Receive update on American Rescue Plan Workgroups and obtain board direction on Community Benefit Grant Program concept. (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Will)

1. Receive update on American Rescue Plan (ARP) Workgroups; and
    
2. Obtain board direction on Community Benefit Grant Program concept.

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Background
On September 28, 2021, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the initial American Rescue Plan (ARP) Expenditure Plan, dividing the monies into four categories: Priority Categories, Priority Projects, Strategic Plan Implementation, and Other Uses. At that time, the Board directed staff to return with an ARP update once workgroups were formed and to present a draft framework for a Community Benefit Grant Program.

Over the past several weeks, staff from the County Administrator's Office have been developing staff and subject matter expert workgroups, which include a variety of organizations and individuals. Attachment A of this staff report includes a full list of ARP priority category workgroups, each workgroup lead, and the various organizations represented on the workgroup. 

ARP Workgroup Process
Each of the five (5)  ARP workgroups has held their initial meeting to discuss the scope and deliverables for their workgroup, with the universal goal to return to the Board with workgroup recommendations at the November 23, 2021 Board meeting. In the interim, staff anticipate convening these workgroups and will check in with the Board Liaisons appointed at the October 12, 2021 Board meeting. Once projects and procurement processes are determined and Board approval is secured, staff and the various workgroups will proceed with project implementation and will begin tracking project outcomes. Staff will provide additional detail to the Board at the October 26, 2021 Board meeting.

ARP Community Benefit Grant Program
In addition to the ARP workgroup process, staff is returning to the Board with an update on a concept for an ARP Community Benefit Grant Program (i.e. mini-grant program). The purpose of the ARP Community Benefit Grant Program is to allow for local responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that are nimble and transformative in nature. Whereas other ARP projects and priority areas may focus on Countywide efforts, this grant program would seek to enhance efforts within specific communities. The following details the initial framework staff has drafted for this proposed grant program. It is anticipated that following Board feedback on this matter, staff will return with a revised framework for approval, should the Board indicate interest in moving this process forward. Below are the key details of the proposed concept:
 
Grant Funding
Staff recommends up to $50,000 in funding be eligible for disbursement from the grant program per Supervisorial District, for a total of $250,000 in funding divided across Yolo County. A map of the Districts is available as Attachment B. Staff also recommends developing parameters for grant application requests, such as a range of $1,000-$10,000 (2%-20% of total grant monies per District) to ensure multiple opportunities for grant submissions within any given District. This would also ensure a feasible number of grant contracts for staff to manage.

Eligible Organizations & Activities
Like all ARP funding, all Community Benefit Grants would be subject to eligibility through ARP federal requirements and alignment with the Board’s Guiding Principles. Grant applications should fall within the scope of the approved ARP Expenditure Plan, focusing on those topics already approved by the Board. Successful grant applicants and activities will be those most closely meeting the above criteria. Please see Attachment C for the Federal requirements & Board Guiding Principles.
 
Application Review and Approval Process
This process is yet to be determined but should follow a parallel process to other Yolo County ARP/CARES procedures for consideration and approval.

Staff will presenting additional details on the proposed concept at the Board meeting on October 26, 2021 for Board direction.

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