The City of San Marcos is debuting a $3 million COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program today, aimed at helping essential nonprofits that serve San Marcos residents who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Local nonprofits, which provide vital services to the San Marcos community, have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic and are facing continued significant challenges. That’s why the San Marcos City Council committed to allocating $3 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on July 13 to provide needed assistance through grants to nonprofits.
The program’s overall funding objective is to touch every corner of the City by supporting nonprofits working to better the lives of San Marcos residents. Target populations will include underrepresented communities containing (but not limited to) youth, low-income individuals and families, seniors, immigrants and active military and veteran families.
Applications are now being accepted here: COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program. This page also outlines specific eligibility requirements and provides extensive details about the grant program process.
To ensure that the City’s new program provides immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses that rely on local nonprofit services, the City is collaborating with the ‘North County COVID Relief Fund’ to administer the grants. The relief fund consists of leadership from Coastal Community Foundation, Impact Cubed, and Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. Program administrators have decades of grant experience, longstanding relationships with local nonprofit leaders and elected officials and are deeply committed to ensuring these ARPA funds achieve significant community impact.
“This program demonstrates the San Marcos City Council’s deep commitment to its residents and its desire to address community needs resulting from the negative economic impacts of COVID-19,” said Sharyn Goodson, program administrator. “This support furthers the City’s goal of maintaining a thriving and resilient community. We are honored to administer this effort.”
The complete program guidelines for the COVID-19 Nonprofit Community Grant Program can be found here. Those wanting to learn more about the program can attend webinars hosted by program administrators. The first two webinars are happening from 1-2 p.m. Aug. 5 and 19. Register here.
This nonprofit community grant program is a complement to the City of San Marcos’ Business Sustainability Program that was swiftly implemented at the beginning of the pandemic. The program has helped more than 120 businesses get back on their feet with $3 million of low- or zero-interest loans, which were all ultimately converted to grants.
“The City of San Marcos has found creative ways to spend federal relief funds that will greatly impact our underserved populations,” said Jack Griffin, City Manager for the City of San Marcos. “We see this as a way to lift our community up after an incredibly challenging pandemic.”
