Governor Mark Gordon has unveiled the Community Charitable Relief Program, which provides grant funding to nonprofit organizations that have provided public assistance or seen a decline in donations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor has allocated more than $12.1 million in CARES Act funding to Wyoming counties and tribal governments for the program. All decisions on funding will be made at the local level, with county commissioners and tribal governments placed in charge of distributing the grant funds to local entities to have the most impact.
With the new Congressional aid package extending the deadline states have to use CARES Act dollars, counties and tribes have until March 1 to distribute the grant funding. Governor Gordon is urging counties to act quickly to ensure the funds reach organizations in need.
As reported yesterday, Johnson County received slightly more than $182,000 and the County Commissioners allocated all but $2,300 to non-profit organizations that met the focus needs identified in the Community Charitable Relief Program guidelines.
Sheridan County received $600,000 and are taking a different path in allocating the CARES Act funds
Sheridan County Commission Chairman Nick Siddle told the Commissioners that the county has until March 1st to allocate the funds and will now be seeking applications from eligible 501c3 and 501c19 non-profit organizations in the Sheridan area.
The Commission established a deadline of 5pm on Tuesday, December 29th for organizations to submit applications.
Organizations will qualify if the funds will be utilized in one or more of the following focus areas: food security, mental health, childcare, energy assistance, rental assistance.
The application form and the program guidelines are available online at www.sheridancounty.com/governors-office-community-charitable-relief-funds/.
According to the Johnson County Commission office, there will be no applications required from the non-profit organizations that are to receive the funds allocated during the special meeting held on Tuesday