MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Berkeley County Council has released guidelines for organizations hoping for a piece of the ARP A pie.
According to a release from the county, on March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP A) into
law. The $1.9 trillion Fiscal Recovery Funds package is intended to combat the COVID-19
pandemic, including public health and economic impacts. The Berkeley County Council is
scheduled to receive a total of $23,147,570 over two years to respond to the COVID-19 public
health emergency and its economic impacts.
At the May 12, 2022 meeting, the Berkeley County Council approved an amount not to exceed
$2.5 million of ARP A funding to be made available as grants to nonprofits that have faced
economic hardship resulting from or exacerbated by the public health emergency. Such grants
could include funds to cover a loss of earnings, decline in revenues, or impacts of cancelled
fundraising events during periods of closure or limited operations due to public health orders;
unexpected expenses related to an increased demand for services or mitigation efforts to contain
the spread of COVID; and/or other necessary expenditures related to the COVID-19 public health
emergency.
ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS
Berkeley County Council’s ARPA nonprofit grant program is designed to support organizations,
programs, and activities that benefit Berkeley County residents. Organizations eligible to apply
include nonprofits that are corporations, associations, agencies, or faith-based organizations with
a 50l(c)(3) nonprofit status under the Internal Revenue Service Code. For-profit entities and
individuals are not eligible.
Eligible organizations shall meet the requirements below:
• Serve Berkeley County residents or businesses;
• Be in good standing with the West Virginia Secretary of State; ~
• Applicant must be a 50l(c)3 non-profit organization;
• The non-profit must have been established long enough to have two complete tax filings
for years 2019 and 2020;
• The non-profit must provide Equity Information as required in the Application;
• The non-profit must submit the application, and all the required supporting documentation;
• The amount requested cannot exceed the amount of economic loss due to COVID-19 minus
any COVID relief grants that have already been received that are applicable to those costs;
• Demonstrate financial impacts directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This could be
due to an increase in services provided, an inability to hold fundraising events, loss of
revenue related to government-mandated shutdowns, increased costs for complying with
