The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the local recovery funds from the American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA). 

The grant program will be open to all Wyandotte County non-profit organizations and Unified Government departments. This funding is to be used for various projects for the betterment of Wyandotte County’s citizens and communities as part of our pandemic recovery.

“We know that many organizations in Wyandotte County are prepared to offer vital services and suggest creative solutions to the challenges brought on or intensified by the pandemic,” said ARPA Subcommittee Chair Commissioner Angela Markley (District 6). “We are excited to offer all of those partners the opportunity to share their ideas and programs through this application, and we look forward to providing financial resources through a fair and transparent process.”

The Unified Government launched the ARPA Subcommittee in November 2021 to develop recommendations for the full governing body on how to allocate the local recovery funds and balance prioritization with other federal grant funding opportunities for maximum impact.

The Unified Government will receive $87.5 million in federal aid over two years with $55.4 million allocated to the City of Kansas City, KS and $32.1 million for Wyandotte County. Half of the funding is already available to the Unified Government and the remainder will be available in May 2022.

Eligible Expenses

The Board of Commissioners have identified four core values to guide our pandemic recovery: equity, collaboration, innovation, and resiliency.

Through several workshops in Fall 2021, the Commissioners requested that money be spent to reflect these values while creating sustainable impact on our community. The American Rescue Plan Act local recovery funds have specified eligible uses, including:

• Awardee staff salaries, benefits, and supplies that are directly associated with implementing the proposed program;
• Enhancement, installation, and fortification of digital infrastructure to respond to increased needs due to the COVID19 public health emergency;
• Technical and life skills training, including support services to assist unemployed and/or underemployed workers’ increased needs due to the COVID19 public health emergency;
• Creation or expansion of childcare services with special considerations to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions;
• Emergency Assistance initiatives;
• Food security, including delivery to residents, senior citizens, and other vulnerable populations to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions;
• Mental health, human services, and similar employees whose services are substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID19 public health emergency; and,
• Other measures to respond to or mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

Applications will be accepted now through May 27, 2022. More information about the American Rescue Plan Act can be found on our website at wycokck.org/ARPA.