CLAY COUNTY – The Board of County Commissioners Grants Department was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to capture its share of federal economic stimulus packages. Throughout the pandemic, which was the deadliest in U.S. history, Clay County suffered from over 67,933 confirmed cases and 352 deaths, according to USAFacts.

Industries struggled to transition to remote work. In response to the pandemic’s disastrous downtown on the economy, the federal government passed the largest economic stimulus relief in U.S. history.

The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act was signed into law by Pres. Donald Trump, a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package. ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) was signed into law by Pres. Joe Biden, an additional $1.9 trillion economic stimulus.

The BCC reeled in $38.2 million from CARES and spent it all in six months to fund public health projects. Next, the BCC got $42.5 million from ARPA.

Some of that money – $3 million in legislative matching funds and $2.5 million in legislative appropriations – was spent on the Clay County Regional Sports Complex, a one-of-a-kind complex in Northeast Florida that is already booked for a host of national soccer, flag football, field hockey, spike football and ultimate disk golf events.

The commissioners recognized the importance of taking advantage of these relief packages and other grants, so the grants management department was founded in 2021. 

Megan Covey now serves as the Grants Program Coordinator. 

“There was not a grants department (before COVID),” she said. “That responsibility fell across all the departments.”

With a dedicated grants program, other departments can take advantage of sponsorships and donations, which are additional functions of the grants department. 

The grants department says it is managing about $106 million in awards, with $37 million coming this fiscal year.

That is a significant figure. The grants department set a lofty goal of $100 million in funding in five years. So, it is safe to say the team is working ahead of schedule. 

Green Cove Springs and Orange Park apply for grants both directly and through the county. Keystone Heights  relies primarily on the county to disperse some of its winning state and federal bids. The county also works on behalf of nonprofits, helping to secure funding for programs like The Way Medical Center, Quigley House, Waste Not Want Not, Challenge Enterprises and Lake Area Ministries.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve actually diversified our grant portfolio,” said The Way Executive Director Don Fann. “The biggest challenge is grants are never guaranteed. You have to keep going, applying for more than you think you might need because you never know which ones you’re going to get.

“In addition to applying to state and federal, the county is also working on your behalf. The county has developed an excellent grant-writing capacity. They’re constantly looking for opportunities to access grant funds that aren’t accessible to the private sector. What the county is doing is a tremendous help going forward.”

Covey said her staff could think of funding sources years in advance because the county created a blueprint of future needs.

“I would say another thing that brought this together is the strategic plan the board just adopted in December. For grants, that has been wonderful,” Covey said. “That is our new roadmap. It sets the priorities and projects for what we’re looking to fund. We’re excited about the growth we’ve seen in the department over the past couple of years.

“And as we transition out of ARPA, we’re looking for other ways to fill those funding gaps and just keep the county moving forward on the right track,” Covey said. 

Easy dollars from CARES and ARPA are gone. Covey knows the competition to earn grants is more challenging as more local, state and federal governments scramble to fill budgetary voids.

“Frequently at the federal level, they may only fund the top 20% of applicants. And so one grant we’re particularly excited about right now is our Safe Streets For All Program through USDOT (U.S. Department of Transportation),” she said. “That’s our first competitive federal grant we received to put together a county-wide Safety Action Plan. That look at all kinds of different things like road signage, pedestrian walkways, sidewalks, and all kinds of things for emergency services.”

Don Coble contributed to this story.