Olmsted County developing $5 million grant program for nonprofits and businesses
Olmsted County plans to create a grant program to disperse millions in CARES Act funding to area nonprofits and businesses affected by Covid-19.
The program, according to County Administrator Heidi Welsch, will start off with at least $5 million, though more money could be added after other priorities, such as public health and social services, have been funded.
Though the criteria for eligibility is still being ironed out, Welsch said available funds will be targeted at organizations that have suffered most severely under the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.
The county plans to work with the nonprofit Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. to administer the program. Given the economic plight of many organizations, county officials said they expect high demand.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Olmsted County Commissioner Ken Brown said of the process. “There is going to be more need than there is available funds.”
The county is in line to receive $19.1 million in federal stimulus money as part of a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund directed toward state, local and tribal governments. The county funding is separate from the $8.8 million the City of Rochester is receiving, $1 million of which has been allocated for small businesses. (Jurisdictions within Olmsted County — including cities and townships — were awarded a total of $29.7 million.)
Other priorities for the county share of funding, as outlined by the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners, include contract tracing efforts, the installation of Plexiglas barriers in county facilities, and the creation of temporary courtroom space to allow for social distancing.
The county also plans to put additional resources toward caring for vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, people living in poverty, and those living with a mental illness. (The county, not the city, is responsible for managing much of the area’s social services.)
“All of our clients, including our vulnerable citizens, in the county are experiencing a lot of stress — as we all are — from this and we want to make sure we can provide the community with adequate mental health care to get through Covid-19,” said Welsch.
The county board is expected to continue its discussion on Covid-related funding priorities at its next meeting on August 4.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
