Seventeen Kalamazoo projects recently received federal grant dollars to support their work in addressing the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, in partnership with the City of Kalamazoo, deployed a total of $1 million – a portion of the City’s Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds – to organizations that aligned with ARP eligible expenditure categories and the City of Kalamazoo’s priority categories of economy, housing and youth. Grants were awarded for a term of one year beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

“These federal American Rescue Plan Act resources are critical to our community, and ensuring they are quickly and impactfully deployed in community is a great responsibility and privilege,” Alyssa Stewart, Vice President of Impact and Engagement for United Way, said. “We are grateful that the staff expertise and infrastructure that we utilize to grant millions of dollars every year can be leveraged in service of the community in this way.”

The projects funded will provide support across the following federally defined expenditure categories:

• Small Business Economic Assistance
• Household Assistance (Rent, Mortgage and Utility Aid, Eviction Prevention)
• Youth Education Assistance (Academic Services/Social, Emotional and Mental Health Services/Early Learning/Aid to High Poverty Districts)
• Social Determinants of Health (Community Health Workers or Benefits Navigators)

A review committee of nine, including representatives from the United Way, City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Community Foundation and three community members with subject matter expertise in economy, youth and housing spent more than 250 hours in review and discussion to determine how funds would be deployed. A total of 41 agencies representing 54 programs requested more than $6 million in funding.

“We saw significant need demonstrated in the requests, and also significant effort and work by our non-profit sector to rise to meet the needs of those who reside in the City of Kalamazoo,” Stewart said.

Applicants were required to have 501c3 status or a fiscal sponsor and serve residents of the City of Kalamazoo, and additional priority was given to organizations and projects that met one or more of the following criteria:

• Are located in and/or serve Individuals who live in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) in the City of Kalamazoo
• Intended primary beneficiaries are those below 60% AMI for Kalamazoo County per the US Dept of Treasury
• At least 25% of intended primary beneficiaries are living below the Federal Poverty Line

“The pandemic has affected us all, but it has not affected us all equally. These funds are being invested where they are needed most to help people recover from the ongoing effects of COVID-19,” City Manager Jim Ritsema said. “We’re grateful for the support of the United Way of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, and to the grant recipients that will use these funds to keep people in housing, support our youth, and protect our local economy.”

For a list of grant awardees and more information about the funding process, visit www.changethestory.org/arp.