PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Funding Focus (BFF), a new initiative established to support Berkshire County entities seeking federal and state funds for pandemic-related recovery and rebuilding, launched its website in November.

 

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and several partner agencies joined to form BFF in response to a need for a clearinghouse focused on the investment of COVID-19 recovery dollars into the region, to improve the well-being of community members. The initiative provides support for four core groups of potential grant seekers: non-profits, municipalities, school districts, and entrepreneurs.

 

According to a press release, Berkshire County needs financial resources to recover, rebuild, and revive. An unprecedented amount of federal and state dollars are available, beginning with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), and continuing through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and the Inflation Reduction Act.

 

Berkshire Funding Focus is here to serve the region as a clearinghouse that:

"Berkshire Funding Focus is already providing benefits," said Karen Pelto, Recovery Grant Specialist. "We've been able to convene groups to partner on grant applications that will be more competitive and more impactful for the region."

 

The Berkshire Funding Focus website launched on Nov. 1, immediately offering a suite of resources to small businesses, entrepreneurs, cities or towns, school districts, colleges, and non-profits across the Berkshires. A full calendar of workshops and webinars to help grant seekers create stronger applications and be better prepared to manage funds can be found on the website, along with a resource library containing guidance on grant writing, including glossaries to help decipher terminology used by grant makers. In the "opportunities" section, a curated list of currently available grants can be sorted by category (what type of work the grant will fund) topics (what the funders want to support) and audience (who is eligible to receive the funding.)

 

Members of the initiative's Advisory Committee include Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, which serves as the host agency, along with 1Berkshire, BERK-12, Berkshire Bank Foundation, Berkshire Black Economic Council, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Berkshire United Way, Health Resources in Action, Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, and Volunteers in Medicine.