Task Force report names recipients of “Assistance for Non-Profit Organizations” grants and amounts awarded

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 2022 COVID-19 Task Force Operations financial report provides names and amounts awarded to twenty-two local non-profits organizations that are recipients of the “Assistance for Non-Profit Organizations”. The total amount of $4.5 million was funded through the territory’s share from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

According to the report, Hope House, received the highest financial award at $2.9 million, while CCCAS-Kanana Fou received the 2nd highest amount of $250,000, while CCCAS-Nua & Seetaga received $175,000.

According to the report, CJPA is currently completing the MOU and funding agreement process so payments can be made in accordance with the program guidelines. (See screen shot from the report for details on the list of non-profit organization recipients and their award amounts published together with this story.)

As previously reported by Samoa News, CJPA was last year designated as the ASG agency to oversee this program, which is intended to help these nonprofit organizations get back on their feet if they've been put on hold due to the pandemic and sustain their services in hopes that it will eventually lead to enhancement of their services provided.

The Governor’s State of the Territory Comprehensive Report in January this year to lawmakers noted that the selection of awardees came from the pool of applicants eligible for this grant funding per requirements set by ASG’s ARPA Oversight Office.

Their proposals were put through a competitive selection process that was both reviewed and approved by a panel of ARPA-NAP board members.

And a total of twenty-four applicants submitted applications and proposals. Out of the 24, twenty-two of them were found eligible and approved for funding.

“It is our hope that these funds will alleviate some of the financial struggles that they are enduring,” CJPA said in the Comprehensive Report and cited as an example of the projects— renovations to a new wing of a facility that serves terminally ill patients whose families cannot provide the intense 24-hour care themselves. (See Samoa News online Jan. 23, 2023 for details.)

The Comprehensive Report, however, didn’t provide the names of the awardees or the grant award amount, until now – with release of the COVID financial report.