For more information on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) visit the ARPA website.
From December 1 to 15, 2022, Commerce accepted applications for the ARPA for Nonprofits Relief Program. The application period has now closed. Outcomes from this program will be announced in 2023. Please check this page for future announcements about this program.
ARPA For Nonprofits Webinar
Commerce hosted a webinar to explain the program and registration process.
Program Qualifications
To qualify, nonprofit organizations must dedicate annual financial resources to one or more of the following activities:
- Providing food and shelter;
- Addressing and preventing homelessness;
- Providing certified behavioral health services;
- Addressing and preventing domestic violence;
- Addressing and preventing human trafficking.
Additionally, the organizations must be:
- 501c3;
- Operating in Oklahoma, serving Oklahomans;
- Compliant with the Internal Revenue Service and the Oklahoma Tax Commission;
- In good standing with the Oklahoma Secretary of State (must be either registered with the SOS or exempt from doing so);
- Nonpartisan;
- Able to document at least $1,000 in negative financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
- And willing to enter into an agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted through grants.ok.gov. Applications must be fully completed to be considered and will be approved based on a quantitative scoring method.
New to OKGrants?
Organizations are required to pre-register through the portal before applying. Registration takes approximately five minutes, but approval may take up to two business days after the registration is submitted. Entities that are already registered through OK Grants do not need to register again.
Already have an OKGrants user name?
- When you log in as an Authorized Official or Agency Administrator
- Look for the “My Opportunities” section on your OKGrants homescreen.
- Find the “ODOC ARPA Application 2022” opportunity
- Click the “Apply Now” button
- Click the Agree button that comes up afterward.
- This will generate your application, and take you to the ODOC application menu.
- Click “View Forms” to access the application forms
- Fill them out as noted. There are buttons you can hover over for extra info and instructions in most fields.
- You will save your application with the button at the top right of the screen. Then change the status of your application to submitted.
After you have read the instructions and programmatic rules, contact okgrants@okcommerce.gov if you have additional questions.
About the ARPA for Nonprofits Relief Program
The legislature has appropriated $25 million for nonprofits who suffered a negative financial impact from COVID. Commerce was selected to administer the funds.
Nonprofits must be a 501c3, in good standing with the Oklahoma Secretary of State and in good standing with the IRS and Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Section 1005 includes provisions for USDA to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of January 1, 2021, for Farm Service Agency (FSA) Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) to any Socially Disadvantaged producer who has a qualifying loan with FSA. This includes producers who are one or more of the following: Black/African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
The 120% payment represents the full cost of the loan to include 100% toward loan balances as of January 1, 2021, and the 20% portion is available for tax liabilities and other fees associated with payment of the debt. Any payments by borrowers made since January 1 will be reimbursed in full.
6/15/2021 – A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that halts the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from making debt relief payments under Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act.
Housing
Emergency Housing Vouchers – OHFA
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency’s (OHFA’s) participation in the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program, available through ARPA. Through EHV, HUD is providing housing choice vouchers to assist individuals and families who are:
- Homeless
- At risk of homelessness
- Fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or
- Were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability
OHFA looks forward to including the Emergency Housing Vouchers as part of its portfolio to help individuals and families most in need of housing assistance. OHFA will be partnering with certain Continuum of Care (CoC) and other providers to administer the Emergency Housing Voucher Program.
This funding will also allow OHFA and the providers to assist in housing searches. It also provides for essential household items and in some instances, it provides for utility assistance.
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Development (HUD)
Funding Opportunity: The Eviction Protection Grant Program will support experienced legal service providers in providing legal assistance at no cost to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction. Grant funds are available to non-profit or governmental entities providing legal services in areas with high rates of eviction or prospective evictions, including rural areas. The objective of the Eviction Protection Grant Program is to help individuals and families – including people of color who are disproportionately represented among those evicted, people with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities – avoid eviction or minimize the disruption and damage caused by the eviction process. For more information and to apply HUD’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFO) The deadline to apply is September 8, 2021.
Economic Development Administration ARPA Funds
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is providing $3 billion for economic adjustment assistance. Of this amount, 25% of funding is reserved for assistance to communities that have suffered economic injury as a result of job losses in the travel, tourism or outdoor recreation sectors.
The EDA has release 6 programs for distribution of the ARPA funds.
Build Back Better Regional Challenge ($1 billion)
The Build Back Better Regional Challenge is designed to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks. The $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge will provide a transformational investment to 20-30 regions across the country that want to revitalize their economies. These regions will have the opportunity to grow new regional industry clusters or scale existing ones through planning, infrastructure, innovation and entrepreneurship, workforce development, access to capital, and more
Good Jobs Challenge ($500 million)
EDA’s American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge aims to get Americans back to work by building and strengthening systems and partnerships that bring together employers who have hiring needs with other key entities to train workers with in-demand skills that lead to good-paying jobs. Through the Good Jobs Challenge, EDA is allocating $500 million to collaborative skills training systems and programs. EDA encourages efforts to reach historically underserved populations and areas, communities of color, women, and other groups facing labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records, including justice impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses.Economic Adjustment Assistance Challenge ($500 million)
EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.Indigenous Communities Challenge ($100 million)
Through the Indigenous Communities program, EDA is allocating $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding specifically for Indigenous communities, which were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. This program is designed to support the needs of Tribal Governments and Indigenous communities. EDA will support these important partners to develop and execute economic development projects that they need to recover from the pandemic and build economies for the future.
Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Grants ($750 million)
Through the Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program, EDA is focused on accelerating the recovery of communities that rely on the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. $750 million of EDA’s American Rescue Plan funds are allocated to support the following efforts:
- State Tourism Grants: $510 million in non-competitive awards to help states quickly invest in marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to rejuvenate safe leisure, business and international travel.
- Competitive Grants: $240 million to help communities that have been hardest hit by challenges facing the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors to invest in infrastructure, workforce or other projects to support the recovery of the industry and economic resilience of the community in the future.
Statewide Planning, Research & Networks Grant ($90 million)
Building back better means investing in projects that will promote equity and develop local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks and climate change. Through the Statewide Planning, Research & Networks program, EDA is supporting states in planning efforts by allocating $59 million for Statewide Planning Grants. In addition, the program will allocate $31 million for Research and Networks Grants to invest in research that assesses the effectiveness of EDA’s programs, and provides support for stakeholder communities around key EDA initiatives.
Education and Child Care
Education Stabilization Fund
Provides $123 billion in emergency funds to support K-12 schools in safely reopening, of which 20% must address learning loss.
Other set-asides include:
- $1.25 billion for summer enrichment
- $1.25 billion for afterschool programs
- $3 billion for education technology
- $800 million for wraparound services to homeless students
In addition to the ESERF, provides:
- $3 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA)
- $2.75 billion for private K-12 schools
- $40 billion for higher education, including community colleges
Distance Learning
Provides nearly $7.2 billion for the Emergency Connectivity
Fund within the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program, helping schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband to support virtual learning.
During the pandemic, counties have contributed local dollars and federal relief funds to help students without at-home internet attend virtual school.
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
Provides $39 billion in emergency funds for the discretionary portion, the Child Care Development Block Grant program (CCDBG), $15 billion of which will be distributed according to the regular formula and available through FY 2024. The remaining $24 billion will go to states to make sub-grants directly to child care providers. The mandatory Child
Care Entitlement to States (CCES) will also receive a permanent annual increase of $600 million, with the state match waived in FY 2021 and FY 2022.
Head Start
Provides $1 billion in emergency funding to be distributed across existing Head Start agencies according to their share of total enrolled children.
Head Start (which funds early childhood education for low-income children) delivers services through 1,600 local agencies, many of which are sponsored by county governments.
Environmental Protection Agency – EPA Grants
Funding for Pollution and Disparate Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Provides $100 million to the EPA to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this amount, $50 million will support activities that identify and address disproportionate environmental or public health harms and risks in minority populations or low-income population.
Disaster Relief Fund
Provides $50 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to meet the immediate needs of state, local, tribal and territorial governments.
(An Executive Order on February 2, 2021 that waives the non-federal match of 25% from January 20, 2020 through September 31, 2021 for COVID-related eligible reimbursements.)
Funeral Assistance: Extends the 100% federal cost share increase for funeral assistance provided by FEMA, which had previously only been for costs incurred before December 30, 2020. Funds will reimburse county residents for funeral costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional Funding for FEMA Programs
Provides funding for a wide variety of FEMA programs that support local agencies in FY 2021 to remain available through FY 2025, including:
- Emergency Food and Shelter Program ($400 million)
- Assistance to Firefighters Grants ($100 million)
- Emergency Management Performance Grants ($100 million)
- Staffing for adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants ($200 million)
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) will support states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.
The BRIC program guiding principles are supporting communities through capability- and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation; promoting partnerships; enabling large projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency.
Announced Aug 9, 2021, The application period to apply for fiscal year 2021 (FY 2021) BRIC funding will open on Sept. 30, 2021, and close at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 28, 2022. FEMA encourages subapplicants and applicants to apply. There is $1 billion available in BRIC funding. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered for funding.
Public Transit
Provides $30.46 billion available until September 30, 2024 at a 100% federal share for eligible recipients of urban, rural, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, and intercity bus transit formula grants for operating expenses incurred beginning on January 20, 2020, including payroll, operating and maintenance costs due to lost revenue, and the payment of leave for personnel laid off due to service reductions.
- Available for payroll and operations, unless the recipient certifies that it has not furloughed any employees
- Payroll for public transit providers, including private providers of public transportation
Operating costs of public transit during the public health emergency, including the purchase of personal protective equipment - Administrative leave for operations or contractor personnel due to reductions in service
- Payroll for public transit providers, including private providers of public transportation
Must be obligated by September 30, 2024, and disbursed by September 30, 2029
- Counties directly support 78% of the nation’s public transit systems.
- Airports: Provides $8 billion available through FY 2024 through Airport Improvement Program (AIP) formulas at a 100 percent federal share, including:
- Funding for operations, personnel and sanitation to combat the spread of COVID-19: $6.5 billion for primary and certain cargo airports and $100 million for general aviation and commercial service airports.
- $800 million for primary airport sponsors to meet rent and other obligations to airport concessionaires.
- $608 million to cover the full federal share of these projects, including retroactively for FY 2020.
- Apportioned to provide urbanized areas amounts necessary to receive 132% of 2018 operating expenses when combined with CARES Act and CRRSAA funds previously received. Urbanized area already exceeding the 132% cap receive an additional 25 percent of the urbanized area’s 2018 operating costs.
- $1,467,770 for FTA oversight expenses.
$317.2 million – Rural Formula Program
- Includes $30 million for Tribal Formula Program
- Incudes $5 million for Tribal Competitive Program
- $6.35 million is available for the Rural Transit Assistance Program
- Funds are apportioned based on amounts received under CARES Act and CRRSAA with states that received 150% of their 2018 rural operating expenses receiving an additional 5%; states between 140-150% receiving an additional 10%, and states at less than 140% receiving an additional 20%.
$100 million – Intercity Bus
-
- Funds are apportioned to states and territories using FY 2020 Rural Formula proportions.
- States/territories would provide grants to bus operators that partner with recipients and sub recipients of rural intercity bus services eligible for funding under § 5311(f)
$50 million – Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Formula
- Funds apportioned using the § 5310 formula in the same ratio as allocated for FY20
- $1.425 billion for New Starts and Core Capacity
- $1.25 billion to projects with existing Full funding Grant Agreements (FFGAs) that received allocations of FY19 or FY20 funds.
- Recipients with projects open for revenue service are not eligible
- $175 million to projects with existing FFGAs, not yet open for service, that received an allocation only prior to fiscal year 2019 Federal funds provided notwithstanding any calculated limits of federal assistance
$250 million for Small Starts Eligible recipients are any recipient with an allocation under § 5309(h) or with a project in the Small Starts project development phase. Federal funds provided notwithstanding any calculated limits of federal assistance
$2.2 billion – Competitive funding for § 5307 and § 5311 recipients and sub recipients that need additional assistance because of COVID
- FTA will publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity
- Project selections will be announced on FTA’s website
- Funds under this program will be available only for operating expenses
- Recipients will be selected based on financial need. Eligible recipients will have expended at least 90% of their CARES Act funding.
- Amounts unobligated on September 30, 2023 will be available for obligation for any purpose eligible under §§ 5307/5311 until September 30, 2024
$25 million – Competitive Planning grants
- FTA will publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity
- Funds will be made available for planning of public transportation associated with the restoration of services as the coronavirus public health emergency concludes.
American Rescue Plan (ARP) Additional Assistance
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $2,207,561,294 in discretionary grants under the American Rescue Plan Act’s Additional Assistance Funding (Additional Assistance Funding). As required by the American Rescue Plan Act, funds will be awarded to eligible recipients or eligible subrecipients of Urbanized Area Formula funds or Rural Area Formula funds that, because of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19), require additional assistance for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, and sanitization combating the spread of pathogens on transit systems, and debt service payments incurred to maintain operations and avoid layoffs and furloughs.Route Planning Restoration Program
On Tuesday, September 14, FTA announced the FY21 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Route Planning Restoration Program.
The Route Planning Restoration Program provides funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for public transportation planning associated with the restoration of transit service reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Route Planning Restoration Program advances President Biden’s administrative priorities and Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and Executive Order 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle Climate Crisis by planning for the restoration of transit service, particularly for underserved populations, with a focus on improving equity. The program will advance Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad by supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and more efficient transit service.
Small Business Assistance (SBA) (Changes released Sept 9th)
The SBA has retooled the COVID-19 EIDL program. This loan provides economic relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. The changes to the program were released September 9th.
Key changes being announced by the SBA include:
- Increasing the COVID EIDL Cap. The SBA will lift the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million. Loan funds can be used for any normal operating expenses and working capital, including payroll, purchasing equipment, and paying debt.
- Implementation of a Deferred Payment Period. The SBA will ensure small business owners will not have to begin COVID EIDL repayment until two years after loan origination so that they can get through the pandemic without having to worry about making ends meet.
- Establishment of a 30-Day Exclusivity Window. To ensure Main Street businesses have additional time to access these funds, the SBA will implement a 30-day exclusivity window of approving and disbursing funds for loans of $500,000 or less. Approval and disbursement of loans over $500,000 will begin after the 30-day period.
- Expansion of Eligible Use of Funds. COVID EIDL funds will now be eligible to prepay commercial debt and make payments on federal business debt.
- Simplification of affiliation requirements. To ease the COVID EIDL application process for small businesses, the SBA has established more simplified affiliation requirements to model those of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
Targeted EIDL Advance
- $15,000,000,000
- $10,000,000,000 for covered entities that did not previously receive their full entitlement
- $5,000,000,000 for covered entities experiencing economic loss greater than 50% and employs less than 10 people
- New SBA regs expand EIDL period from 6 months to 24 and raise the maximum loan amount from $150,000 to $500,000
Community Navigator Pilot Program
The focus of Community Navigator Pilot Program is to reach and support underserved small businesses, including micro and rural businesses, with emphasis and those owned by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
The Community Navigator Pilot Program is designed to provide high quality technical assistance with pandemic relief programs and recovery services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Recovery services can include financial assistance, access to capital, contracting and procurement assistance, marketing, operations, and business development, export and industry specific training, among other areas of technical assistance to aid businesses in stabilization and expansion. Programming that focuses on supporting communities where English is a second language and that offers technical assistance in languages other than English is encouraged.
- $100,000,000 in grant funding available until 12/31/25; additional $75,000,000 for SBA outreach
- Make grants, enter contracts or cooperative agreements with private non-profits, state/local/tribes, and units of local government to:
- Provide free navigator services to business owners and perspective owners to improve access to federal, state, and local resources
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG)
The SVOG program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, such as live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operations, museum operators, motion picture theater operators, and talent representatives.
To be eligible, applicants generally must have experienced not less than a 25% reduction in gross earned revenue between corresponding quarters in 2019 and 2020, and must have been “fully operational” on Feb. 29, 2020. The proposed regulations outline additional eligibility requirements for each business type, as well as characteristics that make an entity ineligible related to funding, ownership, and more.
- $1,250,000,000 in grant funding available to venue operators impacted by COVID-19
- Applicants receiving a PPP loan on or after 12/27/20 will have the amount of their SVOG reduced by the amount of the loan; PPP loans received prior to 12/27/20 will not impact SVOG
The SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Program is now closed to applications.
The SSBCI gives states, territories and eligible municipalities the opportunity to build upon or create successful models for state small business programs, including Capital Access Programs (CAPs), collateral support programs, loan participation programs, loan guarantee programs, and venture capital programs.
$10 billion in new SSBCI funding for:
- $500,000,000 for tribal governments
- $1,500,000,000 for programs that support businesses controlled or owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
- $1,000,000,000 in additional funding beyond a state’s allocation to support robust programming targeting socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
- $500,000,000 for technical assistance, including transfers to MBDA for technical assistance to minority businesses seeking funding through SSBCI funded state programs
- $500,000,000 for very small businesses
- 10 or fewer employees
- Includes independent contractors and sole proprietors
The primary focus is to help existing Single Family Housing Direct borrowers who have been approved for COVID-19-related payment moratoriums (a period during which their monthly loan repayments were stopped) refinance their mortgages. The goal is to help ensure USDA borrowers’ payments stay affordable once the moratorium period ends.
$500,000,000 available for rural health and telehealth
- Can be used for things such as constructing temporary or permanent structures to provide services; increasing telehealth capabilities, inclusive of underlying healthcare info-systems; and revenue lost during COVID-19
- Can be applied toward expenses incurred prior to grant award
- Resources for socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners
- Loan assistance for farmers and ranchers on any USDA loan or USDA guaranteed loan; payments up to 120%
$1,010,000,000 for assistance and support to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners
- includes outreach/technical assistance/financial training, as well as grants and loans to improve land access
Aging Services
Older Americans Act (OAA) Programs
Provides $1.4 billion in emergency OAA funding, including $750 million for senior nutrition programs, $460 million for home-and-community-based support services, $45 million for disease prevention, $10 million for the long-term care ombudsman program and $145 million in assistance for grandparents caring for grandchildren.
OAA funding is allocated directly to Area Agencies on Aging, more than half of which are fully or partially operated by county governments.
Elder Justice Act Programs
Provides at least $188 million for the Elder Justice Act in both FY 2021 and FY 2022.
The Elder Justice Act program is the only dedicated federal funding source available to states and counties to prevent elder fraud and abuse.
Nursing Home Strike Teams
Provides $500 million for HHS to allocate money to states and territories to establish strike teams that will respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities.
Behavioral and Mental Health
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) and Community Mental Health Block Grants
Provides $1.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) and another $1.5 billion for Community Mental Health block grant programs.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Provides $420 million for Certified Community Behavioral Clinics (CCBHCs) which helps counties and other local entities provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorder services to vulnerable individuals.
Overdose Prevention
Provides $30 million for SAMHSA to create grants to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to support community-based overdose prevention programs and other harm reduction services in light of increased pandemic related drug-misuse.
Provides $10 billion for states, territories, and tribal governments to carry out critical capital projects, specifically related to enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. This funding includes broadband infrastructure.
Each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million, plus another $100 million is divided among other U.S. territories and another $100 million is designated for tribal governments and Native Hawaiian use.
Of the remaining funds, states receive an additional allocation based on population (50%), number of individuals living in rural areas as a percentage of the U.S. rural population (25%), and proportion of the state’s population of households living in poverty.
US Dept. of Labor
Unemployment Insurance Modernization: Announced Aug 11, 2021
Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, ARPA Fraud Grants totaling $140 million will be awarded to states for fraud prevention measures, including identification verification subscription costs, establishing and expanding data analytics and implementing cybersecurity defense strategies.
Another $260 million in Equity Grants will be awarded to improve claimant outreach and customer service processes, implement strategies to reduce backlog and improve access for lower-income claimants. These first-of-their-kind grants will provide funding for states to improve public awareness and service delivery as the department seeks to address potential racial and ethnic disparities in the administration and delivery of UI benefits in some states.
The department will also allocate $100 million in previously unobligated CARES Act funds to combat fraud and implement cybersecurity measures in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs beyond the expiration of benefits. These goals will be addressed through three major areas.
- Direct technical assistance through tiger teams.
- Tools to address immediate fraud concerns.
- Modernizing antiquated state technology.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Training Pilot for Underserved Communities
Applications must be submitted by Aug 25, 2021
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is looking for non-traditional training providers to help bring more cybersecurity workforce opportunities into underserved communities. CISA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Training Pilot for Underserved Communities last month. The opportunity is available to nonprofit technical training providers, other than institutes of higher learning.
CISA seeks to award a new cooperative agreement of up to $2 million to one or more organizations that create or enhance entry-level cybersecurity training and apprenticeship programs. Additionally, to optimize and expand existing cybersecurity training and apprenticeship programs, the development and implementation of a comprehensive cybersecurity pathways retention strategy is needed to address the apprenticeship-to-employment pipeline.
The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Grants will be distributed to help HBCUs, TCUs and MSIs purchase broadband service or equipment, hire IT personnel, operate a minority business enterprise or a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and facilitate educational instruction, including remote instruction.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity published Aug 3 on grants.gov outlines the requirements for grant applications and other information about the program. Completed applications must be received by grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1, 2021. In June, NTIA published the Final Rule for the program, which included programmatic scope, general guidelines, and described the agency’s method to determine applicant eligibility and identify which eligible recipients have the greatest unmet financial needs.
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) opens fall 2021.
Under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the upcoming SLRP has two new flexibilities available to states throughout the next project period (FY 2022-2026):
Cost-sharing Requirement: Historically, SLRP Statue required a $1 for $1 match. However, in the upcoming NOFO states are not required to demonstrate a $1 for $1 match for the federal funding received through the grant.
Administrative Cost: For the upcoming Project Period, SLRP states will have the opportunity to dedicate 10% of the SLRP award for administrative costs. This provision increases the capacity to administer SLRP across states, specifically those new to the program.
Additional questions? Email: slrp@hrsa.gov
ARPA funding for Healthcare providers
Phase 4 General Distribution and ARP Rural Payments Application Instructions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making $25.5 billion in new provider relief funding available to healthcare providers. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of HHS, administers the provider relief programs on behalf of HHS. HRSA is using a single application portal to make $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) Rural payments and $17 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments. (Application must be made by Oct. 26)
