During the 2021 First Special Session, the legislature passed HB 1004 and appropriated $50 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to create a statewide grant program for local governments to complete local and regional ARPA eligible projects.

The state hopes to leverage ARPA funds by using both state and local monies on projects which will have high return on investment for residents.  An overview of the COVID-19 Local Assistance Matching Grant Program can be found here: https://gopb.utah.gov/localmatch/

The COVID-19 Local Assistance Matching Grant Program is open to applications from the following entities:

·       County

·       City

·       Town

·       Metrotownship

·       Local district

·       Special service district

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Per the legislation, a five-member selection committee, along with experts in ARPA eligibility areas, will review and rank each application for the Matching Grant Program. 

The Selection Committee members are:

1. Sen. Kirk Cullimore, Utah State Senate 

2. Rep. Carl Albrecht, Utah House of Representatives 

3. Sophia DiCaro, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget 

4. Cameron Diehl, Executive Director, Utah League of Cities and Towns 

5. Brandy Grace, CEO, Utah Association of Counties 

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EDCUtah’s Stephanie Frohman has been asked to serve as a subject matter expert for Economic Opportunities. The other categories are Housing, Water & Sewer, Broadband and Public Health. The Subject Matter Experts will be reviewing applications against the scoring matrix listed in the grant application portal. 

Some of the matrix criteria include:

The project has clear long-term benefits that are defined and measurable.

The project is innovative.

The project leverages other funding sources.

The project has a sound plan and budget.

The project benefits vulnerable populations that have been affected adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project does not create a funding dependency.

The project is a collaborative effort with multiple entities.

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Here’s more detail on the scoring criteria:

https://gopb.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021_08_16-COVID-19-Local-Assistance-Matching-Grant-Program-Guidance.pdf

Scoring

Points will be awarded to projects in a general category (75 points), and in project-specific scoring categories (25 points). In the case that more than one category applies to a project, the top scoring category will be used. The maximum number of points which can be awarded to any project is 100. Applications that select an “Other” category will be eligible for up to 25 points based on comparison to other projects.

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Webinar

GOPB is holding a webinar August 25 from 9:00 to 10:00 am. Details here: https://gopb.utah.gov/localmatch/

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