Nonprofit organizations in Park County which helped out the public amid this year’s pandemic can apply for a new pot of federal money totaling just over $600,000. However, organizations and churches must get their applications in to county commissioners by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29, to ensure they’ll be considered.

Following a process thrown together at the last minute by the state government, county commissioners are set to consider the applications at a special Wednesday, Dec. 30 meeting.

“This is going to be a tough one,” said Commission Chairman Joe Tilden, calling the timing “extremely last minute.”

“Personally, I have no problem being in charge [of the funding] if they’d have given us enough time to do it properly,” Tilden said.

He said it was only late last week that he learned Gov. Mark Gordon was creating a program that would enable county commissions to award some of the state’s CARES Act funding to nonprofit organizations in their counties. Ultimately, Gordon announced on Tuesday that counties would be distributing $12.1 million of the state’s $1.25 billion share of the federal cash provided by Congress in the spring. The Park County Commission has been given $600,388.45 to distribute through the Community Charitable Relief Program.

However, eligibility for the program has remained in flux, because it’s unclear whether Congress and President Donald Trump will extend the current Dec. 31 deadline for allocating CARES Act dollars.

If that deadline remains in place, nonprofit organizations and churches will only be eligible for the costs they incurred in providing free assistance to people impacted by COVID-19. That aid could have taken the form of food, clothing, temporary housing, mental health and counseling services, childcare, transportation, job training, legal assistance, COVID testing, COVID-related cleaning services or other assistance, according to state rules, and must have been provided between March 19 and Dec. 30.

“I don’t know what the dollar amount will be, but I don’t suspect it’s going to be very much,” Tilden said of local nonprofits that will qualify under the limited criteria. “I would be amazed if it got above $100,000.”

Further, despite a concerted effort to quickly spread the word of the program, “I know we’re going to miss somebody,” he said.

Commissioner Lee Livingston similarly said he thinks that “if we’re stuck with this deadline … we’re not going to get that many in there, unfortunately.”

If Congress does extend the Dec. 31 deadline, eligibility for the Community Charitable Relief Program will be expanded to cover lost donations or other revenue — such as for groups forced to cancel big fundraising events amid the pandemic.

For an application or more information, visit www.parkcounty.us, email skohn@parkcounty.us or call 307-527-8510.