City Commission approves slate of ARPA Community Grant proposals

MUSKEGON, MI (Aug. 8, 2023) – In allocating its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Muskegon City Commission has approved, at an August 7th meeting, $1.6 million to fund 21 community projects. The Commission awarded the funding to local neighborhood associations, non-profits organizations and small businesses to help support the public health and economic needs of residents most impacted by the pandemic.

The grants were awarded after a special citizen-led committee reviewed 60 applications for requests totaling $7.9 million.

The ARPA Community Grant Review Committee submitted a slate of recommended projects to the Commission that had a capital component and were designed to remove barriers to disproportionately impacted residents. Specifically, these are namely communities of color, people with disabilities, low-to-moderate income families and the elderly who have historically experienced difficulty to accessing such resources. In addition, the projects were reviewed in light of the City Commission’s Long-term Goals, 2022-2027.

The organizations receiving the ARPA Community Grants were deemed to be able to accomplish their stated projects within the federal timeline for spending those dollars and showed a history of collaboration with other organizations to provide services.

“The Muskegon City Commission is honored to have created this community grant program,” Muskegon Mayor Ken Johnson said. “I am confident it will help fund impactful, generational projects with lasting benefits for our residents. These one-time funds are a key ingredient to building a robust, resilient and equitable economy in the wake of the pandemic. We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of these projects reach all citizens.”

Of the 21 grant awards:
• Four were to neighborhood associations in the city.
• Eleven were to women- and minority-owned businesses or organizations
• Eight were to organizations providing direct benefits to community youth.
• Three were to expand access to new housing options for city residents.
• Twelve of the organizations received the full amount requested.

In addition to the 21 approved projects, a proposal from Pioneer Resources, Inc. is slated for approval by the City Commission pending completion of conflict of interest documentation. Current City Commissioner Rachel Gorman is a former employee of Pioneer Resources, Inc. Ms. Gorman was not involved in Pioneer's decision to apply, involved in discussions with either City staff or Pioneer staff concerning this project or involved in the discussion or decision by the City Commission concerning Pioneer's grant proposal.

A full description of the ARPA Community Grant program, listing of all applicants, the review committee’s recommendations and details of final grant awards made by the Muskegon City Commission can be found here:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://muskegon-mi.gov/documents/pdf/4543.pdf

For more information, contact
Muskegon City Manager Jonathan Seyferth
Jonathan.seyferth@shorelincity.com
(231) 724-6705