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Dear community,
We want to give a little update about our work at the Community Reinvestment Project (CRP).
Thank you for connecting with our work! Our team has been grateful to hear your feedback about how our programs are rolling out: both the good and where we can improve.
Starting in July, we will send out monthly updates about CRP programming, where money is being distributed, and how you can get involved. Thank you for your patience as we build out the program and co-create a safer Washington for everyone.
Here are a few updates we want to share with you:
Clarification about how our funding works
There is a lot of confusion in our communities about how CRP funding works. In short, our agency, the Department of Commerce, is partnering with non-profits, businesses, governments, and community partners across the state to get money into the communities most harmed by the war on drugs. Commerce does not give grants to individuals. We give grants to governments, organizations and businesses who provide resources for communities across the state.
By-and-for registration
We are excited to have received more than 800 by-and-for registrations in less than three months! Unfortunately, this means that it is taking longer to verify organizations. However, if you have applied to be registered as a by-and-for organization, please know that you are still eligible to apply for grants! Verification is not required to submit a grant application to CRP; it is only required if you are awarded a grant. We will verify your registration when we review your grant application, so please apply for funding that fits your organization and community's needs.
Grants for organizations
We have many grants open right now, for both businesses and non-profits rooted in or partnered with Black, Latine, and tribal communities. Individuals are not eligible for these grants - but there is support for you later on in this email!
The grants currently open are:
In early June, we will be launching our final grants of 2024:
If you want to learn more about these grants, please visit the Community Reinvestment Project page and get started today.
We are excited to read your grant application!
Grants for small businesses and individuals
In collaboration with our friends at the Employment Security Division and the Washington Workforce Alliance, we are rolling out two programs for under- and unemployed individuals and small businesses under one name. It's called Economic Security for All (EcSA), and you are invited to get in on the ground floor.
EcSA Career Accelerator Program – This program provides opportunities for under- and unemployed folks in Black, Latine and tribal communities to pursue their dreams and build collective power. If you or your family has been impacted by the war on drugs, you may have access to career training, financial coaching, support payments, and financial incentives of up to $1000. The goal of this program is to help give our communities a chance to make a living wage and achieve their goals.
EcSA Business Support – This program financially supports Black, Latine and tribal small businesses through the Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It provides assistance to small businesses in terms of workforce development, skill enhancement, organizational growth, and economic mobility. Support from this program could look like subsidized training your staff, purchasing equipment that your business needs, and subsidized wages, too!
If you are interested in learning more about the Economic Security for All programs, please check out our website or contact your local workforce alliance organization.
This summer, we will be highlighting our partners and sharing the resources you are asking for through our newsletter and our amazing friends at Converge Media.
That's all we have for now. Thank you for reading our email. We will be in touch soon. And as always, if you have any questions, we'll try to answer them as soon as we are able. You can reach us at crp@commerce.wa.gov.
Strengthening communities,
The CRP Team
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