2023

ARPA Funding

The Guilford Foundation allocated $1 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to area nonprofits whose work and services impact the Guilford Community. This historic funding provides relief to charitable organizations that continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARPA Overview

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is federal legislation that provided billions of dollars to communities across the country as part of pandemic relief efforts. The funding is intended to “address the negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency.”

In November 2022, the Guilford Board of Selectmen (BOS) entered into a subrecipient agreement with The Guilford Foundation (TGF) to distribute $500,000 of ARPA funding to charitable organizations serving the Guilford community. Realizing the significance of the nonprofit community’s needs, the BOS increased the funding amount to $1 million in September 2023.

A process for the ARPA disbursement was established in early 2023.  An ARPA Review Committee was formed and included TGF Board Members, community representatives, and an experienced Connecticut-based ARPA resource.  Funding priorities were established: basic needs, strengthening the community, and mental health awareness, prevention, and intervention.

Over several months, the Committee thoroughly reviewed the 36 applications that requested a total of $1,966,504.  The TGF Board of Directors unanimously approved 34 awards for $1,000,000. Grants ranged from $5000 to $75,000, with 27 organizations receiving full funding.

Recipients were notified of their awards in December of 2023 and will receive their payouts in early 2024.

Our Role

The Guilford Foundation was chosen to lead the historic ARPA funding allocation because of its deep, long-standing relationship with community-serving organizations and its legacy of rigor and transparency in its grantmaking.

Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey told a report, “The Guilford Foundation is one of the trusted organizations on the shoreline in assessing the needs of nonprofits in Guilford. They were instrumental in getting COVID relief funding to individuals and families. In my mind’s eye, there’s no better choice.”

We’re proud of our role in the ARPA Funding disbursement. The federal funding will fortify the long-term sustainability of our invaluable nonprofit partners.

Read more about this milestone funding opportunity:

2023 ARPA Funding Recipients (Alphabetical Order)

APK Charities Corporation ($35,000)
BHcare ($30,000)
Central Connecticut Coast YMCA/Soundview Family YMCA ($25,000)
Community Dining Room ($35,000)
Community Nursery School ($52,000)
Faulkner’s Light Brigade ($26,000)
Guilford Agricultural Society ($30,000)
Guilford Art Center ($75,000)
Guilford Center for Children ($23,000)
Guilford Community Television ($37,000)
Guilford Fund for Education ($55,000)
Guilford Interfaith Volunteers ($75,000)
Guilford Keeping Society ($26,000)
Guilford Performing Arts Festival /GreenStage Guilford ($50,000)
Guilford Sailing Foundation ($5,000)
Junior Achievement of Southwest New England ($25,000)

Knights of Columbus Council #3928 ($10,000)
Legacy Theatre ($18,500)
Move to Heal ($15,000)
Neighborhood Music School ($20,000)
North Guilford Nursery School ($10,000)
Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center ($20,000)
Paul Dostie KARE Foundation ($15,000)
Read to Grow Inc. ($10,000)
Shoreline Arts Alliance ($18,000)
Shoreline Village CT (10,000)
Starship Dance Theater & Company ($35,000)
The Connecticut Hospice ($75,000)
The Cove Center for Grieving Children ($5,000)
The Dorothy Whitfield Historical Society ($26,000)
The Dudley Foundation/The Dudley Farm Museum ($26,000)
The Ethan Miller Song Foundation ($25,000)
Witness Stones Project ($7,500)
Women and Family Life Center ($50,000)