ARPA Nonprofit Grant 2024

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Early Childhood Development, Childcare, and Families Grant

The City of Appleton has allocated $1,500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State, and Local Fiscal Recovery (ARPA/CSLFRF) funding to address the gaps in programming and the negative impact on facilities, families, and early childhood development caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility

To apply for the Early Childhood Development, Childcare, and Families Grant, the following criteria must be met:

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
Must serve children aged 0-8 years and their families

Located in the City of Appleton or provides direct services to Appleton residents.
If childcare is provided, the recipient must be licensed per State requirements.
In “Good Standing: or “Active” with the State of Wisconsin; no active violations with the City of Appleton.
Must be in good standing with taxes, city bills, and obligations, if applicable
Programs serving disproportionately impacted communities and/or are located in Qualified Census tracts are encouraged.

Must remain open for 2 years if approved for the grant.
Must maintain separate business and personal bank accounts
Must be registered in SAM.gov
Must not be disbarred from receiving Federal funds

Available Programs

Early Childhood Development, Childcare & Families Expansion and Renovation Program

The Early Childhood, Childcare, and Families Expansion and Renovation Grant aims to facilitate the renovation and/or expansion of existing facilities to increase capacity for programs serving early childhood development, childcare, and families. The grant is in response to the lack of capacity for programs of this type and the impact COVID-19 had on families, facilities, and programming. Projects can focus on the following areas to improve the early childhood development, childcare, and family environments and address the health and safety needs of young children and the families/caretakers that serve them:

Increase early childhood development, childcare and family program capacity
Building acquisition or renovations that support the expansion of programming.
Upgrade ventilation systems, heating, and cooling systems to improve programmatic and play spaces and purchase furniture and/or equipment to improve early childhood development, childcare and family environments.

The following program-specific criteria must be met:

Commercial properties only. Home-based facilities are ineligible.
Includes acquisition and additions to existing commercial buildings
Renovations and expansions must have all required permits and licensing.
Can not be used for purchase of land.

Use for renovations and expansions/additions. Projects that propose building additions and major renovations (major renovations including moving a load-bearing wall) must demonstrate an ability to complete within the required timeline. This funding cannot be used for the construction of new facilities.
Maintenance, operation, and purchase of moveable (non-permanent) equipment are eligible for grant funds.
Project timeline to evidence completion by September 30, 2026
Application Documentation: Estimates, quotes, licenses, permits, drawings (if available), and contracts.

Early Childhood, Childcare, and Families Program Development Program

Enhancement, development, and improvement of early childhood development, childcare, and family services and programs, including professional development and continuing education for service providers, support for capacity building for organizational and programmatic services, and training and resources for personnel to address inequalities and the impact arising from COVID-19.

The following program-specific criteria must be met:

Eligible participants – children, provider staff, and families/caregivers
Allowable expenditures include professional fees, travel, transportation, supplies, software, personnel, memberships, subscriptions, and other associated costs.

Direct assistance payments for eligible participants for transportation, counseling, support, and other fees.
Direct payments to eligible participants are unallowable.
Payments for rent, utilities, and other household expenses are unallowable.
Can charge indirect costs (10% De minimis or Negotiated Rate)
Provide a maximum amount of direct assistance per eligible.

Application Documentation: Program documentation invoices, estimates, and quotes to support the submitted budget.

Early Childhood, Childcare, and Families Mental Health Support Program

Training, counseling, and other services for staff, children, and families to address mental health issues arising from the impact of COVID-19, increase in violence, poverty, and substance abuse.

The following program-specific criteria must be met:

Eligible participants – children, provider staff, and families/caregivers.
Allowable expenditures include counseling fees, other professional fees, travel, transportation, personnel costs, supplies, software, memberships, subscriptions, and other associated costs.
Direct assistance payments for eligible participants for transportation, counseling, support, and other fees.
Medicine and prescriptions are not allowable.
Can charge indirect costs (10% De minimis or Negotiated Rate)

Provide a maximum amount of direct assistance per eligible.
Application Documentation: Program documentation invoices, estimates, and quotes to support the submitted budget

Early Childhood, Childcare Family Support Program

Resources and service delivery to families for children enrolled at the facility include transportation, counseling, training, home visit programs, and direct assistance to address the disparities created in this area arising from the impact of COVID-19.

The following program-specific criteria must be met:

Eligible participants – children, provider staff, and families/caregivers
Allowable expenditures include professional fees, travel, transportation, supplies, software, personnel, memberships, subscriptions, and other associated costs.
Direct assistance payments for eligible participants for transportation, counseling, support, and other fees.
Direct payments to eligible participants are unallowable.

Payments for rent, utilities, and other household expenses are unallowable.
Can charge indirect costs (10% De minimis or Negotiated Rate)
Provide a maximum amount of direct assistance per eligible.
Application Documentation: Program documentation invoices, estimates, and quotes to support the submitted budget.

Early Childhood Development, Childcare, and Families Grant Program

Questions & Answers from Training and Technical Information Sessions:

Childcare, Early Childhood Development, and Families:

Question Asked	Answer
Section B. – Eligibility 4a. Has the organization experienced a negative economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic?* With this question, when you reference hardship – is it in reference to hardship during the pandemic, now as a result of the pandemic or both? '	The Treasury Final Rules do not specify the end date for determining financial hardship. Accordingly, negative economic hardship could have occurred both during and after the pandemic.
#13 Requires you to upload Eligibility Documentation One particular documentation required is certification that there is no outstanding liabilities, penalties or obligations owed to the City. Who at the City do we get this certification from?	"Yes" responses to these questions are self-certification, but the City has the right to verify.
Is this grant only available to agencies in Appleton?	The grant is available to non-profits located in the City of Appleton or providing direct services to the residents of Appleton.
I am a nonprofit located in the city of Appleton and we serve Appleton residents, but our clients are all children who have been referred by Outagamie County child welfare and may live beyond Appleton as well?	The grant is available to non-profits located in the City of Appleton or providing direct services to the residents of Appleton.
Is there a location restriction for the construction and renovation program- doesn't it mean it must be in the city and supporting residents?	If applying for the Expansion and Renovation program, the property must be physically located within the City of Appleton.
Is there a PDF of the questions that are part of the online application? Also, when we fill in the narrative boxes is there limitations- such as pagination- bold, underline, new paragraph, bullets?	There is no pdf version available. However, once you initiate the application you can print it for your review. The formatting options are limited to what is available in the application.
In listening to the family support program criteria/focus it sounds like direct support of family needs to overcome barriers to access is included subject to a limit of total support per family, however I am curious if direct scholarship for families are eligible tactic to address those barriers.	Scholarships, participation fees, and other forms of direct assistance must be paid to external organizations. The grant funds cannot be used to award scholarships to pay tuition for applicants' enrolled children at their child care center. However, direct assistance payments, including scholarships, can be paid for services provided to an applicant's enrolled child by third-party organizations.

Mental Health, Community Wellness, and Violence Prevention Grant

The City of Appleton has allocated $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State, and Local Fiscal Recovery (ARPA/CSLFRF) one-time funding to address the gaps in programming and the negative impact on residents’ mental health caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligibility

To apply for the Mental Health, Community Wellness, and Violence Prevention Grant, the following criteria must be met:

501(c)(3) & 501(c)19 Non-Profit Organizations
Must be a licensed program/facility where applicable but not restricted

Located in the City of Appleton and/or provides direct services to Appleton residents.
In “Good Standing” or “Active” with the State of Wisconsin; no active violations with City of Appleton
Must be in good standing with taxes, City bills, and obligations if applicable
Programs serving disproportionately impacted communities and/or are located in Qualified Census tracts are encouraged.
Must remain open for 2 years if approved for the grant.

Must maintain separate business and personal bank accounts
Must be registered in SAM.gov
Must not be disbarred from receiving Federal funds

Available Programs

Mental Health Program

Programs and services to support mental health impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential programs may include (if eligible activities):

Prevention services and diversion programs, outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, crisis care, outreach to individuals not receiving treatment, and support for other harm reduction and long-term recovery initiatives
Support for community-based programs around social connectedness, suicide prevention hotlines, peer support groups, and educational materials on mental health support
Capacity building for organizations working in mental health, including staffing increases, pay increases, training, and professional development opportunities

Community Wellness Program

Programs and services are designed to support capacity building for organizations working in community wellness, including staffing increases, pay increases, training, and professional development opportunities, to address disparities in these areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Violence Prevention Program

Programs and services to support crime/violence prevention & reduction programs, gun violence prevention and reduction programs, especially those targeted toward mental health and reducing suicide-related gun deaths and injuries. Capacity building for organizations working in violence prevention/reduction, including staffing increases, pay increases, training, and professional development opportunities to address disparities in these areas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Program Specific Requirements

Excludes capital improvement projects such as new construction and acquisition of buildings and land.
Includes purchases of equipment.
Allowable expenses must be direct expenses to provide the program

Can charge indirect costs (10% De minimis or federal rate)
If the program is to provide services to the public, it must include eligibility criteria for participants. Services provided to impacted and disproportionately impacted households and communities are encouraged.
Application Documentation: Program documentation invoices, estimates, and quotes to support the submitted budget.

Mental Health, Community Violence, and Violence Prevention Grant Program

Questions & Answers from Training and Technical Information Sessions:

Mental Health, Community Wellness, and Violence Prevention:

Question Asked	Response
What if your organization is too small to get a SAM number? Can you identify a fiscal agent to receive the funds?	For this ARPA grant program, subawards will not be considered. Any grants awarded for $50,000 or more must be registered in SAMS.gov by the applicant performing the work.
But it seems the applications are saved at jotform,.com. Is that correct?	Yes, this is correct.
Does the evidence-based study need to be peer reviewed?	The evidence-based study does not need to be peer reviewed.
My question is whether restocking the supplies that we use at the health clinic is an appropriate expense. Our supplies can run $10,000 a month. As such, one consideration is to request funding for one year’s worth of supplies to allow us to perform more than 60,000 procedures during the year. Is that appropriate?	This particular ARPA grant program is focused on Mental Health, Community Wellness, and Violence Prevention. Based on the information you provided, it does not seem like the funds could be used for your intended purpose. However, if you can clearly show how using the funds for supplies can help address the impact of COVID in communities that have been disproportionately affected, and if eligible participants will receive services that are either subsidized or provided at no cost, then your proposal may meet the program requirements.
A specific question about the words "social connection" in the grant announcement in this description under mental health: “Support for community-based programs around social connectedness, suicide prevention hotlines, peer support groups, and educational materials on mental health support.” Are you meaning to describe social connection activities undertaken specifically by mental health service agencies?	Any 501(c)(3) and 501(c) 19 non-profit organizations that provide services within the grant program guidelines can apply for this grant. It is not limited to mental health organizations.