United Way of Dunn County (UWDC) is looking for local human services organizations whose efforts would be helped by some federal dollars.
UWDC is overseeing the distribution of $29,748 in federal funding intended to help local organizations meet the cost of providing basic food and shelter needs. About two-thirds of those funds come from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act pass by Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Completed funding applications must be received by noon on Thursday (May 28) to be considered. Additional information and application forms are available from Jennifer Thatcher, UWDC executive director, at jthatcher@uwaydunn.org.
A total of $18,699 comes from this year’s CARES Act funds and the balance is from the Emergency Food Shelter Program (EFSP) budget for the fiscal year that ends in June. The EFSP was first authorized by Congress in 1983 to furnish additional resources to local social service organizations that provide food, shelter and other basic needs in non-disaster related emergencies.
A local board of community volunteers will be responsible for reviewing applications from Dunn County emergency food and shelter programs and deciding how to allocate the funds. The federal funding is intended to supplement those programs in the county, for expenses incurred through all of 2020.
UWDC has been designated to provide administrative support for the funding process.
“These funds will provide much needed economic relief to help our applicant organizations meet the increased requests for basic need services,” Thatcher said. “With the involvement and support of the local EFSP board, we can promise these funds are put to good and immediate use in our county.”
To qualify for funding, an applicant must be a 501c(3) nonprofit or a governmental organization and have demonstrated its capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs in the county. It must also have an accounting system in place, practice nondiscrimination and – if it is a private voluntary organization – must have a volunteer board.
On the federal level, funding decisions are made by a national board chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It consists of representatives from the American Red Cross, United Way Worldwide and four Catholic, Protestant and Jewish groups that include human services agencies and activities among their concerns.