There were more than 250 applications from March 1 to April 15, and a volunteer community review panel, composed of 10 Bastrop County residents, scored and ranked each proposal. The top 20 proposals—which were delivered as in-person presentations, via video submissions and through written proposals—were named for awards in mid-June.
“The guiding principle behind the grant was simple yet powerful: empower residents to design, lead, and implement solutions to the challenges they experience in their own neighborhoods,” Bastrop County Cares said in a news release June 17.
Zooming in
A range of Bastrop County residents are expected to benefit from the community impact grant funding with local businesses and organizations, including Elevate Youth and the First Presbyterian Church of Elgin, to soon put the funding into action.
Elevate Youth Bastrop County will provide first-generation college students with mentorship and guidance and high school students with mental health resources, while the First Presbyterian Church of Elgin will renovate its Elgin Community Cupboard and its two transitional homes that serve families experiencing homelessness, according to Bastrop County Cares.
Other initiatives to be funded include efforts to provide no-cost lawn care and fencing repair services to senior citizens; provide students in the community with free instruments, music lessons and academic tutors; and provide free library cards and transportation to families living outside of city limits.
What’s next?
Grantees will receive 50% of the award amount July 1 and the remaining 50% Jan. 1, 2026, and all funds will need to be exhausted by Dec. 31, 2026, according to Bastrop County Cares.
“Grantees are required to attend monthly check-ins with Bastrop County Cares staff that will review [key performance indicators] as well as budget expenditures and usage,” Eric Jones, director of community investments for Bastrop Community Cares, told Community Impact.
Not being selected for this round of community impact grant funding is not meant to discourage applicants from shying away from the process in the future, as Bastrop County Cares will host a community roundtable July 12—an event structured for applicants to provide feedback.
