During Red Bank’s Commission meeting on Tuesday, August 20th, the city allocated a total of $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to eight nonprofit organizations in the form of grants.
The organizations receiving the grants were recommended by the recently established Red Bank Nonprofit Citizens’ Advisory Board. The $50,000 is part of the overall $3,513,087 allocation of funds from the ARPA Federal COVID relief funds.
“The City of Red Bank is excited for this opportunity to partner with some of our most impactful local nonprofits in a tangible way,” said Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry. “For years, these nonprofits have been helping some of our most vulnerable residents navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our nationwide affordable housing crisis, food security, and more. What better use of this small portion of our city’s allocated Federal COVID relief dollars than to help our local nonprofits continue their critical assistance to the people of Red Bank.”
When the city received its ARPA money in March 2022, the Commission developed a proposed spending strategy which included setting aside $150,000 (about 4% of the 3.5M total) over three years to go towards local nonprofit relief endeavors (Red Bank Resolution No. 22-1477.) The Commission then created, by resolution, a method to administer the nonprofit ARPA allocation, forming a voluntary six-member Nonprofit Citizens’ Advisory Board.
The purpose of the Nonprofit Citizens’ Advisory Board is to offer specialized expertise in particular endeavors, unique insights into how to better serve the needs of the citizens, boost visibility and/or credibility of the City’s intentions, and identify the organizations that can benefit from donations from time to time and from year to year.
The Board, after a thorough application and evaluation process, selected the following organizations as the recipients of this year’s allocation of ARPA funds:
- Be The Change Youth Initiative: $10,000
- Chambliss Center for Children: $5,000
- Downside Up, Inc.: $10,000
- McKamey Animal Center: $5,000
- Northside Neighborhood House: $5,000
- PORCH, Inc.: $5,000
- The Learning Gardens: $5,000
- WaterWays: $5,000
These nonprofit organizations, as sub-recipients of these ARPA funds, will be required to provide a final report to the Red Bank Commission detailing how they used the funds to benefit Red Bank residents and highlights of their achievements.