City disperses nonprofit grants; deadline for next round is Jan. 31

A local nonprofit committed to recycling and environmental initiatives has received two $50,000 grants from the city and plans to apply for more city funds in the 2012-13 budget cycle.

Along with a $50,000 grant to help sustain its day-to-day operations, ECO, Inc. also received a $50,000 public service grant for its recycling and cleanup projects, such as its tire recycling and household hazardous waste collection event held in November.

Gina D’Abella, executive director of ECO, Inc., said in an economy where grant money is scarce she was pleased with the city’s support. “We appreciate the city of Maricopa acknowledging the importance of the sustainable community development projects that we provide in Maricopa and the outlying community.”

D’Abella said she plans to apply for grants in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 31 and the applications can be found by clicking here.

Three local nonprofits, including ECO, Inc., recently received $25,000 as the second half of grant money awarded through the Maricopa Non Profit Funding Program. Each organization gave a status report to the Maricopa City Council last week as a requirement of their grant award.

The other two nonprofits presenting with ECO, Inc., were: F.O.R. (Food, Opportunity and Resources Maricopa) Maricopa, a community food bank located off Honeycutt Road; and CAASA (Ak-Chin Community Alliance Against Substance Abuse)/Maricopa Youth Recreation Center, which operates a youth recreation center at Maricopa Wells Middle School.

Wendy Webb, F.O.R. executive director, said the $50,000 grant will be used to sustain the ongoing operation of the food bank.

“We tried to write in a way that was flexible,” she said. “The grant is certainly an essential component of helping us meet our goals.”

The food bank currently is housed in a rented mobile home on Gunsmoke Road. It needs a bigger place to operate, whether it rents or builds, Webb said.

The Maricopa Rotary Club was awarded a $50,000 public service grant for operation of its outdoor swimming pool on the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway.