Greene County issues $345K in ARPA funding to nonprofits

The Greene County Commission yesterday approved $345,093 in nonprofit funding through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Twelve organizations were selected to receive funding, according to a news release.

“The commission is pleased to award approval to this first round of nonprofit funding under ARPA,” Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon said in the release. “We thank and commend these organizations in our communities for the tremendous work they have done to help address the pandemic and to move beyond it into recovery.”

The nonprofits selected for funding are:
• Good Dads Inc., $45,253 to update the organization's fatherhood curriculum designed to reach at-risk youth and underserved fathers;
• Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church, $40,000 to conduct community outreach and restore the church's structure;
• Rebound Foundation Inc., $40,000 to buy a transitional home for victims of domestic violence;
• Leadership Springfield Inc., $36,000 to launch a virtual leadership development and community engagement program;
• Doula Foundation of Mid-America Inc., $35,490 to train and certify community-based doulas;
• Ozarks Literacy Council, $30,000 to buy new books and literacy materials;
• Women’s Medical Respite, $32,450 to expand a housing project with more beds, privacy and quarantine space;
• Schuyler Community Center, $25,000 for new siding, guttering, landscaping and soffits for the organization's school house;
• Sister Cities Association, $20,000 to maintain its Kite and Pinata Festival, Japanese Fall Festival and Taste of Tlaquepaque Festival;
• Be a Jewel Inc., $16,500 to provide services for children in emergency care;
• Smitty’s Mid-West Boxing Gym and Youth Center Inc., $14,400 for rental assistance; and
• Ujima Language and Literacy, $10,000 for a new playground.

Through its ARPA allocation, the commission has set aside $20.4 million for collaboration projects, $12 million for nonprofits, $10.2 million for countywide projects and $8 million for small businesses, with the remainder being held in reserves, according to past reporting.