Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Upper Merion Area Residents:
At the Monument in Valley Forge
We are now one months away from the application deadline for the Board of Community Assistance (BCA).
The BCA was created as a result of 2 agreements that the township negotiated with our friends at Valley Forge Casino Resort. There are 5 members of the BCA – 3 are township residents, 2 are picked by the casino. These individuals review the dozens of applications the BCA receives each year and they make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors as to how to distribute approximately $150,000 per year the BCA receives from the casino. These funds are separate from the 2% of the revenue from the slot machines and 1% from the table games the township receives from the casino as per state law.
There are two distinct categories of applicants who are eligible to receive funds from the BCA. The first group are graduating high school seniors who reside in Upper Merion Township and are interested in furthering their education at a college or trade school. As you may know, when I ran for Supervisor I campaigned specifically on this idea. There is no minimum GPA and no minimum standardized test score needed to apply. However, students are required to provide official transcripts, copies of standardized test scores and letters of recommendation. Additionally, all applications must include details about a community service project which the student will perform if they receive a scholarship. The actual amount of community service hours required to be performed is a sliding scale based on size of the scholarship received. Prior to 2015 no applicant ever received more than a $5,000 scholarship. However, 2 years ago the BCA established the General Von Steuben Scholarship which provides one applicant each year with a $10,000 scholarship. Additionally, we named a $5,000 scholarship after former township manager Ronald G. Wagenmann and the BCA provides at least one of those per year. No scholarship recipient ever physically touches the money since it’s deposited directly with their institution of higher learning. In the 4 year history of the BCA 91 students have received a combined $161,750 in scholarships. One tip I would provide applicants is to take the entire application seriously particularly the volunteer project. While grades matter, the quality of the proposed volunteer project often makes a huge difference in scholarship decisions.
The second group of eligible applicants are non-profit and/or 501(c) organizations that provide services to Upper Merion Residents. This includes organizations which provide recreational, educational, protective, charitable and other types of services as well as Upper Merion Township citizens boards and committees. Actually, the rules that govern which organizations are eligible are intentionally very broad so as to allow each organization to best express why they should receive funds and for the members of the BCA to use their judgment to evaluate the applications. While the BCA strives to provide funding primarily to Upper Merion based groups there’s also a recognition that some county organizations provide important services that benefit Upper Merion residents. Laurel House, the Elmwood Park Zoo and Mission Kids are good examples of this. The maximum any organization can receive is $20,000 (though no organization has ever received more than $10,000) and there is a small yet important and symbolic matching fund requirement for organizations. Applications that have specific project cost breakdowns and specific project details are viewed favorably. In the 4 year history of the BCA organizations have received 128 grants worth more than $421,000. I can’t stress enough the importance of grant recipients sending someone to the annual award ceremony, completing their year-end report and finishing their project with a year. Organizations that don’t do these are at a significant disadvantage to receive funding in the future.
The BCA application deadline is March 15th and it’s a firm deadline. Late applications are almost certain to be rejected. Applications must be filed every year and a successful or unsuccessful organization application in a previous year definitely doesn’t guarantee a similar result this year. The full text of the rules which governs the BCA and applications can be found here and completed applications can be dropped off at the township building administration or submitted electronically. Please note that the application for scholarships is different than the organizational grant application. Award recipients will once be notified and honored at an extremely nice ceremony at the Radisson.
Good luck to all the applicants!
Sincerely,
Greg
