$17.5 million in Federal Relief Grants Coming to help COVID-19 Impact
Published on August 18, 2022
$17.5 million in Federal Relief Grants Coming to Local Seniors, Non-profits and Youth Impacted by COVID-19
SAN ANTONIO (August 18, 2022) – The City of San Antonio will distribute $17.5 million in federal funds to support non-profits and social services, older adults, and youth disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds will enable nonprofit and social service partners to build long-term resiliency and continue critical efforts to support residents in recovering from the pandemic. The funds are part of the City’s allocation of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“These funds will help our local non-profits provide services to the residents who need it most, while also building upon our mission of making San Antonio a more resilient community,” City Manager Erik Walsh said. “I thank the residents and stakeholders who shared their input with us to determine how to allocate these federal funds.”
Local non-profits will see an investment of $2.5 million for social services and economic security for residents. $5 million will be invested to support initiatives for older adults that will address increased social isolation, decreased food and resource insecurity, and increased responsibility on informal and unpaid caregivers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, $10 million is focused on youth support services to increase youth involvement, education and career opportunities, and access to school enrichment services. These services will be targeted to the most vulnerable youth, including those who are at risk of gang involvement, disconnected from existing education and career support programs, and homeless youth.
“COVID-19 impacted our world like nothing in our lifetime,” said Melody Woosley, Director, Department of Human Services. “Our lives at home, at work and in our communities were disrupted. All of this had adverse effects on service providers. I am thankful that these funds will soon be available to help agencies and members of our community that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to recover from the pandemic.”
How to apply
A competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released on September 9, 2022, through this link – https://www.sanantonio.gov/purchasing/biddingcontract/HighProfileSolicitations. The Department of Human Services will make final recommendations to the City Council for approval of recommended awards in December. Contracts are slated to begin in January.
Eligibility
Funding eligibility includes non-profit, faith-based, and public entity organizations. Funded agencies must have been in operation for at least two years, and must demonstrate that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on their organization and/or residents they serve.
The ARPA SLFRF implementation plans for these investments were developed by City staff, in coordination with the City Council and community input.