Reno County outlines nonprofit CARES Act allocation process, portal and eligibility caps

County staff gave commissioners a detailed timeline and structure for distributing CARES Act funds to local nonprofits and private K–12 schools. John Deirdoff described an allocation committee that will include county officials and community partners and said the online application portal will be available for nonprofits to review on Sept. 8 and accept applications Sept. 15–30.

Deirdoff and staff said the county has prioritized reimbursements for expenses already incurred and direct aid for nonprofit revenue losses; the county set a cap of $25,000 per organization for the first two priority categories and an initial working cap of up to 25% of prior-year revenue for revenue-loss claims. Deirdoff said the allocation committee will evaluate applications and forward recommendations to the commission for final approval (anticipated in early October).

County staff compared regional allocations and said Reno County allocated a higher share to schools (noting the county was at 51% for school-directed allocations in a comparative chart) and emphasized tracking and monthly reporting to the state once payments begin. Randy Partington confirmed the county has the state allocation on hand and that funds are held separately for accounting and reporting.

What happens next: the portal and application materials will go live in early September; staff will accept applications during the stated window, convene the allocation committee to score requests, and return with recommended awards for commission approval in October.