License Plate Grant Funds Awarded for COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects

Funds to support local and regional recovery efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 19, 2020) – The Cape Cod Commission, on behalf of the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners and the Barnstable County Economic Development Council (BCEDC), is pleased to announce the award of $136,347 in grant funds through the Barnstable County License Plate Grant Program to support COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency projects.

The Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners voted unanimously to award the following six grants: 

• $25,0000 to Sustainable Cape: Center for Agricultural Preservation and Education to expand access to locally grown and produced foods
• $25,000 to Love Live Local for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund to provide economic relief to Cape Cod’s small business community
• $24,802 to Cape Cod Community College to develop the curriculum for the Massachusetts Community Health Worker program
• $25,000 to the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod to support Cape Cod arts and cultural organizations as they work to recover and reopen
• $11,545 to Cape Cod Young Professionals to support workforce retention and development through CCYP’s new Laser-Focused Coaching Program
• $25,000 to the Lower Cape Community Development Corporation to provide comprehensive business support to Lower-Cape based small businesses

The Barnstable County License Plate Grant Program, funded by proceeds from the sale of Cape Cod and Islands specialty license plates, is intended to support regional priorities for economic development and achievement of long-term economic diversity and sustainability.  This funding was made available to local or regional governmental or nonprofit agencies for projects that support recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic and resiliency to such impacts in the future. Projects proposed were required to address a documented impact of the pandemic and align with and support implementation of the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

Eighteen proposals were submitted in response to a Request for Proposals issued in June. The BCEDC recommended six proposals for funding, which were approved by the Barnstable County Board of Regional Commissioners.

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