Scranton Reporter

The City of Scranton awarded a total of nearly $1 million in nonprofit recovery funds on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. Nonprofits applied in July and August for the grants that are part of the City’s $68.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

“Today is an exciting day for the City and the nonprofits who serve our residents,” Mayor Paige G. Cognetti announced at Outreach – Center for Community Resources, where two top grant recipients provide services. “These are the first grants being awarded through our American Rescue Plan Act funding, and I am proud to use this funding to aid our nonprofit community. The grants announced today will help them recover from the pandemic as they help the people of Scranton who rely on the various services they provide.”

Through a spending plan approved by City Council in May 2022, the City allocated $1 million in nonprofit recovery funding. Seventy-two nonprofits sought a total of $3.6 million in aid. After a rigid application and review process, 49 organizations ultimately received all or a portion of their requested assistance.

Applications were weighed based on the City’s ARPA mission, which aims to give people access to resources, rebuild infrastructure systems that impact everyday life, and foster equitable wealth generation targeting residents’ needs.

All applications were reviewed by the City, its grant partners from the Scranton Area Community Foundation (SACF), and compliance consultants from Anser Advisory to ensure that organizations were not receiving duplicate federal benefits, per the guidelines set by the United States Department of the Treasury. Applications were also reviewed for nonprofit status, the negative economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, location in the City, service to City residents, and more.

Grants will support a variety of needs including revenue losses caused by the pandemic, additional staffing, new or expanded programming, necessary technological updates, community engagement, and capital improvements such as HVAC system replacements that were accelerated by COVID-19.

“On behalf of Outreach, I cannot thank Mayor Paige Cognetti and the City of Scranton enough for the support she is providing to nonprofits,” said Outreach – Center for Community Resources Board of Directors President Jerry Musheno, R.Ph., Esq. “Her support will help Outreach recoup some of the revenue losses over the past 14 months when GED programming resumed at our Center in Scranton without adequate funding.  These GED services will advance the employment opportunities of many Scranton residents.”

“Maternal and Family Health Services is grateful to be a recipient of a grant from the City of Scranton ARPA Program. Funds will allow us to expand our nursing team to meet the additional demand for services for low-income families in Scranton,” added MFHS President and CEO Maria Montoro Edwards, Ph.D.

Grant recipients and the funding they will receive include:

$45,000 each for seven organizations

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Friends of the Poor

Maternal and Family Health Services

Meals on Wheels of NEPA

Northeast Regional Cancer Institute

Outreach – Center for Community Resources

Scranton Primary Health Care Center.

$25,000 each for 19 organizations

Catherine McAuley Center

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton

Center for Health and Human Services Research and Action

Child Hunger Outreach Partners

Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA

Discovery MI Preschool

Greater Scranton YMCA

Griffin Pond Animal Shelter

Harrison House Personal Care Home

Here For A Reason

Jewish Community Center of Scranton

Keystone Mission

Linwood Nursing and Rehab

NativityMiguel School of Scranton

NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania

NEPA Pet Fund and Rescue

Scranton Counseling Center

The Wright Center for Community Health

Treatment Court Advocacy Center of Lackawanna County.

$10,000 each for 17 organizations

Boy Scouts of America Northeastern Pennsylvania Council

Breathe & Prosper Corporation

Clear Brook Foundation

Day Nursery Association

Goodwill Industries of Northeastern PA

Jewish Family Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Lackawanna River Conservation Association

Marywood University

Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple

Scranton Public Library

Scranton Tomorrow

Serving Seniors

Skills in Scranton Business Education Partnership

St. Cats and Dogs of Scranton

St. Matthews United Evangelical Lutheran Church

Telespond Senior Day Services

The Arc of Northeastern PA.

$5,000 each for 5 organizations

Center for the Living City

Electric City Steel Drum Project

Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art

PAWSitively for the Animals

Ronald McDonald House of Scranton.

$4,047.28

TCS Midtown Apartments

The SACF received $10,000 in ARPA funds to administer the grant process.

The City continues to issue funding opportunities through ARPA. Applications opened in September for a pair of small business grants aimed at either façade improvements or small business development and expansion, and applications are under review for a trio of community wellness grants that officials first announced in August. Additional information about the City of Scranton’s ARPA plan can be found at scrantonpa.gov/arpa.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) OF 2021: ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill. The City of Scranton has been awarded $68.7 million in ARPA funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its economic impacts. The mission of Scranton’s ARPA program is to give people access to resources, rebuild the infrastructure systems that impact their everyday lives, and foster equitable wealth generation that targets the needs of Scranton residents.

Officials gathering at the City’s announcement of almost $1 million in ARPA funding include, from left, Scranton ARPA Project Manager Erika Yurkovic, Scranton OECD Director Eileen Cipriani, Maternal and Family Health Services COO Shannon Hayward, Mayor Paige G. Cognetti, Outreach – Center for Community Resources Executive Director Lori Chaffers, Outreach Board President Jerry Musheno, Esq., Outreach Board Vice President Vicky Castagna, Scranton Area Community Foundation Vice President for Administration and Projects Maggie Martinelli, SACF Board Chair Barbara O’Hara, Esq., and SACF Grants Assistant Michael Villa.

Mayor Paige G. Cognetti, center, announced $45,000 in ARPA funding for both Maternal and Family Health Services and Outreach – Center for Community Resources, as part of $1 million in nonprofit recovery funding. Also pictured, left, MFHS COO Shannon Hayward, and right, Outreach – Center for Community Resources Executive Director Lori Chaffers.

Outreach Executive Director Lori Chaffers speaks on Oct. 12 about the organization’s $45,000 grant award from the City of Scranton. Outreach will use the funding to support a growing need for GED programs in Scranton.

Outreach Board President Jerry Musheno, Esq., speaks on Oct. 12 about the organization’s $45,000 grant award from the City of Scranton.

Maternal and Family Health Services COO Shannon Hayward speaks on Oct. 12 about the organization’s $45,000 grant award from the City of Scranton. MFHS will use the funding to expand its nursing team.

Original source can be found here.