utilities and other operating costs. The grant applications are easy and short to complete. Financial data will only be required for those who are approved for funding and will be done in partnership with CFSC staff. Priority will be given to organizations who are serving those farthest away from opportunity and with budgets of $2 million or less.
In addition to granting these one-time funds, we will be building cohorts among both grantees and others to build community capacity to address youth mental health and senior needs. An organization can be part of the cohort even if they do not qualify for or receive grants. Information and invitations for the cohort will be sent after the grant process is complete.
Grants open on July 15 and close on September 6. Announcements will be made on October 11.
Organizations may apply and receive funding for both grants, as long as they are eligible.
We will be holding technical workshops to review the grant process and applications, as well as answer questions. You may register for those 60-minute Zoom meetings on the ARPA grant pages.
You may also contact Angelique Leone at angelique@cf-sc.org to answer any questions that are not addressed on these Web pages or at the workshops.