City Announces American Rescue Plan Funding
The City of Columbus has received $93 million in federal
funds out of an expected $187 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to
provide assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will be
delivered over two years and must be used by 2024. Columbus Mayor Andrew J.
Ginther and City Council have agreed to allocate $19.7 million for short-term
summer youth engagement and anti-violence efforts.
“Our city and our residents continue to suffer from the
fallout of the global pandemic, and no one has been more negatively impacted
than our young people,” said Mayor Ginther. “Our first investment of American
Rescue Plan dollars will help our kids regain some of what they lost with
opportunities for programming, education and employment through city
departments as well as through community partners.”
“We are advancing a bold plan with the Mayor to put nearly
$20 million into area nonprofits focused on keeping our kids safe while helping
them catch up,” said City Council President Shannon G. Hardin. “This package of
ARP projects are critical to getting Columbus past the brutal challenges
brought onto neighborhoods by COVID-19 restrictions and frustrations. Together
with local partners we’re helping make sure folks can get back to work, back
into classes and back to living their lives safely.”
Of the $19.7 million that is being allocated, $15.6 million
will utilize ARP funding. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s (CRPD)
total additional spending for summer programming is $4.8 million, with $4
million coming from City sources outside of the ARP allocation. $4.2 million
will be used by CRPD to support qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
that provide youth programming centered on addressing educational disparities
and/or promoting healthy childhood environments.
Requests for RFPs through CRPD have been posted on the
city’s Vendor Services portal
since June 11, 2021. Proposals are due at noon on July 9, 2021. Questions can
be submitted via email to: [email protected].
The city is developing a process to determine how to best
invest ARP funding to meet the community’s near- and long-term needs, informed
in part by the work of the joint City-County Recovery and Resiliency Committee.
Community organizations seeking financial support for proposals utilizing
American Recovery Plan funding are encouraged to submit proposals online
utilizing a standard form that includes
a budget and description of how the funds will be used.