The first round of Community Recovery Grants, the result of the Nevada Recovers tour to distribute federal COVID-19 recovery funds, was awarded Thursday. For northern Nevada, it’ll mean more food in bellies.
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada was awarded nearly $630,000 for its equitable outreach program, ensuring food gets to those most in need. The agency serves more than 107,000 people each month, many of them seniors and children, through programs including Kids Café, Mobile Harvest and food pantry distribution.
The Nevada Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee awarded close to $1.9 million to four nonprofits, which also included The Family Support Center in Winnemucca, and Baby’s Bounty and Goodwill of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.
The committee has more than $28 million in Community Recovery Grants remaining to award to other Nevada nonprofits.
The intent behind the funding, which was announced in December 2021, is to channel some of the billions in American Recovery Act funds provided to Nevada to existing nonprofits to provide direct and immediate community services. Applications for the nonprofit grants were due Jan. 3, and the state reported receiving responses from 337 agencies.
Millions more dollars were awarded to state and local programs to strengthen and support existing programs. Among them:
- $836,619 to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation for modernization of the state’s unemployment insurance system.
- More than $20 million to strengthen the state’s nursing apprenticeship program.
- $5.75 million to restore funding lost from federal sources for Victims of Crime services.
- $7 million for the Transforming Opportunities for Toddlers and Students (TOTS) program, which provides $5,000 grants to children with disabilities for everyday expenses such as transportation, housing, assistive technology or healthcare.
- $5 million for wildfire response, including personnel and equipment.
- An unspecified amount for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Source: NV Governor’s Office
