Klamath County American Rescue Plan Grants

The following is a press release from the Office of the Klamath County Commissioners.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Klamath County Board of Commissioners will award grants using American Rescue Plan dollars sometime in late summer or early fall. The Commissioners have indicated they want input and a transparent and fair process for fund allocation.

Klamath County has received 6.6 million dollars, and is slated to receive an additional 6.6 million dollars next year. Those funds will need to be expended by the end of 2023.

“The US Treasury is still issuing guidance on how those dollars can be allocated, as such, we will wait through the month of June to ensure none of the guidance changes. Meantime, we are developing an application and grant process, once complete we will make information available, likely in July”, said Commissioner Derrick DeGroot.

Once crafted, all information and Treasury guidance will be available on the County’s website. The Commissioners will be holding public meetings pertaining to this process that will be livestreamed for maximum transparency.  Due to the unique nature of these dollars, the Board has decided to add an advisory committee to the process for reviewing the applications. Along with the Commissioners, the Board will ask the CEO of the Klamath County Economic Development Association, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, and will take applications for a citizen member to sit on the committee. The advisory committee will review applications and hear presentations from applicants deemed eligible (meeting Treasury requirements) before the Board makes the final awards.

“We want to ensure the process is fair for applying for funds and then that we get the funds into the hands of the entities that are going to leverage them for the maximum community benefit. We’ve talked about the importance of supporting some priority areas, namely economic development, housing, and community development”, said Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris.

“We know the community will want to be informed on where these dollars are allocated and have input in the process. Just like our annual County budget process, every piece of the process will be transparent. Input by the community is encouraged and welcome!”, said Commissioner Donnie Boyd.

The guidance that Treasury has provided thus far can be found on the County website at www.klamathcounty.org.