Lehigh County nonprofits can now apply for grant funding to help them respond to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley announced Thursday that applications for Lehigh County’s COVID-19 Relief Nonprofit Grant Program are now available.
According to a release, the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, and is intended to help eligible nonprofits respond to the negative economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding priorities include, but are not limited to, organizations that help county residents with services that:
- Provide assistance for food access (grocery shopping resources, pantry resources or other meal delivery services).
- Reduce social isolation for all ages through virtual programming, resources to provide connectivity and equipment, and training to build skills.
- Provide assistance to bridge the digital divide in grades PreK-12 through training, connectivity and equipment.
- Provide resources to assist with added maintenance requirements brought on by COVID-19, such as additional PPE, sanitizing and disinfecting requirements in order to operate safely and in accordance with mandated guidelines.
- Provides assistance to create an environment that can be safely experienced by Lehigh County residents due to requirements brought on by COVID-19, i.e., social distancing, masks, etc.
- Provide resources to people experiencing homelessness or supporting housing and homeless prevention.
- Provide positive youth development, social emotional and mentoring services, support at home learning materials and virtual tutorials, purchase of curriculum for in person or online digital platforms with summer learning. These services can be provided either virtually or in person.
Applications are open until Sept. 30. Funds can be used to cover operating costs, though all grant expenditures must be directly related to COVID-19.
Funds must also be spent by Dec. 31, 2024.
Eligible applications will be reviewed by a committee made up of county administration, the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, and the United Way.
More information can be found on the United Way and Lehigh County websites.
(Original air-date: 9/3/22)
