Zoom workshop will discuss Inyo grants for nonprofits

A digital workshop will be held Jan. 13 to provide information about the new Inyo County Community Resiliency Grant program for local nonprofits.

The county-funded grant program will provide up to $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations that play an important role in supporting the economy, improving the quality of life in Inyo County and addressing unmet needs of those most severely affected by COVID-19.

Inyo County recognizes that these nonprofit entities have continued to provide services with significant reductions in revenue because of the pandemic, so during adoption of the Inyo County 2020-21 budget, the Board of Supervisors allocated $100,000 of the County General Fund to support local economic and community resiliency and to offset COVID-19 related economic hardships.

“This is a new grant program, but it shares some similarities to the recent county REVIVE grant program that assisted local small businesses and the county’s longstanding Community Project Sponsorship Program that provides grants for community projects, events and programs,” said Leslie Chapman, Inyo County assistant chief administrative officer. “The upcoming digital workshop will help inform interested nonprofit groups about details of the new Community Resiliency Grant Program and will provide information about the grant program’s guidelines, eligibility requirements and application process.”

The workshop is scheduled for 3 p.m. January 13 via Zoom. Participants can log onto the Zoom meeting at http://bit.ly/IC-CRG or use the link on the county website, www.inyocounty.us

The workshop is open to the public and will include a question-and-answer session to further clarify how the Community Resiliency Grant Program will be implemented.

Individual, one-time grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to successful nonprofit applicants that were financially affected by COVID-19, including loss of program revenues and increased expenses. There are conditions nonprofit organizations must meet to be eligible to apply for the grants.

Losses must have occurred between March 1-Dec. 30, and it must be adequately demonstrated that funding is necessary because of the financial impacts of COVID-19 and will be used to mitigate those impacts. An entity must be a legally organized nonprofit entity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501, must primarily serve the residents of Inyo County and must directly provide services or goods that are available to, or benefit, the general public.

Also, applicants cannot be exclusively engaged in lobbying or engaged in distributing funds to other organizations or individuals, and they cannot use grant funds for an inherently religious purpose and cannot be any of the following: an educational institution; a social, recreational, sports or booster club; or a private foundation.

The grant applications will be evaluated based on a high-quality written narrative which includes a description of the organization including, mission, goals and history in Inyo County; a description of significant community benefit in the past and during COVID-19; a description of the direct and indirect impacts to services during the pandemic; a description of the intended uses of the grant funds; an outline of COVID-19 financial effects supported by comparative financial statements and tax returns; a description of community benefit, particularly from agencies that serve the needs of our disenfranchised or disadvantaged citizens, thereby improving the quality of life in Inyo County; and the quality and completeness of application.

Additional terms and conditions and information about the application process will be presented at the Jan. 13 workshop. Interested organizations can also send questions via email to businessinfo@inyocounty.us or call 760-878-8457.