Last year the town offered a total of $300,000 in Cares Act funding for business grants to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is the turn of churches, charitable non-profit and other not-for-profit groups to seek grant money.

These organizations were not eligible for grants during business assistance program of the Cares Act, Town Manager Grady Miller recently told the council. Staff proposed a second grant program specifically for non-profit charitable groups. The council approved $300,000 in funding at its Nov. 16 regular session.

In a staff report to the council Miller stated, “The funding for this grant program would be paid indirectly from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Under ARPA the Town of Fountain Hills will administer a similar grant program for not-for-profits which will be paid from the savings generated from paying public safety costs of $4.2 million (one year’s allocation) from ARPA funding in FY 2021/22.”

The general terms of the grant program provide that:

*Eligible non-profits will have to be Fountain Hills based since January 2020 (beginning of the pandemic).

*Grant funding can be used as follows – operating expenses directly or indirectly tied to the pandemic; replacement of lost revenue.

*Grantees will sign a contract indicating agreement to the terms and conditions for use of grant funds.

*Grantees will file a report to demonstrate how the grant funds were used within six months of receiving the grant funds.

Additional money from the savings will be reserved for future pandemic related expenses such as testing and/or vaccination programs. Up to $8 million will be transferred to the town’s Facilities Reserve Fund allocated by the council for CIP projects such as street improvement or Fountain Lake repairs and improvements.