Subject:
Title
Pinellas Community Foundation’s recommendation of the award of grant funding for the highest ranked applicants for the first round of small purchases funded by the American Rescue Plan Act Nonprofit Capital Project Fund.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the recommended list of highest ranked grant applicants for the first round of the small purchase track of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Nonprofit Capital Project Fund, administered by the Pinellas Community Foundation and funded by Pinellas County’s allocation of ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. The small purchases track of the Nonprofit Capital Project Fund is intended to fund purchases of capital assets with a useful life of five years or more, by nonprofit organizations that have experienced a negative economic impact by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• On October 24, 2022, an independent rank and review committee scored the applications from small nonprofits with annual operating budgets of $500,000.00 and under. The list of applications recommended for funding is attached, which will award a total of $750,000.00.
• On October 25, 2022, an independent rank and review committee scored the applications from the nonprofits with annual operating budgets over $500,000.00. The list of applications recommended for funding is attached, which will award a total of $1,500,000.00.
Recommended Action
Body
Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention, and protective services to create and enhance safe, secure, and healthy community
2.2 Be a facilitator, convener, and purchaser of services for those in need
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.2 Invest in communities that need it the most
4.6 Support a vibrant community with recreation, arts, and culture to attract residents and visitors
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources.
Summary:
The small purchase track of the ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund has an initial allocation of $3,750,000.00 to award in two rounds. This first round awards a total of $750,000.00 to small nonprofits (with an annual operating budget of $500,000.00 or less) and $1,500,000.00 to nonprofits with annual operating budgets over $500,000.00.
A total of $1,635,655.45 in small purchase applications was submitted by small nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets of $500,000.00 or less in competition for the $750,000.00. 19 of the 25 proposals have been recommended for funding. In some cases, the rank and review committee decided to award partial funding, with reasons provided in the recommendation notes in the attached list.
A total of $4,876,408.83 in small purchases was submitted by nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets over $500,000.00 in competition for the $1,500,000.00. 15 of the 55 proposals have been recommended for funding. In some cases, the rank and review committee decided to award partial funding, with reasons provided in the recommendation notes in the attached list.
A more detailed explanation of the funding tracks and the timeline is outlined in a memo to the Board dated October 7, 2022 and is attached.
Background/Explanation:
On May 10, 2021, Treasury announced the launch of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), to provide $350 billion in emergency funding for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments.
The Coronavirus SLFRF provide substantial flexibility for each jurisdiction to meet local needs, including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries and nonprofits, essential workers, and the communities hardest hit by the crisis. These funds also deliver resources that recipients can invest in building, maintaining, or upgrading their water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
Pinellas County received $189,381,543.00 from the SLFRF. All funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026.
The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners approved the ARPA SLFRF Spending Plan in concept on January 11, 2022, and an amended Spending Plan on May 24, 2022. The Spending Plan includes a $19,000,000.00 budget for a Nonprofit Capital Project Fund. The Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF) was engaged to administer this Fund in July 2022 and the PCF presented their intended approach at the July 28, 2022, Work Session. A copy of the slide deck presented by the PCF representatives is attached.
The Fund is divided into two tracks: one for purchases of capital assets, such as equipment, for less than $200,000.00 and one for large projects that involve the purchase or refurbishment of real property, with a maximum request of $5,000,000.00. An initial allocation of $3,750,000.00 was dedicated to the small purchases and $10,000,000.00 for the large projects. $4,217,000.00 was held back for allocating once applications were received to better meet the needs of the community. The remainder of the $19,000,000.00 is reserved for the PCF’s fees and the administrative expenses of the recipient nonprofits.
The small purchase track was further segregated with nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets less than $500,000.00 being reviewed separately from those with larger budgets. This is to ensure that the larger organizations that have greater capacity for grant-writing and administration do not dominate all funding tracks. The PCF has provided technical assistance to ensure organizations that have fewer resources are able to submit competitive applications.
Demand for the grant funding has eclipsed the available funds. The PCF has received a total of $83,636,974.70 in Letters of Intent for the $10,000,000.00 in large project funding and $6,512,064.28 in applications for the $3,750,000.00 available for small purchase funding.
The PCF will bring a proposal to the Board to allocate the remaining $4,217,000.00 in December.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Delegated Authority:
Staff Member Responsible:
Lara Wojahn, ARPA Program Manager
Partners:
Pinellas Community Foundation
Attachments:
Document containing the list of small purchases by small nonprofit organizations recommended for funding, the list of small purchases by medium and large organizations recommended for funding and the list of applications recommended for denial of funding
July 28, 2022 Work Session Slide Deck as presented by the Pinellas Community Foundation
October 7, 2022 Memo to the Board of County Commissioners attaching a list of applications for both the Letters of Intent for large projects and applications for the small purchases