The Erie County Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission, now known as Diverse Erie, officially launched its first grant program Monday. Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, who previously questioned the viability of the commission, voiced his support.

The Generational Impact Grant program, which was unanimously approved by the commission in June, is now accepting applications for grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 to capital projects deemed to have a long-lasting impact on the Black, Indigenous or People of Color population.

Open to non- and for-profit entities in the county, the grant program seeks to invest in projects that will aid those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — which, in the case of Erie County, are those in Black, Indigenous or People of Color communities, according to Diverse Erie.

Grant program approved:Erie Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission to launch first grant program

“When we talk about generational impact, we’re talking about a grant that’s going to truly transform Erie County,” said Diverse Erie Board Chairman Gerald Blanks at a press conference Monday at the Erie County Courthouse. “We’re not talking about offering small sums of money to small grants and programs. This is truly generational and impactful.”

Funding for the program is provided by $3.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Applications — and more details on the grant program — are available at the Diverse Erie website at diverseerie.org.

Davis voices support

Davis, who spoke at the news conference, called the grant program a “first step” for the commission.

“It’s a commitment by Erie County government, my administration, to ensure equity and diversity and inclusion for all people — it’s all people, in all communities across Erie County,” Davis said. “We want to make sure that no community, especially the overlooked communities throughout the pandemic — we want to make sure that no one is left behind.”

Davis had previously questioned whether future federal funds should go to the commission.

Diverse Erie is funded by $3.5 million in seed money from 2021, courtesy of Erie County’s $52.3-million allocation in American Rescue Plan Act funding. The commission is budgeted to receive another round of $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2022.

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Davis, in a number of public appearances, has called on Erie County Council to repeal and revise its allocation plan for all $26 million in the second round of funds, and to focus them more toward economic development projects.

The plan would mean a number of entities, including Diverse Erie, could see their second round of American Rescue Plan funds diverted to other areas. An initial plan from Davis — presented to County Council in February — showed the commission’s second $3.5 million eliminated.

“I’m not saying the DEI Commission isn’t a valiant program. I’m saying that we need to have this money to leverage,” Davis said during a March 18 appearance at the Jefferson Educational Society.

Davis on Monday refused to answer questions from the Erie Times-News on his future support of the commission.

Members of Diverse Erie were joined Monday by Erie County Councilman Brian Shank and Erie City Councilmember Liz Allen among other Erie County officials.

Grant eligibility

According to grant guidelines approved by the commission, eligible projects:

• Must be located in Housing and Urban Development Qualified Census tracts
• Must be located where primary beneficiaries earn less than 60% of the median income in Erie County
• Must be where 25% of the primary beneficiaries are below the federal poverty line or where the applicant is able to independently prove eligibility based on ARPA guidelines
• Must be Black, Indigenous People of Color or impact the Black, Indigenous People of Color community in Erie County, or be an organization that serves the Black, Indigenous People of Color community

Grants will require a minimum match of 1:1, which may be achieved by showing the amount of money invested into the advancement of the project within the last 12 months, or recapture period, and may be from any source, public or private, according to Diverse Erie.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.