ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund

The ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund is provided through the generosity of Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners.

ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund

Pinellas Community Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our community by bringing together philanthropy and solutions to local issues.

In collaboration with Pinellas County government, PCF led the county’s nonprofit granting efforts to support capital needs in response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This project has been supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP4653 awarded to Pinellas County Government by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This granting effort utilized funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund has funded both simple and complex capital needs. Funding decisions were made through a competitive grant process, described below.

This program will be concluded by December 31, 2026 – a summary report will be available in 2027. All application windows are closed for this program.

Arpa Logo

Guiding Principles

The following principles were developed for and refined by the Pinellas CARES Nonprofit Partnership Fund experience, also led by Pinellas Community Foundation. They informed the entire ARPA process, from design to implementation and closeout.

PCF will exhibit transparency with all transactions from this fund while providing an opportunity for the community to observe and participate in our collective efforts.

PCF will share accountability with our grantees for the outcomes of this project and provide an opportunity to learn from both success and failure.

PCF will act with urgency to ensure funds are deployed to organizations in a responsible yet rapid fashion to meet critical needs without unnecessary delay.

PCF will ensure accessibility to nonprofits of a variety of sizes and abilities to ensure funds reach deeply into the community to provide the necessary support.

PCF will apply a lens of equity to deliberations and decisions to ensure the needs of our most vulnerable community members are addressed.

Grant Specifics

The ARPA Nonprofit Capital Fund was divided into two grantmaking tracks based on project complexity: Small Purchases and Large Projects. These grant tracks were not based on the cost of purchases and projects, but rather on the type of purchase or project being requested. Small Purchases were the acquisition of capital assets with a useful life of five years and did not involve modifications to real property. Large Projects were defined as acquisitions of or modifications to real property.

Both tracks included two application rounds – all four slates of applicants were reviewed by community volunteers in a public virtual forum. Each application round had its own request limits, evaluation process, and timeline.

Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations were those in existence for at least one year at the time of application, providing direct services to Pinellas County residents, and experiencing a negative economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded projects prioritized those that demonstrated a clear public benefit.

Sample Documents

Below are PDF versions of the applications and rubrics for each track.

Request Materials

Small Purchases Application
Large Projects Application

Rubrics

Large Projects Letter of Intent Rubric
Small Purchases Rubric
Large Projects Application Rubric

Grant Payment

Grants made through this process may be on a reimbursement basis. PCF will have some flexibility in advancing payment for small capital purchases if the organization can purchase the item within 30 days of receiving advance payment. Large project payment arrangements will be developed with the awarded organizations following a reasonable schedule.

Awarded Organizations

The below organizations were awarded after a rigorous due diligence and application assessment period. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners reviewed and ratified the list of awarded organizations.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please reach out to the PCF Grants team at gr****@********cf.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions below were collected during the application process and added to this page for transparency. The answers were accurate at the time of publication – all application windows are closed and there are no further opportunities for ARPA funding through PCF.

Fund Overview

The ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund is a Pinellas Community Foundation fund created by a nearly $18 million grant from Pinellas County Government meant to help with local capital needs of Pinellas County nonprofits. This fund allows nonprofit organizations to submit both small and large capital proposals.

These funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Congress designated a portion of funds go to local governments to help communities recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners then allocated a portion of funding to fulfill nonprofit capital needs.

Eligibility criteria for organizations are listed above.

The initial allocation is a total of $17.97 million. For round one, $2.25 million was earmarked for small purchases of $200,000 or less, and $10 million was reserved for more complex capital projects. Round two budgets will posted shortly.

You will also need to upload financial statements (audited if available), your organization’s most recent Form 990 and board-approved budget, and a current list of your Board of Directors. Your organization will also need to display a negative economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and may use fiscal documentation to do so.

Bids and estimates will be required for all Small Purchase and Large Projects applications in round two. For Small Purchases, two bids/estimates will be required if your request is under $75,000. If it over $75,000, you will be required to upload three bids/estimates.

Small Purchases

PCF frequently refers to small purchases as capital assets that one can move from one place to another. Examples of small purchases include but are not limited to: laptops, tablets, servers, vehicles, refrigerators, food service equipment, shelving, medical equipment, furniture, and musical instruments.

Large Projects

PCF frequently refers to large projects as capital assets and modifications that one cannot move from one place to another, and involve the acquisition or modification of real property. Examples of large projects include but are not limited to: HVAC and air filtration systems, building expansions, new building construction, door frame widening, resurfacing a parking lot, rewiring electric systems, and new bathrooms/showers.

Funding is limited to nonprofits serving the residents of Pinellas County, and any purchase or project must be put into use in Pinellas for the entirety of its useful life. If your organization chooses to submit an application, you will be required to give a brief history of your work in Pinellas County.

View a list of all the individual and nonprofit endowment funds held at PCF.

This fund does not provide financial assistance to individuals. If you are in need of financial assistance, please call 2-1-1 from your phone or visit 211tampabaycares.org.

Pinellas Community Foundation has over 50 years of experience managing assets provided in trust by the community. The Funds will be held in trust and checking accounts for the sole purpose of distribution under the guidelines which established the fund. Depending on how an organization’s financial status aligns with federal guidance, grant payment may only be provided on a reimbursement-basis. The funds will be transferred to the organization via check.

Yes. The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation, operates a loan fund that provides an interest-free, zero-fee loan to those who qualify.

Please note: PCF does not operate this loan fund, and all questions regarding the Fund must be directed to Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.

Grant committees composed of qualified community members will review all proposals and will craft recommendations that will later be sent to the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners for final approval. Committee meetings will be live-streamed, and organizations whose proposals are being reviewed by the committee will be invited to attend. Committee members may ask questions of applicant organizations, and organizations will have three minutes to respond to each question. There will also be time for public comment.

The rubric and criteria upon which applications will be scored will be made available before submissions are due. Most critical to a successful application will be the demonstration of a negative financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a clear public benefit that is to be derived from the proposed capital purchase or project. All proposals will also need to demonstrate the ability to sustain any increase in operating costs that result from the capital project or purchase

All submitted applications will be available for public review. Partially completed applications will be available upon request. Committee meetings will be open to the public to view. Minutes and recordings of committee meetings will be published within one week of the meeting.

Capital Projects

Since nonprofits are considered beneficiaries, this will be a full transfer and the federal government would not own the facilities funded. Any equipment or real property acquired using these funds shall vest with the awarded grantee.

PCF actively discourages requests involving capital campaigns that have not begun construction or do not have a concrete construction commencement date, as funding from the ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund is not meant to serve as a contribution to capital campaigns. ARPA funding may be used towards purchases and projects that an active capital campaign is aiming to support. For example, should an organization need a final $500,000 to complete a capital campaign for building renovations, a request may be submitted to this Fund to do so. All purchases and projects involving that $500,000 request must 1) repair a COVID-19 pandemic harm, 2) serve a public benefit and help resolve a community need, and 3) fit within the other evaluation criteria that will be released along with the application. Furthermore, all proposed small purchases and/or large projects must be able to be completed before the spending deadline of December 31, 2026.

Davis-Bacon does not apply per U.S. Treasury’s Final Rule; however, applicants should consider the risk involved in managing a construction project given prevailing wages in the current labor market. Since nonprofits are considered beneficiaries, requirements related to procurement and purchasing will be alleviated.

Note: if your organization requests ARPA funding to support a construction project that does require Davis-Bacon compliance, then Davis-Bacon standards are required.

A match is not required for either the simple or complex track. However, organizations that demonstrate a match may be prioritized in order to better distribute the available funding.

PCF intends to allow committee recommendations for partial awards provided such an award is proportional to the negative economic impact experienced through the COVID-19 pandemic and that such an award would still allow a purchase or project to be successful. Ultimately, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners retains final authority over recommended awards.

No. Your organization may still pursue other funding opportunities from both Pinellas County and Pinellas Community Foundation.

Yes. However, it is absolutely critical that an organization demonstrate that all ARPA-funded activities described in their proposal would be able to be completed before the spending deadline of December 31, 2026. If this is not feasible for your proposed project, your organization should not apply.

No. This fund is for new purchases and projects. However, should your organization have a large construction project underway and is seeking support for a phase of the project not yet started, your organization may submit such a request.

No. Your organization will be required to describe how any increase in operational costs will be absorbed and funded by your organization. An inability to demonstrate sustainability will negatively impact your funding request and most likely lead to a denial.

If your capital purchase has an accompanying option for an extended warranty or additional protection that may help prevent additional operating costs in the future, you may include the cost of that in your proposal’s budget. However, this must be a one-time expense.

The Federal government used Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) to quickly identify disproportionately impacted communities who could benefit from COVID relief in their interim rule. The ARPA Final Rule has been expanded, and Treasury now presumes the following households and communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic:

  1. Low-income households and communities [185% Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) or 40% Area Median Income (AMI)]
  2. Households residing in Qualified Census Tracts
  3. Households that qualify for certain federal benefits (such as SNAP and TANF)
  4. Households receiving services provided by Tribal governments
  5. Households residing in the U.S. territories or receiving services from these governments.

Organizations with their headquarters in a QCT and/or organizations that directly serve communities in QCTs will score higher according to the rubric developed for this program.

Organizations may also identify other disproportionately impacted groups. If your organization serves communities outside of a QCT who have been historically disadvantaged or are in a high-need area, then you will need to demonstrate their need and disproportionate impact in your application. Provided your organization thoroughly demonstrates this in its application, it will receive a higher score.

If you have any questions, please submit a technical support request and the PCF ARPA team will assist you in identifying if the communities you serve would be viewed as being disproportionately impacted.

If your organization needs assistance finding vendors to get estimates and/or bids for your grant request to this Fund, you can search in Pinellas County’s database of registered Small Business Enterprises (SBEs). PCF does not directly endorse any vendor in this database and is merely providing it as a search resource.

Application

Yes. Please see the Sample Documents section above to view the rubrics.

PCF is aiming to assemble a diverse scoring committee composed of Pinellas community members. Diversity will be based on geographic location, industry, personal identity, lived experience, and experience with nonprofits and/or capital projects. Applicants will meet committee members at the meeting in which their applications will be reviewed.

Applicants are forbidden from contacting PCF review committee members to discuss their applications.

Please see timeline for specific information about application and decision timelines.

Yes. However, each request will be evaluated separately, and all requests must be able to demonstrate how the purchase/project aims pandemic recovery and repairs COVID-19 pandemic harm. However, once an organization receives an award in a certain track, it cannot receive another. That is, you can only be granted one Small Purchase award and one Large Project award.

Because these funds are from a government source, PCF wants to ensure that this is a trust-filled and transparent process. Therefore, all applications are public, along with committee meetings and minutes from such meetings.

Not all negative economic impacts may reflect in your budget or books, especially if you have moved funding around to respond to issues that arose during the pandemic. You can also demonstrate negative economic impact if you had difficulty retaining staff, you lost productivity due to staff illness, or the volume of services drastically increased. You can share these details in your narrative. Data demonstrating productivity loss and costs due to increased service volume will strengthen your application.