Board Awards $2.39 Million in Pilot Grant Funding to Local Nonprofits

Published on April 24, 2024

On Wednesday, April 24, the Arlington County Board awarded grants totaling $2.39 million to 22 nonprofits serving Arlington. This funding was awarded as part of the RACE to Rebuilding Trust & Community Grant, a pilot competitive process to fund local nonprofits focused on human and community services.  

Continuing its racial equity work and at the direction of the County Board, the County collaborated with the United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA) and BIPOC community leaders to create a new equity-centered funding model that resulted in the release of the RACE to Rebuilding Trust & Community Notice of Funding Availability in October 2023. From October to December 2023, County and UWNCA staff held four technical support sessions for applicants. A total of 38 proposals were submitted, and each application was reviewed by panels comprised of SME County Staff and community members, all of whom had previously participated in relevant training.  

Awards were capped at $225,000. Applicants who scored between the average (34.95 points) and the 75th percentile (40.75 points) were funded at 75 percent of their requested amounts. Proposals that scored above the 75th percentile were fully funded or funded up to the cap. In total, 22 organizations received funding through the grant process. The following table lists the awardees, amounts, and proposal descriptions:  

Organization

Amount

Description

AHC

$92,812.50

Reduce the waitlists for educational programming for residents of AHC properties, including afterschool help with homework, literacy, recreation, and social and emotional learning; teen tutoring and mentorship; and college and career readiness support.

Arlington Free Clinic

$150,000.00

Full range of comprehensive healthcare services within AFC's patient-centered medical home, with particular emphasis on expanding Social Determinants of Health work to improve health equity, providing critical mental health care, and reducing barriers to low-cost and accessible care.

Arlington Neighborhood Village

$26,111.25

Support organizational capacity to provide financial aid, direct services, and social support to older adults in Arlington.

Arlington Thrive

$70,873.50

Support for the Community Resilience Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance, and Community Navigator Program, which provides bilingual case management for individuals in navigating community resources.

Aspire

$100,849.00

Daily afterschool programming and an all-day summer camp to support historically underserved students' literacy, math, and social-emotional learning, including expanding to two new classrooms in Drew and Randolph Elementary Schools.

AWLA

$185,735.60

Expanded Pet Resource Centers and related outreach, providing vaccination services, pet food, dewormer, flea and tick treatment, and spay/neuter vouchers to pet owners in underserved communities.

Challenging Racism

$43,500.00

Advance DEI capacity building through workshops and 1:1 mentoring for 32 individuals from 8 of Arlington's frontline human services nonprofit organizations.

Doorways for Women and Families

$44,868.23

Services for survivors of domestic violence, including assistance with navigating the legal system; safety planning; courtroom accompaniment, advocacy, and emotional support; language services; and referrals to relevant services.

Edu-Futuro

$225,000.00

Project LIFTS, which provides free, bilingual programming for families, including the Emerging Leaders Program for youth, Parent Empowerment Services, Workforce Development Services, and case management services.

ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia

$100,000.00

Outreach services at four South Arlington locations for Arlingtonians with both disabilities and other identities that often face inequities. Services will include community navigation, advocacy and support groups, small direct client expenses, and a community peer mentorship program.

English Empowerment Center

$45,000.00

Supports basic literacy and beginning English language instruction for individuals who cannot read, write, speak, or understand English beyond the sixth-grade level.

Ethiopian Community Development Council

$150,000.00

Services for immigrants and refugees, including employment support, legal immigration assistance, and equitable healthcare advocacy

Friends of Guest House

$56,163.96

Comprehensive reentry services for women following incarceration, including a 6-month residential program, case management and aftercare services, outreach, and peer support services.

Kitchen of Purpose

$125,000.00

Culinary and small business incubator training, job placement, and small business grants for low-income individuals seeking to pursue economically sustainable careers in the food industry.

L'Arche

$48,000.00

80Support higher, more livable wages for assistants/caregivers who provide core services and homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, reducing turnover and vacancy rates.

Northern Virginia Family Service

$225,000.00

Healthy Families program, which will provide bilingual education and resources to 80 new and expectant parents through intensive and comprehensive home visits, promoting healthy childhood outcomes and reducing child abuse and neglect.

NovaSalud

$212,837.00

HIV program, reaching over 2,000 individuals who are living with or at risk for HIV with outreach, education, testing, linkage to care, and retention, targeting high-risk Latino, black/African American communities, MSM, transgender, substance user, teen, and incarcerated communities.

OAR

$38,775.00

Proactive work involving virtual learning cohort for 20 individuals on the impact of racism and legislative and individual advocacy; reactive work supporting over 800 people annually in a reentry program and providing financial assistance to 100 children of incarcerated parents

Our Stomping Ground

$93,429.39

Assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently in inclusive, affordable housing by connecting individuals to housing options, providing life and social skills training, providing resource education, and coordinating inclusive community-building events.

Restoration Immigration Legal Aid

$123,788.00

Legal services for immigrants with complex pathways to legal status and limited resources, including 100 Special Immigrant Juvenile Status youth and 75 individuals seeking asylum.

Restorative Arlington

$74,760.00

Heart of Safety Restorative Justice Conferencing Program for 10 cases

Shirlington Employment and Education Center

$160,151.25

Employment services for up to 300-day laborers, such as job matching, translation and resume-building services, transportation, bagged lunches/snacks, and winter rental assistance.

 

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding approved by the Arlington County Board in December 2023, UWNCA will begin evaluating this pilot grant process in its entirety, seeking feedback from various stakeholders. A final report with recommendations for future years is expected to be presented to the Board in the Fall 2024.  

“Transitioning to an equity-based competitive funding structure is not easy, and this has been an excellent learning experience,” Chair Libby Garvey said. “The Board congratulates those organizations who received an award and thanks County staff, United Way, and community members for their hard work and dedication. I look forward to the feedback we receive and strengthening this process for next year.

Read the full Board Report to learn more about the process and Awardees.  

 

     

 

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