The City of Tulsa and Tulsa City Council have finalized grants totaling $6.5 million to 74 local nonprofits helping with COVID-19 recovery.
The funding is going to a wide range of projects and organizations to help with things like food security, child development, housing, mental health, and prison and jail re-entry programs. Grants will be given through reimbursements, but City Coronavirus Relief Funds Program Manger Clay Holk said because it has taken so long into the pandemic to award funding, situations where money is needed up front will be considered.
"We do not want cash-flow programs for the organizations who have volunteered to undertake these projects to help Tulsans respond to and recover from the pandemic," Holk said.
The mayor and council had their work cut out for them in choosing recipients.
"The fact that we had so many organizations who were interested just indicates, I would say one, how good of a job I think we did at really getting the word out there, and two, how eager organizations are to help in this kind of extraordinary time. And so, I am very excited that this — this funding is going to do a lot of good," Holk said.
Service areas receiving the most funding were food security and child development, with more than $1 million in total awards for nonprofits in both categories.
The single largest award of more than $318,000 went to multifaith homeless assistance nonprofit Family Promise. A full list of awards is available online.
The grant program is funded by federal COVID-19 relief funds the city received from the state in August 2020 to help residents affected by the pandemic. Grant recipients were considered on their project description, a timetable and budget of the proposed project, and a description of how the project would impact residents from traditionally marginalized groups or disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
