The state is offering grant money of $600,000 to eligible applicants to help reduce gun violence in the city of Portland — but it has been delayed. The $600,000 in grant funding is from last April’s nearly $6 million investment to address gun violence. The grant funding is to go toward areas in the city where gun violence is occurring.
Initially the applicants were to be notified Dec 27, and send the funding out in January. Timing has set the goal to send the money out by the end of the first quarter now, which ends in March.
The mayor’s office says, “several large and well-established organizations unexpectedly applied for the limited grant funds.” As a result, Rich Chatman, a spokesman for Mayor Ted Wheeler, said the city will implement an annual revenue threshold of $1 million. Any organization exceeding that amount will not be eligible for the grant money which Chatman said was intended for small and emerging organizations. Chatman also added that the city anticipates the funds will be fully awarded in the first quarter of this year.
To add, Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who helped spearhead the initial plan back in April, is disappointed by the delayed rollout. Portlands Office of Violence Prevention said “We apologize for the initial time frame change. We understand the urgency of this matter and we are doing our best to move the application review process forward and deliver results in a timely manner.” The city is still verifying the annual revenue of two additional organizations.
