The Town of East Bridgewater seeks proposals from Town residents, businesses, and non-profits for projects that meet the objectives of the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and are aligned with the Town of East Bridgewater’s spending priorities.
Donor Name: Town of East Bridgewater
State: Massachusetts
City: East Bridgewater
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/12/2022
Details:
The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by President Biden on March 11th 2021, included the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which were intended to provide a substantial infusion of resources to local governments.
The Town expects to receive approximately $4.3 million in funding of which approximately $720,000 has already been allocated by the Board of Selectmen.
What APRA Funds May be Used for, and Who’s Eligible to Apply
The form lists several categories for eligible projects:
- Categories of funding:
- Respond to the Public Health Emergency: Including but not limited to vaccination programs, testing programs, public communication efforts, prevention and treatment equipment including ambulances and medical supplies, and prevention and mitigation programs for small businesses, non-profits, and public facilities.
- Respond to Negative Economic Impacts: Specific assistance programs for low- or -moderate income households, households that experienced unemployment or increased food or housing insecurity or households that qualify for various federal programs. Assistance programs can include and are not limited to food assistance, housing assistance, job training, incentives for newly employed workers, small business start-ups, home repairs, devices for internet access, childcare, tutoring, and the development of affordable housing.
- Assistance to small businesses and non-profits – loans and grants to mitigate financial hardship and technical assistance.
- Assistance to impact industries – in particular: travel, tourism, and hospitality – loans and grants to mitigate financial hardship and technical assistance and COVID-19 mitigation and infection prevention measures.
- Premium Pay: Employees performing essential work during the pandemic and earning at or below 150 percent of the state or county average wage for all occupations or show that the premium pay is otherwise responsive to workers performing essential work during the pandemic.
- Water and Sewer Infrastructure: In general, any capital measure ranging from construction to conservation measures to implementation of security measures is allowed.
- Broadband Infrastructure: Projects designed to serve locations without access to reliable 100 Mbps (download speed)/20 Mbps (upload speed).
- Revenue Loss: In general, any service traditionally provided by a government, including a municipality, can be funded under this category with a few exceptions including but not limited to the payment of debt or a retirement assessment. Projects that do not easily fit within the other categories listed above may be eligible under this category. The limit on spending in this category is approximately $1,460,000.
- Public Sector Capacity: Funding for work responding to COVID-19 and re-hiring staff to bring staff counts back to pre-pandemic levels.
For more information, visit Town of East Bridgewater.