FAQs

 A financial statement shows you where a company’s money came from, where it went and where it is now and includes an Income Statement (aka Profit and Loss Statement), Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows.

Yes, you will be required to submit a 990-tax form.

A 990-tax form and annual budget will satisfy the financial statement requirements. You can submit them both in lieu of the audited financial statements.

This funding opportunity will open on Thursday, August 1, 2024 and close on Friday, August 30, 2024 at 11:59pm.

 After your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email that your application has been received. All applications will be evaluated for accuracy and eligibility.  This may involve communication from the Grants Management team to verify and/or gather additional information/documents for your application. After the review process, which could take up to 60 days, you will be notified of your approval (and for what amount) or that your application was denied (and the reason why).

No.

Adhere to the program’s terms and conditions, reporting requirements, record retention, and participation in Unite Us.

Nonprofit organizations registered as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) with the IRS in operation for at least 12 months prior to the application submission deadline. Organizations must have a demonstrated history of serving residents of Gwinnett County and meet the defined eligibility requirements.

 All applications requesting Capital or Operational Support within Gwinnett’s Nonprofit Capacity Building program must align with the County’s Human Services Strategic Plan. Funding will be awarded to organizations providing services within the following categories of need.

• Food Security
• Housing
• Health and Wellbeing
• Youth, Literacy, and Learning
• Cross-cutting Barriers to Access
  • Transportation
  • Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Services

Eligible applicants:

• Must be a private nonprofit organization (NPO) registered as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organization with the IRS in operation for at least 12 months prior to application submission deadline.
• Must have a demonstrated history of serving residents of Gwinnett County.
• Must attest to negative economic impact due to COVID-19.
• Must be an active participant in the County’s coordinated care and referral system, Unite Us, before contracts can be awarded.
• (For Operational Support Applicants Only)
  • The organization’s annual operating budget must be equal to, or less than, $250,000.
  • Commitment to participation in all program components.

COVID-19 affected nonprofit organizations in a myriad of both tangible and intangible ways. All applicants will be required to complete and upload a COVID-19 Impact Attestation Form with their application. Examples of how local NPOs were affected include: staffing and/or volunteer shortage, lost income/funding, a surge in requests for services/programs, and other (as defined).

Yes, but only for Operational Support. If your organization is applying for Operational Support, your annual operating budget must be equal to, or less than, $250,000.

Yes, the organization should have been operating for at least 12 months prior to the application submission deadline.

No

This opportunity is for organizations that impact individuals in Gwinnett County. A physical location in Gwinnett County is not required.

You are eligible to apply if a portion of your clients are residents of Gwinnett County.

A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, which is typically required to receive federal funds, is not a requirement of this grant opportunity.

No, they cannot. Because school systems are not eligible applicants, they are not eligible to serve as fiscal sponsors.

 No, for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply.

Gwinnett County knows faith-based organizations have an exception from the IRS and staff will consider your application eligible for consideration if your organization meets the other eligibility criteria.

Yes

Yes, but you must disclose those sources and amounts in your grant application and explain how the assistance was used. An NCB award may not be used to reimburse expenses already paid by previous grant money.

Please provide information regarding other grants that have been received. Do not apply for funds that duplicate what is already being covered by another grant opportunity.

Reimbursement to grant writers/consultants for the application preparation doesn’t align to the intended use of funds.

No. Neither the Operational Support nor the Capital Support applications require that the NPO has a full-time paid employee within their organization.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners allocated $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support Nonprofit Capacity Building. There is $4,550,000 that will be awarded to nonprofit organizations through the capital support program. The remaining $450,000 is dedicated to the operational support program in which $400,000 will be distributed among the ten awarded nonprofits and the remaining $50,000 will be utilized to support the training and technical assistance costs of the program.

Eligible nonprofit organizations can receive only one capital support award. We anticipate capital support awards to range between $3,000 and $100,000 depending on the funded project. Beneficiaries of the operational support program will receive a $40,000 operational grant.

Nonprofits selected to participate in the Nonprofit Capacity Building Operational Support program will receive a $40,000 operating grant. We anticipate recipients of the Capital Support program receiving grant requests that may range from $3,000 - $100,000. We will evaluate the range of requests and determine the appropriate grant awards levels. All awardees must demonstrate the capacity to deliver the program and meet the reporting requirements for the grant period.

Yes, Gwinnett County is prioritizing funding awards to small nonprofits/grassroots organizations. Organizations not aligned with the criteria below will receive 0 points for that scoring element. See the chart below.

1 point	3 points	5 points
Over 5 employees	3-5 employees	Less than 3 employees
Over 5 years in operation	4-5 years in operation	1-3 years in operation
Has received federal, state, or local government funding 3 times in the last 5 years	Has received federal, state, or local government funding 1-2 times in the last 5 years	Has never received federal, state, or local government funding
$200,000 to $250,000 annual operating budget	$100,000 to $200,000 annual operating budget	Less than $100,000 annual operating budget

 

 

Additional prioritizations for funding are identified below.

• 3 points to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Veteran, and other community-led organizations.
• 2 points for collaborative work with other local organizations.
• 1 point to organizations who provide complete demographic information on their staff and board of directors.
• 1 point for having a data collection system in place. Data collection does not mean the implementation of an extensive database. We essentially want to know if a nonprofit collects data and how they manage and maintain that process.

The Scoring Committee will be made up of representatives from the Grants Management Division in Financial Services, Housing and Community Development Division in Planning & Development, and the Health and Human Services Division in Community Services. The committee will focus on a commitment to objective scoring based on the predetermined scoring matrix and will utilize smart form logic within the GovGrants portal to rate question responses where applicable.

 Yes, eligible capital costs can be incurred beginning March 3, 2021.  If you are seeking capital support for a completed project you must ensure your request fully defines the capital need and the measurable impact these funds had on your organization.

Some placeholder content for the first accordion panel. This panel is show The award listing (anticipate publish at the end of October) will be accessible on the County’s ARPA grant webpage under the heading 2024 Cycle – Nonprofit Capacity Building: American Rescue Plan Act - Gwinnett | Gwinnett County.n by default, thanks to the .show class.

 By, or before, October 31, 2024.

Organizations will be notified by email on the acceptance or denial of their application by, or before, October 31, 2024.

An electronic Letter of Denial will be sent to the email address listed on your application. You have the right to review the decision and follow the Grievance Procedures included with your Letter of Denial to appeal the decision. You will have seven business days from the date the Letter of Denial email was sent to provide the required documentation for review. The following decisions are final and are NOT eligible for appeal: Funds depleted/Program end.

 Gwinnett County will manage the contracting and payment process for the Nonprofit Capacity Building program. All awarded agencies must have their legal representative execute the beneficiary agreement and attend the mandatory orientation to receive funding.

Yes

All nonprofit organizations should have established legal representatives who are invested with the authority to sign contracts and enter into agreements between the organization and other entities. These positions are usually identified in an organization’s bylaws and are typically board officers such as the Board Chair/President/CEO and the Secretary. In nonprofits, boards will also sometimes authorize the executive director to be a legal representative of the organization, typically with some restrictions. To execute a contract with Gwinnett County, an organization must have the contract approved by the Board of Directors, and it must be signed by authorized representatives of the organization.

All awarded agencies must be a registered vendor with Gwinnett County. For recipients of operational support, Gwinnett County will pay out $10,000 installments at the end of each quarter in 2025 – contingent upon their engagement with the required program components. For capital support, Gwinnett County will advance awarded funds to beneficiaries upon the review and approval of the appropriate support documentation identifying the cost details for the capital item being purchased.  Payment for advanced funds will be released within 1-2 weeks from the approval date.

You can register as a vendor with the county by visiting the Vendor Login/Registration page on the Gwinnett County website.

For capital support, identified costs should be supported by a purchase order (PO), contract, sales agreement, etc., that defines the planned use for the eligible cost. Each program’s reporting will require support documentation be maintained. This will be covered in more detail at the orientation workshop.

 5 years.