Clearwater offers $3.15M in COVID relief grants through Feb. 15

Clearwater nonprofits and service providers can now apply for $3.15 million in grants from the city’s federal COVID-19 relief funding through Feb 15.

Earlier this year, the City Council split the $22.4 million it received from the American Rescue Plan Act into a dozen broad categories.

The categories included three grant programs that qualified groups and individuals can apply for by visiting myclearwater.com/ARPA. The city will offer in-person training on how to apply for the grants and upload documentation from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 11 at the North Greenwood Library, 905 N Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The programs will provide:

• $750,000 for grants and partnerships to mitigate learning loss. This program is open to nonprofits and stakeholders serving residents or students who attend schools in Clearwater.
• $1 million for nonprofit cultural affairs to support projects related to cultural exhibits, performances, educational programs or events within the city.
• $1.4 million for North Greenwood Community grants. The money will support programs serving youth and adults who live or work in the area bounded by Sunset Point Road on the north, Kings Highway on the east; Palmetto Street/CSX Railway/Jones Street on the south; and North Osceola Avenue/North Fort Harrison Avenue/Clearwater Harbor on the west.

The City Council also allocated $3.3 million for affordable housing needs. Those funds will be made available through grants and loans on a continuing, non-competitive basis for homeowners, homebuyers and residential developers of affordable and workforce housing, according to a news release.

The funds will allow the city to expand the existing affordable housing program to include emergency repairs and rooftop solar installations, the release states.

“The American Rescue Plan Act funds are a lifeline to individuals and organizations that continue to struggle from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” City Manager Jon Jennings said in a statement.

In September, the council also allocated $250,000 to the city’s chamber of commerce, Amplify Clearwater, to support the creation of a business incubator.

And this month, the council approved a contract for Pinellas Community Foundation to distribute $1 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds for housing and social service needs. It includes $250,000 to support residents affected by the upcoming closure of the Capri Mobile Home Park.

The council agreed to further discuss the balance of Pinellas Community Foundation’s spending at a work session on Jan. 9.

The remaining spending categories approved in August include:

• $5 million for start-up funding for the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Agency
• $3.5 million for fiber upgrades and broadband connectivity
• $2.35 million to reimburse the city for business grants and employee premium pay given during the pandemic
• $2 million for streets and sidewalks
• $2 million for solar panels for city facilities
• $700,000 for improvements to State Street Park
• $625,000 for an information hub at the Main Library