Millions in Grants Offered to Polk Organizations

A variety of area organizations including those providing support for the impacts of Covid-19 in our communities are now eligible to receive American Rescue Act funds made available by Congress and the President to speed recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

UPDATE:

The County has issued a modification to the American Rescue Plan application process that will require those seeking funding to request an application be sent to them. To be considered for a portion of the $10.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding in Polk County, forms must be submitted by 5 p.m., Oct. 4. For more information and to request an application, organizations can call (863) 534-6482, or email [email protected]. The modification was made to make the process accessible to all organizations.

As part of the process, organizations are requested to submit informational proposals for projects that would help the community recover from and respond to COVID-19.

Polk County received about $140 million in the overall plan that can be used for several purposes. The Board allocated $10.4 million of its ARP funds to be used by organizations located in and doing business in Polk County. They also must have been established as a business prior to Jan. 1, 2021.

Polk County received about $140 million as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The plan to provide the funds was announced by President Biden on his first day in office.

"This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country and giving people in this nation, working people, middle class folks, people who built the country, a fighting chance," President Biden said in signing the legislation into law.

The bill was passed by Democrats on a strict party-line vote and signed into law on March 11. The same law also provided the stimulus checks most Americas received last spring. Republican leaders attacked the plan as wasteful.

The funds can be used by local governments for several purposes. Polk County Commissioners voted to spend most of the windfall on local infrastructure projects, rather than health, social services or affordable housing as local activists had requested. Instead they set aside $10.4 million, or about 13.5%, to address the negative impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those funds are now being made available to organizations providing for public health, education, public safety, and a variety of other service programs.

In Polk, eligible organizations are requested to submit informational proposals for projects that would help the community recover from and respond to COVID-19. The applications, along with detailed guidelines on the proposals, can be found at polk-county.net. Applicants must have been established as a business prior to Jan. 1, 2021.

Proposals will be reviewed to ensure they qualify for the ARP funds and meet the requirements of the Department of Treasury. Proposals that qualify will be given to the Board and discussed at a Board work session in October or November for final guidance on how the ARP funds will be spent.

To be considered for funding, forms must be submitted by 5 p.m., Oct. 4. For more information, organizations can call (863) 534-6482, or email [email protected].