City of Allentown Community Reinvestment Grant Program

The City of Allentown is launching a new Community Reinvestment program, committing $800,000 in grants to non-profit organizations that serve City residents. This initiative is designed to address critical needs within the community, focusing on areas that directly impact the well-being and stability of Allentown's population. The program's mission aligns with supporting local non-profits as essential service providers, ensuring that funding directly benefits city residents. While a specific foundation's mission and strategic priorities are not explicitly stated, the program's structure clearly indicates an alignment with community development, social welfare, and direct service provision to vulnerable populations within Allentown. The program targets Allentown non-profits serving city residents, with a specific focus on those assisting minority and underserved populations. The primary impact goals are to prevent evictions, improve community well-being through mental health and safety training, enhance technology for data collection on unsheltered and food-insecure individuals, and provide essential operational support for critical non-profits. The expected outcomes include increased legal representation for eviction prevention, improved emergency response for displaced individuals, broader access to mental health and safety training, better data tracking for vulnerable populations, and sustained operations for key service providers. Funding is allocated across four key categories, each with distinct priorities. Eviction Prevention and Emergency Response is prioritized with $400,000, seeking to fund legal representation and support for those displaced by catastrophic circumstances. Community Well-being, with $100,000, focuses on training providers in mental health awareness, violence prevention, and other critical health and safety areas. Technology Enhancements, also with $100,000, aims to improve data collection on unsheltered and food-insecure individuals by engaging shelters and food distribution centers with tracking software. Finally, Essential Not For-Profit Operational Support receives $200,000 to offset costs for non-profits meeting critical unduplicated service needs. The program's theory of change is rooted in empowering local non-profits to address immediate and systemic community challenges. By providing direct financial support, the City of Allentown aims to strengthen the capacity of these organizations to deliver vital services, improve the quality of life for its residents, and build a more resilient community. Measurable results will likely include the number of individuals receiving legal aid for eviction, the number of people trained in mental health and safety, improved accuracy and scope of data on vulnerable populations, and the continued operation of essential non-profits. Eligibility criteria emphasize that organizations must be Allentown non-profits with 80% of clients being city residents, or explicitly target funds to city residents, ensuring a direct local impact.