At their December 7 meeting, the Lewiston City Council took action to allocate a portion of federal CARES Act and a portion of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the City received to provide financial assistance to Lewiston non-profits that have experienced significant financial losses from the pandemic.
A total of approximately $274,000 has been allocated from the CARES Act Allocation to help nonprofits prevent, prepare for, or respond to COVID-19. Requests for funding must benefit low/moderate income people.
Eligible expenses under this program include labor, supplies, materials and operation and maintenance of a facility where a public service is located. Guidelines and the application can all be found at www.lewistonmaine.gov/cdbginfo
The City Council also took action to reallocate approximately $400,000 of ARPA funds to provide grants of up to $25,000 for Lewiston non-profits that have experienced at least a 30% revenue reduction attributable to closures or semi-shuttering of operations attributable to the pandemic or that have experienced at least a 30% increased demand for services attributable to the pandemic.
The determination of loss of revenues or increased demand for services will be measured against the most recent pre-COVID fiscal year for services directly related to billable services for Lewiston residents. To be eligible, the applicant must have applied for and received both rounds of PPP loans and any other stimulus relief funding available to them or furnish a brief explanation on their intent to apply for funding and why such funding was not available to them.
Agencies are encouraged to review eligibility requirements, and if eligible, apply for the CARES-CV funding first, and if determined to not be eligible, then apply for the ARPA funds. The ARPA Funds do not have the same threshold criteria as CARES-CV funds. To apply for ARPA funds, agencies may contact Brenton Corriveau at [email protected]
Applicants must avoid a duplication of benefits. Duplication of benefits occurs when a recipient of aid receives financial assistance from multiple sources for the same purpose, and the total assistance for that purpose is more than the total need for assistance.
