The COVID-19 public health emergency resulted in significant economic hardships for many Americans. While the pandemic has affected communities across the country, it has disproportionately impacted low-income and minority communities, as well as, specific industries.
To help alleviate the impacts of the pandemic, the City of Wichita was awarded $72.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding in May 2021 from the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) and received $36.2 million in June 2021.
On December 14, 2021, the City Council allocated up to $10 million of the City’s ARPA funds for (1) Workforce Development and/or (2) Small Business Development Grants to help alleviate the economic hardships caused by the pandemic, specifically focusing on mitigating the resulting widening of equity gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.
On April 12, 2022, the City Council approved 15 grant agreements totaling $6,360,428 from round 1 and authorized staff to begin round 2 of the Workforce and Small Business Development Grant process. The City has allocated up to $3,639,572 for this round of applications.
The City received 23 grant applications for round 2, with 13 focused on workforce development and 10 aligned to small business development. The application requests totaled $11.8 million. On July 5, 2022, the City Council approved seven grant agreements totaling $3,583,063, leaving $56,509 unawarded. The unawarded funds are to be used as a contingency to resolve any situations in project continuity that may arise.
For further details on rounds 1 and 2 of the City’s Workforce and Small Business Development Grants, please navigate to their respective pages via the following buttons below.
