Tens of Millions in Funding to Develop a New Hospital
The Situation
Hurricane Michael caused destruction throughout the Florida Panhandle when it made landfall in October of 2018, including the significantly damaged Calhoun-Liberty Hospital. This hospital serves as a designated Critical Access Facility providing healthcare needs to residents in rural Calhoun and Liberty Counties along with portions of Gulf and Jackson Counties. Hurricane Michael ripped the roof off the facility constructed in the 1960s, crippling the hospital and forcing the closure of the main lobby and 15 of its 25 beds. The hospital was determined by FEMA to be damaged beyond repair, requiring a new facility.
The Approach
OVID Solutions was hired in an advisory capacity to help the hospital evaluate its grant resource needs. The Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program was identified as a resource that, coupled with FEMA Public Assistance Funds, could help construct a brand-new facility for the hospital. OVID Solutions evaluated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations and found support for funding the construction of new hospitals. The team then worked with the hospital to present this information to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The Result
This resulted in the only direct allocation of ultimately $18.7 million in CDBG-DR funding in the Hurricane Michael CDBG-DR State Action Plan. Through a partnership, OVID Solutions is now managing this allocation of funding for the hospital including standing up new federal policies for compliance, navigating the extensive federal environmental assessment process, and ensuring no duplication of benefits between FEMA Public Assistance and CDBG-DR funding. In late 2022, Calhoun-Liberty Hospital will break ground on a new estimated $36 million facility in Blountstown, Florida. This will be one of the largest capital investment, economic development, and job creation projects in this region for the past several decades.
Over a Million in Support for a Marine Biology Education Center
The Situation
Gulf Specimen Marine Lab is a hidden gem in the Florida Panhandle where adults and children can learn about the sea creatures that live in their backyard and the important role that these animals play in our coastal ecosystems. The Gulf Specimen Marine Lab team sought to secure grant funding to develop additional resources.
The Approach
The OVID Solutions team worked with this nonprofit to identify and secure funding for specific projects that would better the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab. The teams worked hand in hand to understand important project plans, and in turn, created a plan to bring them to fruition with the appropriate grant funding.
The Result
With the support of OVID Solutions, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab completed a nearly half a million-dollar grant from Volunteer Florida, geared toward expanding their campus, developing a new classroom, and making major parking lot improvements, including interesting features such as a giant mural. In addition, OVID Solutions helped the Lab build the partnerships needed to win a $750,000+ grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to make upgrades to their filtration systems using local algae to filter their water, creating both an exhibit that showcases the importance of seaweed as well as a crop that can be harvested to feed animals onsite. With support from Team OVID, the team landed nearly $300,000 in support through the AmeriCorps Program which will fund ten full-time staff positions to help visitors make the connection between the decisions they make every day and their impacts on the environment. OVID Solutions is now actively helping to manage these grants to ensure that the non-profit organization can meet federal requirements.
Planning to Transform Infrastructure for the Future in Urban Communities
The Situation
Communities across the nation are seeing historic funding opportunities to rebuild their infrastructure in a way that is resilient in the future. The City of West Palm Beach, Florida hired OVID Solutions to work with their team to align grant funding sources with billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements.
The Approach
Our team worked with local staff to flesh out each project and tie them back to the many priorities across federal and state funding agencies. We call this process resource matching and essentially, it’s a project-based approach to aligning a specific project with a grant opportunity. Resource matching helps a community to find and evaluate grants that align with the project, rather than shoehorning a project into a funding stream that may not be the best fit. Taking this step on the front end will help the City of West Palm Beach to prioritize projects, maximize available funding for grant matches and build the partnerships needed to prepare a competitive application.
The Result
With a strategic list of grants that are tied to each project, our grant writing team is now poised to help the City of West Palm Beach with grant applications well in advance of grant cycles to optimize their chances for success.
Managing Tens of Millions in Federal Dollars for Special Allocations
The Situation
Cities and counties across the nation receive flexible funding through one-time allocations in response to nationwide events. For Collier County Florida, this came in the form of $74 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to support a myriad of local projects in response to economic recovery following the global pandemic.
The Approach
OVID Solutions worked with Collier County to create a spending plan that met the needs of the community, conduct public outreach, and adjust policies to align with the federal guidance. In a recent U.S. Department of the Treasury report, “Equity and Outcomes Resource Guide: How governments are incorporating equity, community engagement, evidence, and performance management into their use of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds,” the Collier County plan developed by OVID Solutions was the only Florida government entity highlighted. The County’s plan was noted for ensuring funds would go toward improving the public health and economic circumstances of socially vulnerable families.
The Result
As federal guidelines changed, the team stayed abreast of all changes to requirements and made course corrections as necessary to keep the County in compliance with U.S. Treasury regulations. The team also met with staff and sub-recipients to develop project ideas that were in line with these rules and functioned as the liaison for the community developing system requirements for the build-out of a new grant management tracking system.
Helping Rural Communities Find the Silver Lining After Disasters
The Situation
A catastrophic disaster can be devastating for a community. However, if planned appropriately it can also present a significant opportunity to rebuild stronger and better with the major funding opportunities that flow for many years to follow. Following Hurricane Michael, Florida’s Liberty County needed assistance to plan the next steps for the area’s recovery.
The Approach
OVID Solutions worked with rural Liberty County, Florida, to develop a long-term plan to guide its recovery. One of the top priorities expressed by the community was the revitalization of the main commercial corridor in the City of Bristol. OVID Solutions and its partners developed a community outreach strategy to get feedback on the improvements that residents would like to see by asking the simple question “Bristol is a great place to live – how can we make it better?” Through booths at football games and an online campaign called Revitalize Bristol, the team collected meaningful feedback from community members.
The Result
The team applied for and received over $8.5 million for the City of Bristol through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program to improve streetscaping, demolish derelict buildings and create parks in the Downtown area, creating a sense of place.
