Today, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced that nonprofits on October 1 can begin applying for money from the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, which is managing the City’s historic $640 million investment through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
As previously reported on Conduit Street, ARPA provides $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America, along with other critical investments in local communities.
The City will announce the first round of ARPA awards in September and October, including investments in the continued fight against COVID-19, community-based violence reduction initiatives, and an economic recovery fund for small and local businesses — especially minority- and women-owned businesses as well as artists and creators.
“In a city like Baltimore with deep systemic challenges even before the pandemic, we must be strategic and targeted in our approach to making a definitive, measured impact on our city through a lens of equity,” said Mayor Brandon Scott. “When we’re dealing with problems that predate my lifetime, we understand that this will not happen overnight. And at the same time, we know that if we make investments in the right way, we can make a genuine impact.”
According to a press release:
Once a proposal is received, it is reviewed by a seven-member team. The Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs and advisors assist the applicants with the development of a budget and program design. City agencies and non-profit organizations must provide supplemental documentation to complete an application. Then, proposals are scored by a review team, which makes funding recommendations to the Mayor. Proposals where equity and partnership are central tenets of the project will be scored the highest.
This one-time investment comes from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. The dollars will be invested in alignment with the Mayor’s five pillars: Building Public Safety, Responsible Stewardship of City Resources, Prioritizing Youth, Economic and Neighborhood Development, and Clean and Healthy Communities.
“In alignment with my commitment to a transparent distribution of these funds, information on all proposals that are selected for funding will be made available on Baltimore City’s ARP website,” said Mayor Scott. “We have plans for dashboards, maps, and other ways to connect the investments we make directly to impact — tools which will be available in the months to come.”
The Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs will hold a virtual information session on September 28, 2021, for nonprofits to provide details on eligible uses of funds and the application process.
For more information about Baltimore City’s ARPA dollars, visit arp.baltimorecity.gov.
