The city of Grand Junction allocated $250,000 in funds for Hunger Relief last month to help Grand Junction nonprofits respond to the sustained increase in demand for food assistance resulting from the extended economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The #GJStrong Fund grants are available to nonprofits that provide hunger relief efforts to meet the ongoing demand for these services from people who have reduced income, lost jobs/hours or otherwise been impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants are available through the Western Colorado Community Foundation and the deadline to apply is Feb. 22.
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The Grand Junction City Council voted at its Wednesday meeting to appropriate $1 million in grant funding to help local small businesses and nonprofits that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1 million, plus administration fees, will be split into three programs, Finance Director Jodi Welch said. Two programs will be similar to COVID-19 relief programs the City Council authorized in 2020. One will provide $500,000 in assistance to small businesses and be administered by the Business Incubator. The other will provide $250,000 for nonprofits that are focused on hunger relief and be administered by the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF).
Much of the discussion was regarding the third program, which is a new proposal. It will likely go to support operations for nonprofits more generally. However, Council Member Anna Stout said the criteria for what nonprofits would be eligible and how the program will be administered is still under discussion. Stout has been me
The Grand Junction City Council is looking ahead at the possibility of more local assistance to small businesses and nonprofits in 2021 as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to hurt the economy.
Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce President Diane Schwenke spoke to the Council at its Monday work session and highlighted results from a recent survey of her members, which showed businesses are concerned about the future.
Schwenke said the chamber has done member surveys since the start of the pandemic to track how businesses have been affected and what the concerns are of the owners. She said about 45% of respondents said their businesses have seen a significant negative impact. However, she did say about a quarter have seen no impact or seen their business improve.