Program Overview
The nonprofit sector is a critical link to providing Coronavirus Communication & Outreach to educate all Riverside County residents and business owners to take public health precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
To achieve this goal, the County of Riverside has partnered with Reach Out to provide intermediary services to regrant funds from CARES funding to nonprofit 501(c)(3), community-based organizations that serve hard to reach communities that are more likely to be impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Funds will be available to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations located in Riverside County, and that are able to reach target populations including youth 12-25 years old, Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islanders, Latinx, Black/African American, LGBTQ communities, farmworker/agricultural communities, hospitality workers and others.
Nonprofits who are funded under this grant will need to commit to fulfilling ALL of the following three activities:
- Social Media Campaign – Promote a campaign to have residents create a 30-second PSA (public service announcement) that promotes public health precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19. Encourage residents to participate in this campaign using the nonprofits’ connections, and based on core messages provided by this grant.
- Residents of Riverside County will have the opportunity to create a 30-second video with one or more of the three simple steps to protect themselves and loved ones from coronavirus.
- As an incentive, Riverside County will advertise of the winning videos.
- Entries may be from students, adults, community-based organizations, schools, businesses, etc.
- ACTION: Grantees will promote the social media campaign through their agencies’ channels at least 2 times per week.
- Promote the Health Ambassador Program to amplify the public health messages among the same populations.
- Community members (Ambassadors) will be given the opportunity to create and use art and creative expression to promote the three simple steps to protect themselves and loved ones from coronavirus. Weekly prompts will be provided.
- Entries to the Health Ambassador Program can include, but are not limited to, original inspired artwork, photography, music, etc.
- Winning art entries will be displayed in a place of honor frequented by the community, played on the radio or featured in newspaper or magazine ads.
- If a physical entry from within the constituency of the nonprofit is selected as the winner of a weekly contest (e.g., a painting or statue), the grantee may be requested to transport the artwork to the County-designated location.
- ACTION: Grantees will promote the different prompts 2 times per week, each week to their constituencies utilizing all communications channels available through their agencies.
- Distribute face coverings/masks to community members.
- Each grantee will receive face coverings/masks through a drive-through distribution in their subregion.
- ACTION: Grantees will distribute the face coverings/masks to their clientele, constituents, families, youth, and seniors.
The 3 Simple Messages
- Wear a face covering
- Keep 6 feet of distance from others
- Wash hands regularly
Grant Amounts
- Nonprofit agencies may apply for up to $7,500 per established physical office location, with a maximum grant amount of $15,000.
Applicant Requirements
- Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) with physical location(s) in the County of Riverside. IRS designation letter must be submitted with the application.
- Disbursements will be made through Direct Deposit; therefore, the applicant must be able to provide Direct Deposit information at time of contract signing.
- Applicant must submit a completed W-9 form at time of contract signing.
- Applicant must designate a single point of contact for their agency who will receive and respond to all communications in a timely manner.
Disbursement of Funds
Successful applicants will receive 80% of the funds upon execution of the contract documents. The remaining 20% will be disbursed when all reporting requirements are completed. All distributions will be made through direct deposit/electronic fund transfers.
Budget
Applicants will be required to submit a simple budget form as part of the application. Budgeted items must align with how the applicant will utilize the funds in support of the RFA goals. A maximum of 15% in indirect costs may be included in the budget total.
Project Schedule
- All project deliverables and reporting must be completed by November 30, 2020.
- Grantees must also demonstrate that the weekly social media and outreach efforts have been completed within the expected timeframes.
- It is expected that most of the Social Media and Health Ambassador Program activities will be accomplished in August and September of 2020. Some grant activities will continue through October and November.
- Grantees are encouraged to distribute face coverings/masks in the most expeditious manner possible.
RFP Timeline and Review Process
Applications will be accepted starting August 12, 2020 through August 27, 2020 at 6:00pm Pacific Time. All applications must be submitted through the online portal at https://bit.ly/31GIers
A portion of the grant funds will be awarded through a noncompetitive process to expedite distribution of funds to agencies that have exhibited rapid response and reach to the target populations during the pandemic. The priority is to coordinate a coronavirus communications campaign marketed to hard to reach communities to raise awareness and enlist participation in public health measures related to COVID-19.
Data & Evaluation
All grantees will be required to report data WEEKLY and participate in evaluation activities coordinated through Reach Out. A simple reporting portal will be used for the weekly reports and should not take more than 10 minutes per week to complete.
Accessing The Application
The application is available down below for your convenience.
Point of Contact
Questions regarding this funding may be directed to [email protected]