Cheyenne nonprofits approved to apply for federal grants
Nov. 2—CHEYENNE — Every year, Cheyenne distributes federal funds to local nonprofits, and in 2024, the city estimates it will be handing out around $470,000 to the community.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of its annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. It is intended to support economic development, create opportunities for low-income individuals and support community development projects for infrastructure across the country.
Letters of intent have been submitted by local nonprofits for the two different types of grants in the CDBG program. They were all approved to apply at Wednesday's Housing & Community Development (HCD) meeting of the advisory council.
The HCD advisory council is made up of community volunteers who are appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council.
However, the city received more requests than the tentative budget allows for one grant, the public service grant, and may have a surplus of funds for the other, the general funds grant. The current budgets are not final and are estimates based on how much the city received last year.
Public service grants are intended to support services like child care, health services, education programs, substance abuse services, welfare services, etc.
HCD estimates it will have $65,000 in funds available for these grants. However, it received four applications from three nonprofits requesting a total of $81,000 — meaning there may be a $16,000 shortage. If all applicants maintain their request and funding is as estimated, then the advisory council will have to decide which programs to cut from.
Public service grants are always capped at 15% of the total funding to deter nonprofits from relying on federal funds for their programs.
General fund grants are focused on supporting building and rehabilitation efforts for housing. For 2024, the HCD received four applications from two nonprofits requesting $340,000 in grant funds. This would be $48,409 under the estimated $388,409 budget for the grant.
HCD program director-in-training Amy Gorbey said that the excess funds are left over from last year.
"I think it's important for the public to realize that we do have funds that exceed the applicants that we currently have," said advisory council member Wendy Soto. "So next year during our funding cycle, new applicants should be aware that we have this."
The intents to apply for the public service grant are as follows:
— Equal Justice Wyoming Foundation: $20,000 to provide legal services for low-income residents
— Needs, Inc.: $30,000 to provide food security for low-income residents
— Safehouse Services: $21,000 to provide utility assistance for the shelter
— Safehouse Services: $10,000 to provide emergency services for victims of domestic violence
If awarded, general service grants would fund the following projects:
— COMEA House: $75,000 to provide an upgrade to the men's dorm
— Habitat for Humanity: $65,000 to provide home rehabilitation for low-income homeowners
— Habitat for Humanity: $100,000 to provide for the acquisition of land
— Habitat for Humanity: $100,000 to provide for the acquisition and possible rehabilitation of a blighted property
When applications are due on Jan. 10, only COMEA and Habitat for Humanity will be eligible to increase their funding request to acquire the remaining $48,409 in general service grant funds.
The three separate applications from Habitat for Humanity will go toward three different programs. First is their critical home repair program, for which they have received funds in the past through this grant.
"People in the community apply (for the critical home repair program). Mostly seniors, veterans, folks that have accessibility issues, and maybe they need a wheelchair ramp. And the program really helps folks to age in place," Gorbey said. "So, they're doing critical home repair, not something cosmetic."
The second grant application is to purchase land to rehabilitate homes. Typically, Habitat for Humanity builds homes, but they are realizing that it is sometimes more cost-effective to purchase and rehabilitate a home. Families then go through the same application to move into this property.
The final application is similar, but worded slightly differently in case they need to use the funds for other purposes. They are still unsure if one home is salvageable and may need to use the funds for demolition if they cannot rehabilitate the property.
The duty of the advisory council is to determine if all these intents to apply for a grant qualify for the federal standards to officially apply for the grant.
"It's federal money, and it's coming through Housing and Urban Development," Gorbey said. "And they're very, very strict about what the eligibility requirement is."
But Gorbey is optimistic that all of this year's potential applicants will receive their funding.
"Unless the committee feels that a project really isn't serving the beneficiaries, like they don't feel they've made a good case for it," she said, "then I think that there's a really good chance that a lot of these organizations will get funded."
HCD won't find out its budget for the grants until mid-November, as it awaits Congress's approval of the 2024 budget.
The applications submitted in January will not be approved and distributed until April, after another comment period.
Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.
