CARRIE SCHENA American Rescue Plan Act Program Manager Administration & Finance Suite 114 329 Mast Road Goffstown, NH 03045 Phone: (603) 351-3829 HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday to Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
ARPA Community Support Request for Proposals
UPDATE 06/01/2023 - The Commissioners have completed their review of proposals and are finalizing award decisions. Agencies under consideration have been notified. A transfer of funds to cover the cost of the awards is subject to approval by, and will be presented to, the Executive Committee on June 20, 2023. The final list of awards will be posted following approval by all governing bodies.
Under this second round of ARPA community funding, the County received 55 proposals, totaling nearly $46M, to the approximately $8.5M available. Proposals received may be viewed through this shared folder on Google Drive: ARPA Track 2 Proposals. The original guidelines are available here RFP Guidelines.
The County previoulsy made funds available to non-profits under the first round of ARPA community fundng. Results from that first round, including the recommendations, applications and supporting documentation may be viewed on Google Drive. A total of $12,419,645 was awarded to 33 non-profit agencies to mitigate the negative economic and/or health effects of the virus. These funds will help agencies continue to serve some of the County's most vulnerable residents.
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT
The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFR funds), a part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), delivers $350 billion to state, local and Tribal governments across the county to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The SLRF program provides governments with the resources to:
• Fight the pandemic and support families and businesses struggling with its public health and economic impacts
• Maintain vital public services, even amid declines in revenues resulting from the crisis
• Build a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity
Hillsborough County has been allocated a total of $81,002,271* to aid in its recovery efforts. Funds may be used to:
*Additionally, the State will receive a total of $112M in SLFRF to distribute to NH non-metropolitan cities and towns (Non-Entitlement Units, or NEU's), this includes all NH municipalities except for Dover, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth and Rochester - these five cities have received direct SLFRF allocations from the U.S. Treasury.
For Towns and Cities who are classified as NEUs please visit the following link on how to apply: Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Program | Governor's Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (nh.gov)
THE PATH FORWARD
Recognizing the need to invest SLRF Funds within the county departments and the community, the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners has proposed two (2) phases to allocate funding:
Phase I, the Internal Needs Assessment and Allocation
Phase I will address critical priority issues with focus on County department needs in order ensure continuity of public service deliverables are still made during the pandemic and the recovery. This will be accomplished by focusing on:
Phase II will deploy ARPA funds within the community, focusing on areas within the scope and purview of the responsibilities and functions of Hillsborough County government. The County utilized existing studies, recent surveys, and consulted with community stakeholders to identify potential transformative initiatives within County functions in the community. Discussions and public comment were accepted at Board of Commissioner meetings.
The BOC approved an update to the County's Recovery Plan that included approximately $21M to assist community entities, separated into two rounds of funding.
Timeline for SLRF Funds
(This timeline will be updated as the Program continues to be implemented)
Timeframe
Action
Fall 2021
ARPA Program administration design phase. Following an RFP process for a consultant, the County determined a temporary employee position would be more advantageous.
Fall - Winter 2021
Development of ARPA policies and procedures, internal forms, tracking systems; eligibility review of HC Department proposals.
Winter 2021
Board considered and approved certain Department proposals, focusing on pandemic response and strategic investments in County Department infrastructure and services to immediately respond to the pandemic.
Approved proposals moved forward to HC Executive Committee for consideration/approval of appropriation transfer.
Winter 2021 - Spring 2022
Community engagement, identification of potential community funding needs.
Develop application/grant process for outside entities to apply for funds.
Early Spring 2022
Remaining HC Department proposals including capital improvement projects, presented through the annual budget process to obtain Board of Commissioners, Executive Committee and Delegation approvals as required by law.
Late Spring 2022
Community assistance applications released to non-profits. Due date July 1, 2022.
Summer 2022
Review committee examines and recommends Round 1 funding for non-profits to the BOC.
BOC will consider award amounts, forward plan to Executive Committee. Successful applicants will enter into an Agreement with the County in order to receive funds.
Fall 2022 - Winter 2022
Round 2 funding for community entities to be released. BOC will consider proposals directly and forward to Executive Committee as required.
As the landscape of the pandemic changes, Hillsborough County will revisit the focus under Phase I and Phase II concurrently as needed. The use and focus of SLFR Funds may change and adapt to the landscape. Priority will continue to be to address and respond to the immediate needs and negative effects of the COVID-19 public health crisis within the County.
THE PUBLIC IS ENCOURAGED TO PERIODICALLY REVISIT THIS PAGE FOR UPDATES AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO READ THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONER MEETING MINUTES FOR A STATUS ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS.
ARPA DOCUMENTS