County reviewing non-profit applications for ARPA grant funding

The Lake County Commission is reviewing applications from local non-profit organizations that have requested American Rescue Plan Act (or ARPA) grant  funding from the county.

Lake County has a total of more than two-point-four-eight-million dollars in ARPA money, which is intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including public health and economic impacts.  

Lake County started accepting grant applications in October of last year from both non-profit organizations and county departments.  During their meeting Tuesday, commissioners were presented with information on the eight non-profit organizations who requested funding and the recommendations of the county’s review committee.  Commission Administrative Officer Shelli Gust reminded commissioners of the eligible uses for the funding.

The eight non-profits who applied for ARPA grants from the county are the Domestic Violence Network, Making Oldham-Ramona Excellent, ICAP, Lake County Historical Society, Bethel Lutheran Home, the Madison United Methodist Church’s The Gathering, the Lake County Food Pantry, and the Lake Area Improvement Corporation.  Gust said that the committee recommended full funding for nearly all of the non-profit requests.

The larger request came from the LAIC, which asked for two-million dollars, but the review committee is recommending 200-thousand dollars in grant funding for them.  All total, the amount of funding recommended for the non-profit grants totaled close to 808-thousand dollars.  Gust provided information to county commissioners Tuesday in order for them to make a final decision on the ARPA non-profit grants at their next meeting on March 15th.  

Gust said she is continuing to review and research how to use the ARPA funds for the applications from the county’s departments and will bring those to commissioners for their consideration at a future meeting.