LEWISTON, Maine — It’s not hard to understand that many industries were hit hard since COVID changed daily life in March 2020. Since then, businesses and organizations have had to adapt and pivot, and then adjust and pivot.
Through all the hardships, nonprofits have continued to help their communities over the last year and a half. Now, with the holiday season in full swing, some of those organizations will get financial help themselves.
“We were fortunate to get a lot of support from the federal government. We want to get [the money] out there doing the work it was intended to do,” Lewiston Economic and Development Director Lincoln Jeffers said.
The Lewiston City Council voted this month to dedicate $274,000 of CARES Act funding to help nonprofits “prevent, prepare for, or respond to COVID,” according to a city release.
That is just one grant program the city is offering for nonprofits. To qualify, organizations must meet the same criteria as the annual Community Development Block Grant program.
The city is also designating $400,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act in grants of up to $25,000 for Lewiston nonprofits “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.”
“[We’re] truly targeting the programs that benefit our residency,” City Administrator Heather Hunter said. “We need to get the money out there and benefit our community.”
Both Jeffers and Hunter said that financially supporting nonprofits is just another way to help community members. Many of the organizations in the city assist people dealing with mental health issues, early education, child care, and other programs that have been severely affected due to the pandemic.
Like other industries, the labor shortage has hit the nonprofit sector. Hunter said this new flow of money could help the organizations hire new workers.
“So they can expand programs and open them back up to the level, or exceed the level they were at prior to the pandemic beginning,” she added.
Both applications are online. They can be found on the City of Lewiston’s website here.
