BETHLEHEM, Pa. — From March 15 through May 15, the city will accept Community Recovery Fund applications from local nonprofits and other community-focused groups.
The money is set aside for initiatives in mental health, economic development, child care support and more — for organizations “working to create lasting and meaningful improvements in our communities,” according to a March 5 Facebook post from the city.
Community Recovery Fund applications are open to Bethlehem-based nonprofits and community groups from March 15 through May 15.
The grants, good to spend for two years, range from $10,000 to $50,000.
A group may apply for funding for more than one of its programs, but there’s a $75,000 cap on allocations for each applicant.
Interested groups may register for an official information session via Zoom scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, March 13.
Session details will be available on the Community Recovery Fund website ahead of applications opening, according to the city.
Questions should be directed to city Grants Administrator Lori Gilio at 610-997-7970 or lgilio@bethlehem-pa.gov.
'Continue to provide exceptional services'
In January, Bethlehem announced its most recent round of community recovery money recipients, allocating nearly $500,000 across 21 organizations.
Among those groups and initiatives were:
- Bach Choir of Bethlehem and its You Belong! Program;
- Online digital archive and community programming for the Esther M. Lee African American Heritage Center;
- Eastern PA Trans Equity Project and its empowerment and supportive services for transgender community members;
- The Lehigh Conference of Churches’ street outreach efforts and work at Bethlehem Soup Kitchen;
- Bloom for Women LLC and its Flourish Workforce Development program;
- Shanthi Project’s Bridge to Middle School program;
- The Homeless Empowerment initiative with Victory House of the Lehigh Valley.
“Victory House served over 22,000 meals in 2024 and funds from this grant will be used to help us continue to provide exceptional services to our community,” Executive Director Tom Carson said in January.
Now observing four decades of service to the community, Victory House of the Lehigh Valley assists homeless veterans and homeless men through case management and assistance in employment, education, housing and recovery.
The American Rescue Plan Act, approved federally in 2021, came with $1.9 trillion in stimulus funding.
Bethlehem saw $34 million of that, leading to the creation of the Community Recovery Fund, a $3 million allocation for the fund approved by City Council in 2022 and its first disbursement in 2023.
The application period in 2023 drew 56 applicants and $2.4 million in bids. That year saw 28 organizations awarded a total of $799,390.
The We Build Bethlehem initiative was started in 2022 to gauge public input on how the city should support various community initiatives post-COVID.
