Wichita City Council members have approved a first round of grants for programs to help small businesses and promote workforce development.
The city received $72 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, and $10 million of that will be dedicated to workforce and business efforts. The council approved a total of $6.3 million in grants to 14 organizations.
WSU Tech is getting about 60 percent of the funding from the first round, for partnerships with the Wichita school district and other agencies to train workers for health care and manufacturing jobs.
Other agencies receiving grants from the ARPA funds include Catholic Charities, Starkey, Heartspring, the Wichita Women’s Initiative Network and Groover Labs.
The city received 81 grant applications and 29 were determined to be eligible. The applications were reviewed by a staff committee from the city manager’s office, the Law Department, and the Finance Department.
The city has over $3.6 million remaining in the allocation from ARPA funds, and staff will recommend a second round of grant applications. The applications will be due on May 6th.
