Fondo de Ayuda del Coronavirus del Condado de Seward Acto CARES

Seward County has worked diligently to design and implement a portfolio of recovery programs to most effectively utilize the $6,419,281.00 in allocated Coronavirus Relief Funds (“CRF”) made available to the County from the State of Kansas through the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. 

On September 17, 2020, the State of Kansas approved the County’s Direct Aid Spending Plan and provided approval for the County’s first set of reimbursement requests submitted by the County’s nonprofits and governmental entities. As part of the Direct Aid Spending Plan, the County was given approval to continue providing reimbursements for qualified, incurred expenses through its COVID-19 Reimbursement and FEMA Matching Program. 

The County is excited to announce the launch of three new programs and a continuation of the COVID-19 Reimbursement and FEMA Matching Program designed to meet the most immediate recovery needs of our community while helping to rebuild a more resilient economy. 

For a comprehensive overview of the portfolio of programs approved by the State of Kansas, please refer to Seward County’s SPARK Grant Recovery Program Overview Presentation. 

1. COVID-19 Agency Operational Relief Grant Program - PROGRAM ENDED 10/28/2020

As part of its strategy to rebuild the local economy, the County has established the COVID-19 Agency Operational Relief Grant Program is designed to meet the needs of the County's small businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. 

The Program provides grants to cover eligible COVID-19 expenditures made or planned through year-end 2020, including costs associated with operating losses, costs of "business interruptions and disruptions," and expenses related to public health actions for small businesses and private nonprofits.

In addition to supporting small businesses and nonprofits, the County will provide governmental entities, political subdivisions, and municipalities such as cities, higher education institutions, and school districts with grants to address the impact of COVID-19. 

For more information, please refer to the following program documents: 

• Program Overview
• Program Guidelines

If you have any questions regarding this program, please call (620) 604-5136 or send an email to agency@sewardcountyks.org.

2. Household Emergency Relief Program - PROGRAM ENDED 11/20/2020

As part of its strategy to support households impacted by the pandemic, Seward County has established the COVID-19 Household Emergency Relief Program (hereinafter, referred to as the “Program”) designed to alleviate burdens on the most vulnerable individuals or households experiencing financial crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Program provides funding for residents to pay up to four months of past-due rent, mortgage and utility payments, as well as, funding to cover the increased rent, mortgage and utility burden due to financial hardships caused by COVID-19 for up to two months. Further, given concerns about the cost of broadband, the County will also aid with covering the cost of broadband installation and / or up to four months  of funding to cover broadband services for LMI households.

This Program alleviates burdens on the most vulnerable individuals or households experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 and to provide greater economic security to residents of Seward County by: 

• Reducing the rent and utility burden on rental households and prevent homelessness for households impacted by COVID-19. 
• Mitigating the risk of homeowners foreclosing on their homes due to financial hardship caused by COVID-19. 
• Increasing the affordability of broadband access for Low and Moderate Income (LMI) households to improve access to telehealth, facilitate distance learning, and allow for remote work. 

For more information, please refer to the following program documents: 

• Program Overview
• Program Guidelines

If you have any questions regarding this program, please call (620) 482-6547 or send an email to household@sewardcountyks.org.

3. Response and Recovery Grant Program - PROGRAM ENDED 10/22/2020

This grant program is designed to help nonprofits, governmental entities, community organizations, businesses and healthcare providers to respond to and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and propose recovery initiatives that are right-sized for targeted relief of the communities served.  The County will prioritize program proposals that address Connectivity, Workforce Development and Childcare to help close these critical gaps in the community.

Program Overview

If you have any questions regarding this program, please call (620) 604-5136 or send an email to response@sewardcountyks.org .