American Rescue Plan Act Fund Grant Application Process

Richland County will be accepting applications for grants for American Rescue Plan Fund Grants beginning September 1, 2022.  The application closing date is 11:59 pm on October 14, 2022.  

Grant Thornton Public Sector LLC (Grant Thornton) is selected as the third-party partner who will be providing technical expert assistance regarding the project and sub-recipient eligibility determinations, monitoring, reporting, and compliance with administrative, cost principle and audit requirements.  All applications will be reviewed by an expert committee and awarded based on competitive criteria for each category of funding to ensure that the project/use qualifies for American Rescue Plan Act Funds under US Treasury Final Rule Guidance dated January 6, 2022, and effective April 1, 2022. 

Optional information sessions will be available.  The first two of these are scheduled for Monday, September 12, 2022, at 6:00 pm and Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 10:00 am.    (Location: Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton Street).  Team members will be available to answer questions during this time.  For those organizations submitting that need technical assistance, please contact  Sarah Harris at 803-576-2044 or Matiah Pough at 803-576-5459.

****Please refer to Library below for scoring rubics

PART A 

Please note the following instructions for proper application completion. 

• All questions must be complete.  The application cannot be submitted if all information is not provided.
• Richland County will follow US Treasury guidance to ensure that submissions are in accordance with acceptable grant use.  Details on these requirements may be found at the following link.
  
  • https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Final-Rule.pdf
• Richland County has allocated funding for the following expenditure categories:
  
  • Funding for Small Businesses (501c certificate not required)       $1,000,000
  • Funding for Non-Profits                                                                $1,000,000
  • Funding for Workforce Training                                                    $1,000,000
  • Funding for Education Assistance                                                 $1,000,000
  • Funding for Senior Assistance                                                       $1,000,000
  • Funding to Address Food Insecurity                                             $2,000,000
  • Funding for Broadband Services in Underserved Areas                $2,000,000
  • Funding for Affordable Housing                                                   $4,000,000
  • Funding for Services for Unhoused Persons                                 $2,000,000
  • Funding for Youth and Recreational Services                               $1,000,000
• Applicants may apply for funding in up to three categories with a separate application required for each category.
• Additional resources for document completion are below:
  
  • Qualified Census Tract Data: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sadda/sadda_qct.html?locate=45079010900
  • Council District Data: https://www.richlandmaps.com/apps/geoinfo/?lat=34.02471&lon=-80.99524&zoom= 

PART B

Please note the following timeline for the grant application, review, and awards.

• Application portal opening date: September 1, 2022
• Application period closing date: 11:59 pm October 14, 2022
• Application review complete date: November 30, 2022
• Committee recommendations to Council for approval date: December 13, 2022 (tentative)
• Grant award agreements beginning date: December 30, 2022

PART C

Please note the following key compliance and reporting requirements.

• All recipients will be subject to all reporting requirements to ensure the County is able to meet all requirements as outlined in the US Treasury Recipient Compliance Reporting Responsibilities guidance (https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds/recipient-compliance-and-reporting-responsibilities).
• Reporting deadlines will be explained at the time of award and will be at a minimum quarterly by Richland County and may be modified in the event of modifications and or timing issues that arise in the preparation of the reports.  Both County staff and the third-party administrator (Grant Thornton) will be available to provide technical assistance to recipients as needed.
• Failure to comply with all grant requirements may result in forfeiture of the award. 
• Expenditures will only be reimbursed for qualifying activities.  Project or activity changes should be discussed with Richland County prior to ensuring that modifications do not disqualify the expenditure.