Upper Darby Township American Rescue Plan Act ("ARPA") Opening of Nonprofit Funding Application Process
Upper Darby Township has allocated $1.7 million of federal funds received from the U.S. Department of Treasury under the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for one time funding to eligible nonprofits.
The Township is inviting nonprofits to submit an application and required supporting documentation in the online application portal link here.
The portal link opened at 8:00 A.M. Monday, February 13, 2023 and will close at 11:59 P.M. Friday, March 24, 2023.
To support and assist interested nonprofits, the Township hosted two virtual webinars to review the application process, ARPA eligibility and submission requirements, the application portal, and timeline. Below you can find a video recording of the informational portion of these webinars and a written section on the Q&A session.
Q&A from 2/22/23 Webinar
Upper Darby Township
Nonprofit ARPA Funding Webinar Held February 22, 2023
Questions & Answers
“Will the slides being presented be made available to the audience for later review?”
Answer: Yes. The slides and the recording are available on the Township’s website at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant
“Are nonprofits that began in response to the pandemic eligible if they were not in existence before?”
Answer: If a nonprofit submits documentation as required for 2020 and 2021 that show having experienced a negative economic impact from the pandemic, the nonprofit would be considered an eligible nonprofit. Not submitting the required documentation will result in the nonprofit not being eligible.
“Would 501(c)(3) youth service organizations who have only recently been developed be eligible?”
Answer: A nonprofit must submit the documentation as required with the application to be considered an eligible nonprofit. The documentation must show the nonprofit experienced a negative economic impact from the pandemic, which is a requirement of the US Treasury Final Rule to be an eligible nonprofit.
“How do you download the PDF of the online application?”
Answer: After you have completed all the information in the online portal, you will hit the “Submit” button. You will see an option in a blue window that will allow you to click a button to either print or download a PDF of the application. If you are still having difficulty in being able to access that option, please let UHY know by emailing upperdarbyarpa@uhy-us.com
“This is preemptive. But just to cover our bases, are fiscally-sponsored 501(c)(3) eligible?”
Answer: To qualify under the US Treasury’s definition of an eligible nonprofit for ARPA funding, a nonprofit must be a 501(c)(3), which means the nonprofit must have the IRS determination letter that shows status as a 501(c)(3) to be eligible.The organization serving as fiscal sponsor should apply and submit the application package as the responsible entity for a fiscally-sponsored organization.
“Will UHY or Upper Darby Township disclose publicly how these funds have been awarded and to what organizations?”
Answer: The Township is scheduled to publicly announce awards through a news release on April 28, 2023 and will post the awards at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant.
Any other methods of public disclosure will be determined and notification given.
“Can we apply as a fiscally-sponsored organization?”
Answer: To qualify under the US Treasury’s definition of an eligible nonprofit for ARPA funding, a nonprofit must be a 501(c)(3), which means the nonprofit must have the IRS determination letter that shows status as a 501(c)(3) to be eligible. The organization serving as fiscal sponsor should apply and submit the application package as the responsible entity for a fiscally-sponsored organization.
“Can we apply for funding for general operating costs?”
Answer: A nonprofit will be eligible to be considered for operating costs provided the nonprofit meets the eligibility criteria and requirements of the grant and submits documentation as required for 2020 and 2021 to show having experienced a negative economic impact from the pandemic.
“What is the grant amount range?”
Answer: No grant amount range is set.
“How many applications may an organization make or submit?”
Answer: No limit exists on the number of applications an organization may submit.
“How many grant requests do you usually receive? What percentage usually gets funded or approved?”
Answer: This is a new program; therefore the Township has no data on it.
“What if you are a new nonprofit and do not have as much experience, do you get penalized in those 25 points?”
Answer: The applications will be evaluated and scored by a panel based on the application package using the evaluation criteria presented during the webinar. The panel will use the total score of each application in considering applications for award.
“Can you please repeat the email address given earlier?”
Answer: upperdarbyarpa@uhy-us.com
“Is the award given as a reimbursement or is it paid in one lump sum at the beginning of the grant period?”
Answer: This is under review by UHY and Upper Darby Township accountants. A determination is scheduled to be available by Friday, March 17, 2023.
“May we ask for funding for subscriptions that may last longer than the 12 months of the program?”
Answer: The ARPA grant period of performance has been determined for the 12-month period for May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024. The Township does not plan to change the period of performance.
“Is there a specific cap on the awards that will be granted to each nonprofit?”
Answer: While $1.7 million has been allocated for the Upper Darby ARPA nonprofit program, no cap has been determined on awards granted to each nonprofit.
“What would be a reasonable amount to request?”
Answer: The reasonable amount to request is the decision of the nonprofit.
“To clarify, if the nonprofit has the required documents minus the financials because they were formed after 2021, would they be eligible to apply?”
Answer: The nonprofit must show in submitting the required
documentation that it meets the eligibility criteria and requirements to be
considered an eligible nonprofit. The documentation must show the nonprofit
experienced a negative economic impact from the pandemic, which is a
requirement of the US Treasury Final Rule to be an eligible for ARPA funding.
Review of the application form and information for applying at
Upper Darby Township American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) Application Portal is
highly encouraged to understand the criteria for applying.
“Could this grant be used for programs and events, specifically a murals art program and hiring staff, holiday assistance programs, and pride festivals?”
Answer: That would depend on the actual description of the program and whether the request for what the funds will be used for is an allowable, eligible cost under the federal uniform guidance. The federal uniform guidance spells out the allowable and unallowable costs for ARPA at eCFR :: 2 CFR Part 200 -- Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
“As a follow up, since financial records are not available for 2020 and 2021, a new 501c3 nonprofit will not be eligible, correct?”
Answer: The US Treasury’s Final Rule includes a restriction for funding under ARPA to an organization that was not in existence prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Would our fiscal sponsor apply on the project’s behalf if they are a 501(c)(3)? The fiscally-sponsored project provides services to Upper Darby Township residents.”
Answer: The fiscal sponsor is encouraged to apply and should ensure it meets the eligibility criteria and requirements of the grant.
“What does “Upper Darby would like to answer that question” mean? What is the forum in which Upper Darby would intend to answer those questions?”
Answer: This was a response generated by the virtual meeting platform that caused confusion for the presenters. Responses to questions asked at the February 22, 2023 webinar are being provided to all registered attendees via email and will be posted at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant
“The questions that you said Upper Darby would answer, will that be tonight?”
Answer: Responses to questions asked at the February 22, 2023 webinar are being provided to all registered attendees via email and will be posted at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant
“To clarify, if the nonprofit has the required documents minus the financials because they were formed after 2021, would they be eligible to apply?”
Answer: The US Treasury’s Final Rule includes a restriction for funding under ARPA to an organization that was not in existence prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When does Upper Darby plan to answer the questions as indicated? Will it be in a FAQ format or in another forum?”
Answer: Responses to questions asked at the February 22, 2023 webinar are being provided to all registered attendees via email and will be posted at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant
“Is the Township present in this meeting, or will they be present in the next Zoom meeting?”
Answer: The Township has a representative in attendance at these meetings.
“Will all attending get Upper Darby responses?”
Answer: Responses to questions asked at the February 22, 2023 webinar are being provided to all registered attendees via email and will be posted at www.upperdarby.org/nonprofitgrant
“Is there a certain percentage of awards that go to each category, for example food pantries, shelters, etc.?”
Answer: There is no cap by category.
