While the adage “good things come to those who wait” may work in some instances, nonprofit advocates know that the time to promote investment of American Rescue Plan Act resources in the work of charitable organizations is now. There is no time to wait, or the funds will be gone. That’s why state associations of nonprofits are aggressively raising awareness of the availability of funds, providing training and insights on promoting good ideas to government officials, and building relationships for meaningful impact. Here are a few more recent examples (others can be seen here, here, and here).
Our colleagues at the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) are encouraging nonprofits to participate in special ARPA Listening Sessions this week (September 7-10). The events are designed to generate feedback on potential business and nonprofit support programs directly from nonprofit executives, business owners, and community leaders. MANP is encouraging nonprofits “to attend, raise their voices, and amplify these guiding principles for investments!” Learn more.
Throughout the summer, the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands in Nebraska conducted a series of community roundtables on ARPA funds and have recently reported their findings. First they shared detailed notes from each session (1st Roundtable - July 26th; 2nd Roundtable - August 3rd; 3rd Roundtable - August 11th), which identify numerous challenges and solutions that are replicable around the country. They also created a Funding Principles Tool and produced Draft Recommendations in five focus areas: early childhood, food, health, housing, and workforce.
Finally, this past week the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits hosted a webinar presentation, "What NC Nonprofits Need to Know about Partnering with State and Local Governments." Panelists included a representative from the NC Pandemic Recovery Office, an official from a rural county who works closely with nonprofits, a child advocacy nonprofit, and the state association of nonprofits, who offered insights into trends in nonprofits’ needs. The overarching theme of the event was discerning ways that nonprofits can engage with their local governments to advocate for meaningful and equitable allocation of local ARP funds.
Readers are also invited to review the webinar recording, Investing ARPA Funds in the Work of Charitable Nonprofits | Promoting Nonprofit-Government Partnerships, to get answers to key questions from governments and nonprofits about effective uses of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
In addition to providing inspiring stories of advocacy in action, these examples offer insights and tips for generating community interest in APRA spending plans that benefit the people and communities nonprofits serve.