Mayor W. Reed Gusciora announced the City’s next phase of its American Rescue Plan program including two funds of $2,000,000 each; one for not-for-profit projects and one for small, for-profit businesses.

“On March 11, 2021, the White House announced that President Biden had signed into law the historic American Rescue Plan (ARP) — a $ 1.9 trillion economic stimulus and aid package aimed at addressing the impact of COVID-19,” Mayor Gusciora said. “We were thrilled when we learned that the City of Trenton had been awarded almost $73 million in direct ARP funds – $36.5 million was distributed to the City in May 2021, and another $36.5 million was received in early June 2022.”

“While the receipt of the ARP funds is without doubt a ‘good problem’ to have, determining the most appropriate uses has been formidable,” Gusciora noted.

Although the specific projects have evolved, we are consistently focused on 3 primary goals – (i) building youth and neighborhood resilience; (ii) transforming aging infrastructure; and (iii) investing in local jobs and businesses. With an eye towards these goals, Phase 1 of Trenton’s ARP Plan focused on solutions that will have long term implications towards the revival of the City, including new first responder radio equipment and 911 emergency dispatch center, parks upgrade, water infrastructure, and expansion of the City animal shelter

The City’s Phase I ARP Expenditure Plan consisted exclusively of direct expenditures by City agencies. These projects were reviewed and evaluated by members of the Mayor’s Administration and ultimately approved by City Council for funding. In Phase II of the ARP Expenditure Plan, Mayor Gusciora announced that two (2) funds have been established to extend the opportunity for ARP funding to external organizations (subrecipients): (i) one fund totaling $2,000,000 will be available to not-for-profit entities; and (ii) a second fund totaling $2,000,000 will be available for small (defined below), for-profit businesses that operate in Trenton, particularly among the City’s low-income communities and people of color.

Funding will be available to support projects with a minimum request of $25,000 up to a maximum amount of $100,000. The Program covers costs incurred no earlier than March 3, 2021, and no later than December 31, 2024. Follow the links below to access the necessary documents:

1. Application Guidelines
2. ARP Application
3. The Grant Agreement