Good afternoon/morning.

Passing along some updates from the National Council of Nonprofits that may be useful to state associations and some of your libraries.

https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=2847

More States Open Grants for Nonprofits

As states begin spending Coronavirus Relief Funds from the CARES Act, nonprofits are starting to see positive results. Grant opportunities previously announced in Alaska and Tennessee are now open to nonprofits for economic relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Energize Colorado initiative opened loans, grants, and other financial relief programs for nonprofits, small businesses, women-owned businesses, disaster relief, rural-based businesses, and more. The North Carolina Job Retention Grant provides up to $250,000 for operational purposes and North Dakota grant programs provide funds for economic resiliency and technical skills training for for-profit business and nonprofits, respectively. One of three new programs in Oklahoma City provides financial resources for COVID-19 assistance specifically for nonprofits. Two other programs focus on small business continuity, including nonprofits, and arts and cultural programming in the city.

In Connecticut, the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance received a letter from the Office of Policy and Management clarifying the state’s intentions on disbursing Coronavirus Relief Fund funding to community nonprofits. Nonprofits were not originally included for access to the monies from the fund. “We are pleased to report that OPM will be disbursing $125 million in relief to community nonprofits through the CRF to support uncovered expenses as long as they are not also covered as part of the PPP,” wrote The Alliance’s President and CEO Gian-Carl Casa in a statement. “This news comes after weeks of unrelenting advocacy.” 

Forgivable Loans for Nonprofits

[log in to unmask]" align="right" hspace="6" vspace="6" alt="Forgivable Loans for Nonprofits" title="" style="width:1.4375in; height:1.9583in">Embedded in the negotiations over a COVID relief bill are proposals to renew, alter, and/or expand the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that provided lifeline loans to many but not all charitable organizations. The House-passed HEROES Act includes access to PPP loans for nonprofits of all sizes. The HEALS Act in the Senate proposes a second PPP forgivable loan opportunity. The RESTART Act in the Senate and House would count the number of employees more equitably and improve on maximum loan amounts. While each set of proposals contain some of the essential priorities identified by charitable nonprofits, significant revisions are needed before a program would work for most organizations. The National Council of Nonprofits developed a resource for understanding and advocating in support of forgivable loans: Charitable Nonprofits, Forgivable Loans, and Legislative Proposals.

Regards,

Megan

Megan Murray Cusick, MLIS

Assistant Director, State Advocacy

American Library Association

225 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1300

Chicago, IL 60601

312.280.2423

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