Hamilton County received twice the number of applications for nonprofit grants this year compared to last year.
Thirty-two organizations applied requesting more than $3.5 million — the county has $750,000 available to award from the federally funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Recipients include Freestore Foodbank, Legal Aid Society and St. Vincent de Paul. Commissioner Denise Driehaus says smaller organizations are less likely to have the infrastructure needed to be eligible for the grants.
"Some of them simply lack some of those back-room services to provide a complete application, or an application that responds to what we're looking for."
Almost half of the applicants didn't meet eligibility requirements. Driehaus says the county is working to help smaller organizations and businesses with back-room support like access to legal counsel and reporting requirements.
Nine organizations have been awarded for 2021:
- Women Helping Women*: $50,000
- La Soupe*: $125,000
- Legal Aid Society (eviction prevention – legal representation): $75,000
- Legal Aid Society (legal representation for foreclosure prevention and emergency mortgage assistance for non-COVID cases): $75,000
- Frestore Foodbank: $125,000
- Pro Seniors Inc. (senior legal services): $50,000
- CincySmiles Foundation* (workforce development): $75,000
- St. Vincent de Paul (charitable pharmacy): $125,000
- Pink Ribbon Girls* (services for cancer patients): $50,000
The four organizations marked with an asterisk have not received county CDBG funding before this year.
