NEWS

Nonprofits, public agencies that didn't get American Rescue Plan funding can apply for county grants

Megan Banta
Register-Guard

Nonprofit organizations and public agencies that did not received direct funding through the American Rescue Plan Act can apply for county grants until early July.

Lane County will award $3 million in grants. Applications are available in a packet at bit.ly/lane-county-arpa-community-grants.

That packet outlines how nonprofit organizations and public agencies can apply between now and July 6. There's a limit of one award per organization, and awards will range from $10,000 to $500,000.

The web page also has a link to a PowerPoint from a Monday information session and answers to frequently asked questions.

People can send additional questions to lcgrantadmin@lanecountyor.gov, and staff will update the FAQ link as they provide more answers.

Lane County will prioritize the communities hardest hit by the pandemic for grant awards and evaluate applications using different criteria, including equity. The Lane County Board of Commissioners will determine the final awards.

The $3 million is part of the county's direct allocation of $74 million in local fiscal recovery dollars.

As part of the county's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, the grants are intended to help organizations and agencies recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

So far, Lane County has allocated more $110 million in ARPA funding across various spending categories:

  • Housing: $22 million
  • Homelessness: $13.8 million
  • Aid to nonprofits: $9.1 million
  • Public health: $8.3 million
  • Public safety: $17.5 million
  • COVID response and government services: $19.7 million
  • Infrastructure: $19.7 million

Priority areas arose from community input, according to a news release, including more than 1,800 responses to a community survey. The areas of focus include affordable housing, mental health services (especially for youth), projects that serve rural Lane County residents who live outside Eugene-Springfield and projects that demonstrate innovation. 

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.