grants

Talbot County to Open New Grant for Nonprofits on June 4

May 28, 2021 by Spy Desk

Talbot County will begin taking applications on June 4 for a new grant program aimed at helping nonprofits that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but have not yet received assistance from other programs.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) received $20 million in Maryland Recovery NOW Funds via SB496 that is being distributed to local governments to make grant awards to local nonprofits. Talbot County will receive $123,000 to distribute locally.

Grant recipients may use the money to offset business losses caused by the pandemic. Qualifying expenditures include:

Expenses that occur in the ordinary course of business such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, and payroll.
Purchase of equipment related to programs that assist underserved Maryland populations.
Program development and training costs.
Business materials or inventory.
Sanitizing supplies for use by employees and customers.

Priority also will be given to those nonprofits that are focused on the economic recovery of Maryland communities and on the health and human services and housing of underserved Maryland populations.

The deadline for applying is June 25. Grant funds must be distributed by September 1 and may be used for expenses incurred through December 31, 2021.

OTHER TALBOT COUNTY GRANTS

Lodging and Accommodations COVID-19 RELIEF Grant Program

Hotel, lodging, and accommodation businesses are among those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help those facing continued financial impacts, Talbot County has received additional funds for a third round of funding. Businesses that opened before November 1, 2020 are now eligible. Deadline to apply: June 11.

Online Sales and Telework Assistance COVID-19 RELIEF Grant Program

Though Talbot County’s allotment for this grant program is just $3,082, these funds will be used to support small businesses seeking to expand online sales and teleworking capabilities for their employees. Deadline to apply: June 11.

Talbot County Restaurant and Caterers COVID-19 RELIEF Grant Program

To support Maryland restaurants facing continued financial impacts from the coronavirus pandemic, Talbot County has received an additional $135,635. A number of new qualifications apply, which require applicants to self-certify specific financial data. Deadline to apply: June 11.

The Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Talbot County Finance Office together are administering these programs. Guidelines and applications are available at TalbotWorks.org. For more information, call 410-770-8000.

Talbot County Approves Final CARES Grant Allocations

December 9, 2020 by Spy Desk

On December 8, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp appeared before the Talbot County Council to seek approval for the final allocations of the County’s CARES Act funding.

This comes as jurisdictions around the country race to spend the last of the federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Talbot County, though, is steadily working the recovery plan it set in motion in May 2020.

“We don’t want to send back any money that would benefit our citizens,” says Council President Chuck Callahan. “Our team has worked hard to make sure that we have distributed the money where it is needed in our community — to the most vulnerable among us and directly to the business community.”

Early on, Talbot County appointed an executive team to oversee the distribution of funds.Members include Councilman Corey Pack, County Manager Andy Hollis, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp, Finance Director Angela Lane, and Health Officer Fredia Wadley, M.D.

Of the $6.4 million allocated to the county, $3.2 million was earmarked for the Talbot County Health Department to use for public health initiatives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The balance was to be spent by the Talbot County government for expenses directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the initial plan, the executive team allocated $1.2 million for a business grant program and another $1.2 million funded the county’s individual assistance program.

Additional funds were set aside for the Emergency Operations Center and Emergency Services to make substantial PPE purchases, to cover sheltering for emergency personnel with COVID-19 exposure, and to cover costs related to providing food to those in need. The balance was held in reserve for other expenses.

“Our executive team has helped us find true north when there were decisions to be made,” says Stamp. “We designed a plan that allowed us to both meet the needs of our citizens and be flexible enough to respond to unexpected needs.”

As December 30 and the end of the grant period approaches, the county’s CARES executive team finalized its plan for spending the estimated balance of funds in a way that maximizes the response on behalf of county residents and complies with the grant terms.

The proposal includes the following:

• Hazard pay for public safety employees for the period Talbot County was under a State of Emergency (March 16 – June 30, 2020) – $367,000

• Grants to volunteer fire departments of up to $30,000 per department for their preparedness response as they continue to serve amid the pandemic – $190,000

• Mobile triage unit for Emergency Services to support the emergency public health response and vaccine delivery – $158,000

• Emergency assistance to Neighborhood Service Center for retention of a COVID-19 assistance staff position if state funding cut is made in CY20 – $5,000

The proposal also recommends the reallocation of funds in underused line items. Those expenditures include:

• Additional funding for small business grants to address unmet needs among county businesses and nonprofit organizations – $250,000

• Distribution of free holiday meals and small grants to the five standing food pantries in the county, as well as facility use cost to Easton Elks Lodge #1622 for mobile pantries -$53,000

• Mental Health First Aid care for Emergency Services personnel – $9,000

Finance Director Angela Lane notes that the proposed plan is based on projections with the final distribution from the Individual Assistance Program including child care assistance being highly variable. During the fall, the Department of Social Services was only receiving 12 applications per week. They are now receiving 17 applications per day, which represent varying levels of financial need.

The county council unanimously supported the distribution of the remaining funds and voted 5-0 to approve the plan.

Last Chance to Apply as Talbot County Allocates More Funds for CARES Grants

December 5, 2020 by Spy Desk

Those businesses and nonprofit organizations that have not already received a grant of up to $10,000 from the Talbot CARES Emergency Relief Small Business Grant program have one last chance to apply.

“Talbot County has reinvested more than $1.1 million of its CARES funding into the business community,” Cassandra Vanhooser, director of the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said in a statement. “With the files we currently have under review, we are on track to distribute the entire $1.2 million allocated for small businesses by the first week of December.”

By law, funds from the CARES Act must be distributed by Dec. 31. Unused funds must be returned to the State of Maryland.

When county officials recently tallied receipts, they realized that not all of the money would be spent by the deadline. Vanhooser advocated for some of the money to be transferred into the grant program for small businesses.

Additional Grant Funding Available

“I get calls almost every day from business owners asking for assistance, and I was having to tell people that our money had been distributed,” Vanhooser said. “Thankfully, we were fortunate enough to receive an additional $250,000 of the money the county received from the CARES Act.”

Any business or nonprofit with less than 50 employees that hasn’t yet received a grant and can show a 25% loss of revenue caused by COVID-19 is eligible to apply. But the clock is ticking.

If you are planning to apply, you must act quickly. The department began accepting new submissions online Nov. 30. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 5 p.m. Dec. 11. Every file is dated and time stamped and will be considered in the order received.

The requirements are fairly straightforward, Vanhooser said. But it is absolutely essential that anyone who plans to apply have complete financial documents ready before they apply.

Application Requirements

Businesses must be in good standing with the State of Maryland, and they must not owe any taxes. In addition, businesses must submit the following:

• a completed application;

• comparative monthly profit and loss statement for 2019 and 2020;

• most recent business tax returns; and

• a signed W-9 IRS Form

Grant recipients may use the money to offset business losses caused by the pandemic. Qualifying expenditures include rent or mortgage payments, utilities, inventory, personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning protocols, and upgrades designed to limit person-to-person contact. Each business that receives a grant must also submit a final report detailing how it spent the funds.

“This money has an expiration date,” County Council President Corey Pack said in a statement. “Talbot County has until Dec. 30 to disperse the remainder of the CARES funding. We encourage any business that still needs assistance and has not yet applied to get their application in as soon as possible.”

The Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Talbot County Finance Office together are administering the program. An online application form can be found at TalbotWorks.org, along with information about other business resources. For more information, call 410-770-8000.

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