FY23 Application and Guidelines now available!

Added focus on increasing workforce development

In March 2022 the Fiscal Year 2023 Town of Essex budget with $166,753 designated for Human Services Funding was approved by voters. As in previous years, the Town provides 1% of its annual budget to community agencies that align with prioritized focus areas of need for Essex residents.

The town’s distribution program was designed to provide a framework to support a human services contribution policy passed in 1987 that states, “The Town of Essex shall allocate one percent of its total General Fund Budget to fund human service organizations.” Many municipalities allocate funds each year to local nonprofit organizations. Essex has fine-tuned this annual allocation to prioritize benefit to Essex residents in specific areas of need. The program provides a process to determine the best way to allocate annual municipal contributions and is not a formal grant program.

Organizations must apply each year and a review team scores applications based on the overall benefit to Essex residents and how each program meets human needs and improves quality of life through knowledge, prevention, remediation, direct service, and improved accessibility.

The FY23 funding cycle will keep the existing focus areas with one new priority, “Increasing Workforce Development”. Organizations providing program services that support a sustainable workforce by increasing access to childcare, transportation, and training are encouraged to apply.

Visit www.essexvt.org/humanservices for more information and to apply online. The application period will end February 15, 2023.


The prioritized focus areas for this funding cycle include:
 
Access to Community-Based Resources as a Source of Support for Health & Behavioral Health eliminates barriers to essential health and human services for underserved and BIPOC populations.  These barriers include language and the lack of cultural understanding, challenges accessing telehealth, lack of reliable transportation, and increased out of pocket costs. 

Affordable Housing or Housing Assistance provides emergency shelter and/or homeless prevention services that keep people from losing their housing.  This might include short-term supportive housing options and home repair for Essex residents.  Program services will typically provide citizens with temporary housing until a more permanent living situation can be secured or provide an opportunity to obtain affordable housing for Essex residents falling below the median household income.

Child or Family Support for Healthy Relationships increases the ability to be successful in living a healthy, independent and productive life and eliminate barriers to equity such as a lack of a sense of belonging, harm from racism, and discrimination based on gender, religion, or disability.  Program services typically provide developmentally appropriate services for youth and/or emotional supports to a specified population and could include mentors and role models, family supports, violence prevention, counseling and guidance services that will result in increased skill and the ability to become self-reliant.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion provides support for initiatives to build diversity, equity, and inclusion into the community or for program enhancement to build diversity, equity and inclusion into nonprofit program services, operations, board recruitment and staff hiring.  Programs may be exploring ways to enhance access of program services to marginalized communities and/or offer culturally responsive services; promote diverse staffing or governance of programs; promote BIPOC business ownership; and/or support initiatives that build capacity.  Examples would be improved language access, transportation, stipends to assist with travel/child care needs in order to have accessibility, or shifting engagement to intentionally seek to include marginalized perspectives and experiences.

Emergency Food & Disaster Relief programs provide nutritious food and disaster relief to people in need.  Programs within this focus area typically have the ability to access culturally appropriate food sources and/or transport and/or distribute food and emergency assistance to Essex residents.

Increasing Workforce Development provides services that support increasing jobs that pay a livable wage and eliminate inconsistent income levels across genders or race and ethnicity, provides access to training for higher paying jobs, and better sustains the workforce by increasing access to childcare and transportation. 

 
Nonprofit organizations providing programs that fit into one or more of these focus areas are eligible to apply. Please note that organizations may apply for only one program this year. Multiple applications from the same organization will not be accepted.  For more information, please visit www.essex.org/humanservices.