Lehigh County OKs nearly $1 million in COVID relief
Nearly $1 million went to dozens of local Lehigh County nonprofit organizations Wednesday after the Board of Commissioners’ approval.
The $904,000 in question came from the $72 million allocated by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and through the Lehigh County COVID-19 Relief Nonprofit Grant Program.
Board Chair Geoff Brace said County Executive Phillips Armstrong intends to bring forward additional fund awards through the grant program, though no timeline was available.
Frank Kane, the director of community and economic development at Lehigh County, said this additional money would go to agencies that have already applied but that it was too early to say which ones.
The organization which received the largest amount of money under this third round of relief funding was the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley at $150,000.
Carmen Bell, the director of healthy aging at United Way, helped the county administer the application process and said she was appreciative of the trust the county placed in her organization.
Bell said the $150,000 United Way received was not only to cover its own operating costs but also distribute some of the money toward other nonprofits in the Lehigh Valley.
Kane said the county received more than $7 million in application requests from 110 organizations.
Kane added the previous rounds of funding were considered when he and commissioner Ron Beitler were making recommendations for this round, with the ultimate goal of keeping the process fair while prioritizing the organizations with the most successful track records of helping local residents.
While much of the funding was awarded for COVID-related relief, grants were also awarded for homelessness prevention, mental health treatment and educational programs.
Organizations such as United Way, the LGBT Community Center and Syrian Arab American Charity Association received funding during the previous round in 2021 as well.
Here’s a look at all the organizations that received funding:
■ Allentown Art Museum Allentown Art Museum, $10,000
■ ArtsQuest, $25,000
■ Boy Scouts of America Minsi Trails Council, $15,000
■ Boys and Girls Club of Allentown Inc., $25,000
■ Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, $15,000
■ Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley, $25,000
■ Catholic Charities Diocese of Allentown $9,000
■ Cedar Crest College, $3,000
■ Center for Humanistic Change Inc., $1,000
■ Cetronia Ambulance Corps Inc., $25,000
■ Communities In Schools of Eastern PA, $3,500
■ Community Action Lehigh Valleym $25,000
■ Community Bike Works , $5,000
■ Community Fire Company of New Tripoli, $25,000
■ Community Services for Children Inc., $2,500
■ Emmaus Historical Society, $5,000
■ Family Promise of Lehigh Valley, $1,000
■ Fine Feather Foundation Inc., $2,500
■ Holy Family Senior Living, $25,000
■ I-LEAD Inc., $1,000
■ Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, $25,000
■ Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley, $25,000
■ Jordan Lutheran Church, $25,000
■ KidsPeace, $10,000
■ Lehigh Carbon Community College Foundation, $25,000
■ Lehigh Conference of Churches, $25,000
■ Lehigh County Historical Society Inc., $25,000
■ Lehigh Valley Zoological Society, $25,000
■ Lily’s Hope Foundation, $25,000
■ Miller-Keystone Blood Center, $25,000
■ Mother2Mother, $1,000
■ New Bethany Ministries, $25,000
■ Operation Address the Homeless, $25,000
■ PBS39 Keep Kids Learning in Whitehall Coplay School District, $25,000
■ PennState Extension, $1,000
■ Pinebrook Family Answers, $25,000
■ Resurrected Community Development Corp. James Lawson Freedom School, $2,500
■ Shanthi Project Mindfulness Programming, $2,500
■ Sights for Hope Escorted Transportation for Seniors with Vision Loss, $5,000
■ Syrian Arab American Charity Association, $18,000
■ The Baum School of Art, $5,000
■ The Century Promise, $5,000
■ The Children’s Center Volunteers of America, $3,000
■ The Greater Valley YMCA, $25,000
■ The Hillside School, $1,000
■ The Kindness Project, $5,000
■ The Neighborhood Center, $5,000
■ The Preventive Measures Foundation, $1,000
■ The Salvation Army of the Lehigh Valley, $1,000
■ Touchstone Theatre, $1,000
■ Treatment Trends Inc., $2,500
■ Turning Point of Lehigh Valley Inc., $25,000
■ United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, $150,000
■ Valley Youth House, $1,000
■ Via of the Lehigh Valley Inc., $25,000
■ Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, $20,000
■ VFW Egypt Post 7293, $5,000
■ Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, $5,000
■ YWCA Allentown, $5,000