Nonprofit Recovery Grant

The CARES Nonprofit Recovery Grant Program aims to support nonprofit agencies assisting residents who have been hardest hit by the pandemic in the Town of Blacksburg, Town of Christiansburg, and Montgomery County. This funding is also meant to offer immediate financial assistance to nonprofit agencies, based in these localities, to aid in maintaining their business, workforce, and residents. The program will provide one-time grants of up to 25% of their most recent operating budget or a maximum of $25,000 (whichever is smaller) to help offset the significant, temporary service impacts of nonprofits during this pandemic. The grant program will be administered by all three localities with assistance from The Community Foundation of the New River Valley.

These funds are intended to:

  • Mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on qualified nonprofits serving our communities and assist them to meet community needs that have not been addressed by other funding sources.
  • Help nonprofits to both maintain and grow critical services to individuals and families directly impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Please register through this grants portal to access and complete the grant application. Awards will be made on a first come, first served basis through Oct. 15, 2020.

 

Eligibility Criteria

  • The organization is a 501(c)3, 501(c)4, or 501(c)6 organization.
  • The organization benefits individuals living within the borders of Montgomery County, Virginia. (Organizations physically located outside Montgomery County may apply provided they can clearly articulate how their programs serve residents within the Towns and Montgomery County).
  • The organization can meet the program technical requirements including the ability to provide financial records to support the grant request and program validation. Technical requirements include providing a copy of your IRS Tax Exemption Determination letter, budget vs actual report for the two most recent years, and receipts for eligible expenses incurred.

 

Eligible Grant Uses

Grant funds are meant to help nonprofit organizations maintain and adjust core operations, programs and staff during COVID-19. This includes the cost of interruption of normal operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant funds can also support the expansion of programs that mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the health, safety and economic security of clients served. Grant funds must be expended in compliance with state and federal law. Eligible grant expenses include any of the following expenses made after March 15, 2020, deemed ‘necessary’:

  • Payroll expenses, including wages or benefits
  • Lease or mortgage payments
  • Utilities (gas and electric)
  • Insurance
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE) or cleaning supplies or services
  • Inventory purchases (food, medical supplies, etc.)
  • Professional services (accounting, legal, marketing, etc.) 
  • Technology to support changes in operations
  • Other programmatic costs meant to support individuals and families directly impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency

 

Ineligible expenses include:

  • Anything incurred before March 15, 2020
  • Funds used for political activities, inherently religious activities (such as worship, religious instruction or proselytization), or lobbying activities
  • Anything already being reimbursed by other federal or state funds, and anything not deemed ‘necessary’ to survival of core operations
  • Grant funds used to make direct financial assistance payments to clients served by the non-profit

Maximum funds available per award will be based on up to 25% of your most recent nonprofit annual operating budget (approved by your Board of Directors) or a maximum of $25,000 (whichever is smaller), and contingent on demonstrated need and funds available for this grant program. If your organization serves a larger region (beyond Montgomery County), the award amount will be prorated by the proportion of your organization work that focuses on the Town of Blacksburg, Town of Christiansburg and Montgomery County. For example, if 50% of your works takes place within Montgomery County, the maximum funding you could receive would be 12.5% (50% of 25%) of your most recent nonprofit annual operating budget.

Note: Financial assistance provided pursuant to this program shall be provided at the locality’s discretion. When reviewing applications for financial assistance, the locality (Town of Blacksburg, Town of Christiansburg or Montgomery County) will use its discretion to determine whether providing such assistance to a nonprofit would violate the intent of the provided program criteria or any related funding limitations.

 

Applying for the Grant

Please register through this grants portal to access and complete the grant application. In addition to a completed application, the following documentation is required:

  • IRS Non-Profit Determination Letter
  • Budget vs. actual report for the current fiscal year as well as the year prior. (These reports should show the difference between your budgeted income and expenses and actual income and expenses for each fiscal year. The desire is to better understand the financial health of your organization and how COVID-19 has impacted your ability to meet budget.)
  • Receipts for any already expended funds.
    • Payroll: please submit both a payroll report (such as Excel or Quickbooks) and a bank statement showing that the payroll checks have cleared.
    • Rent: please submit a receipt from your landlord for the months that are being claimed which includes the amount, your business name, and the address. Alternatively, we would accept a lease document that contains the same information and a copy of a bank statement that shows payment.
    • Utilities, Insurance, Professional Services: please submit a copy of an itemized bill and a bank statement showing that the payment was made.
    • Equipment, Inventory purchases, Supplies: please submit an itemized receipt of purchase and a bank statement showing that the payment was made.

You can black out your account number on the bank statements to preserve the security of your information.

Awards will be made on a first come, first served basis through Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. In order to expedite issuance of funds, applications will only be received using the online grants portal. If awarded, nonprofits would need to submit final receipts and a post grant report through the same online tool.

 

Funding Source

The source of funding for this grant program is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act federal stimulus package. Grant funds will be allocated, as applicable, through the Town of Christiansburg, Town of Blacksburg, and/or Montgomery County.

 

Questions?

For more information or questions, please contact grants@blacksburg.gov or info@christiansburg.org.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your nonprofit grant application, you can also reach out to The Community Foundation of the New River Valley at jessicawirgau@cfnrv.org.