Arapahoe County will award $1,679,414 for its annual Aid to Agencies grant program, which provides funding for eligible non-profit 501(C)(3) or 501(C) organizations that meet the application criteria and serve the County’s at-risk and underserved populations. With an additional infusion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the County will provide a total of $1,844,414 to these agencies for 2022.

The Aid to Agencies program has undergone a review during the past year to align it more closely to the County Board of Commissioners’ new strategic plan. The updated grant program refocuses the County’s limited resources on behavioral and mental health, homelessness, seniors and domestic violence services. The Board approved more than 25 applications in these areas, in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $300,000 per grant. Among the approved agencies in the program are AllHealth Network, Aurora Mental Health Center, Family Tree’s GOALS and House of Hope programs, Nourish Meals on Wheels, Gateway Domestic Violence Services and the South Metro Community Foundation.

In addition to the competitive grant program, annual funding will be provided to nine agencies that supplement the County’s existing safety net services, with funding caps and stricter reporting requirements around how funds are being used. The new methodology will ensure that grant funds are being used in the most fiscally responsible way while continuing to support the existing safety net. It also fosters more competition among new applicants, improving accountability to better know how these funds are being used for the County’s support of local non-profits.

“Our Aid to Agencies programs is one of the most efficient and productive methods the County has to get much-needed assistance to the organizations in our communities that are making a difference,” said Arapahoe County Board Chair Nancy Jackson. “From mental health to food and housing to domestic violence and other societal issues, these professionals are on the front lines of addressing our communities’ most pressing needs, and this year we’ve added even more controls to ensure that this relief is going to the right places in a timely manner.”

Approved awards will be available beginning in January, and all applicants must re-apply annually. For more information about this program, visit our website.