The Board of Selectmen (BOS) has announced plans to partner with The Guilford Foundation (TGF) to disperse $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. According to officials, the town entered into a subrecipient agreement with TGF, empowering the Foundation to distribute the federal funding.

ARPA funds are the realization of 2020 legislation that is providing 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,” according to documents distributed to municipalities by the federal government.

TGF, a philanthropic organization with the goal of enabling donors to contribute to projects and community initiatives, is optimistic about its partnership with the town, according to the Foundation’s Executive Director, Liz Petra. Petra said the agreement will allow funding, some of it long-term, to be distributed to a number of local nonprofits to provide critical resources to Guilford residents.

“The Guilford Foundation is incredibly honored to partner with the town to distribute these funds,” Petra said. “It makes a lot of sense because one of our key goals is to support local nonprofits and build relationships with them. We really pride ourselves on those relationships, so this opportunity to receive this significant influx of funding is really exciting.”

First Selectman Matt Hoey said that the Foundation’s reputation made the partnership an easy decision for the Board.

To read the entire Zip06 article, click here.