In response to the severe storms that struck Lackawanna County in September, the Scranton Area Community Foundation is offering three distinct grant programs to assist Lackawanna County residents directly impacted by recent flooding events.
The programs are designed to respond to the hardship-related needs of 1) Individuals located within the City of Scranton; 2) Individuals located in Lackawanna County outside the City of Scranton; and 3) Lackawanna County Community Organizations & Small Businesses.
First, the Scranton Area Community Foundation is partnering with the City of Scranton to administer the City of Scranton Disaster Recovery Individual Assistance Program. This grant program will benefit individuals living in the City of Scranton who the recent flooding events have directly impacted. Starting Monday, October 30th, Scranton residents can apply for up to $5,000 per household to assist with immediate and critical needs and/or services to recover from flood damages. Awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. This grant program is made possible through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
In addition to the City of Scranton Disaster Recovery Individual Assistance Program, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has established two flood relief grant programs to support Lackawanna County community organizations and small businesses that are experiencing hardship from being directly affected by these recent flood events, as well as individuals impacted by the September 9th flooding events located outside of the City of Scranton in Lackawanna County. Both programs are supported by the Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.
The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund Grant Program for Community Organizations and Small Businesses will assist community organizations and small businesses located in an impacted flood zone within Lackawanna County that have experienced financial hardship due to the September 9th flood events. Grant funding from this program may be utilized by community organizations to directly support the hardship needs of individuals in the Lackawanna County flood zones, including costs involved in providing service on location to populations impacted.
The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund Grant Program for Individuals will assist Lackawanna County residents who do not reside in the City of Scranton who have experienced financial hardship due to the September 9th flood events. This funding fills in the gap for those not eligible for relief funding through the City of Scranton Disaster Recovery Individual Assistance Program.
The City of Scranton Disaster Recovery Individual Assistance Program began accepting applications on Monday, October 30th. Both Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund grant programs will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, October 31st. Applications for all three programs will be accepted through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s online grant portal. Individuals, community organizations, and small businesses may apply at www.safdn.org/flood.
The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund is currently accepting charitable donations, 100% of which will support those affected in Lackawanna County. Contributions to the Fund can be made online at https://scranton.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4598. Donations can also be mailed via check to The Scranton Area Foundation, 615 Jefferson Ave., Suite 102, Scranton, PA 18510, and made payable to “Scranton Area Foundation” with “LC Flood Fund” in the memo line.
For more information about the above grant programs, please contact Frank Caputo, Grants & Communications Coordinator at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.
