More than $6 million is available to help nonprofits in Hamilton County. Commissioners allocated the money as part of the American Rescue Plan federal stimulus.
Board President Stephanie Summerow Dumas says this second round of grant funding is designed to be easier for smaller organizations to apply.
"Nonprofits don't shy away from doing their duty — they go into the fire," Summerow Dumas says. "Even when their charitable donations were down, they continue to provide services."
Last year the county used CARES Act funding to award $5.5 million in grants to organizations like Families Forward.
"We keep kids engaged in critical hours," says executive director and CEO Deborah Allsop. "We were able to provide additional educational supports with these funds."
The grants are designed to supplement groups providing services like job training, food access and foreclosure prevention.
Bill Bresser, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, says grants like this were critical in the first year of the pandemic.
"When schools were closed, this is where kids came and they were served breakfast, lunch and dinner," Bresser says. "We had to hire 20 extra staff across the organization. Expenses went up, charitable giving went down — the only way we're able to successfully navigate this whole situation is through Cares Act dollars."
A total $6.3 million is available for the grants, which range from $25,000 to a max of $250,000. Groups need to demonstrate a loss of revenue or increased need for services because of the pandemic.
The county has a contract with the United Way of Greater Cincinnati to manage the application and distribution process.
A website with detailed information will be available at uwgc.org starting Dec. 15.
Applications for the first phase (organizations with revenue loss) will go live on Dec. 30. Applications for the second phase (organizations with increased need for services) will go live on Jan. 10, 2022.
