IRMO, S.C. — Out in Irmo, there’s some COVID relief money up for grabs for non-profits and town council will be dishing it out here in the next few weeks.
Applications for this grant money closed January 18, 2022.
"I think it’s something that we can do as a town to help everybody recover from COVID," Barry Walker, Irmo mayor said.
About 11 non-profits have already submitted their applications for grants ranging from $2,000 - $400,000.
As of now, the town has about $1M worth of grant requests.
The money will go to organizations like Heart Ed Youth Zone and the Ivy Heritage Foundation of Irmo.
These groups say they reinvest right back into the community.
"We give them all the tools that they need to get ready for college, being that if it’s SAT, ACT help, tutoring, we bring in financial aid," said Jamesetta Lovett, immediate past president of Ivy Heritage Foundation of Irmo.
Heart Ed Youth Zone launched a program for local children back when the pandemic first shut schools down and shifted to remote learning.
"They set up a program where the kids could go to their center and basically get access to broadband, get help with their homework and they actually picked the kids up from where they live and bring them to the center," Walker said.
If Ivy Heritage Foundation of Irmo gets the grant money they requested, they say they’ll be spending it on a brand new community garden.
"Most of the garden is going to be for people that grow fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, it’s going to be year-round," Lovett said.
They already got grant funding for the first garden they built five years ago at Batesburg-Leesville Elementary.
Money repurposed for the future of Irmo.
Town council will decide how much money each non-profit will be allotted Tuesday.
If you missed this window of funding, the town will be getting the second half of their COVID relief money in December 2022. To learn more, you can follow the town of Irmo on Facebook or sign up for their email list.