RAPID CITY, SD – The Rapid City Common Council authorized accepting a major FEMA grant award and several Gwendolyn Stearns grants impacting various City programs.
Among the grant awards approved were:
- FEMA – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant – $2,492,010
This federal grant is to help communities adopt, implement, and enforce hazard-resistant building codes. The funding supports three key activities the City of Rapid City has already prioritized. 1) Funding will modernize its processes and expand the ability to accept electronic submittals by funding new software, data integration, and the staff training needed to successfully implement the system. 2) It supports the Fire Department’s transition from the 2003 fire code standards to the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC). 3) The grant provides an opportunity to address substandard structures, with specific strategies and priorities to be developed over the coming year.
- Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation – $18,000 – P&R Urban Forestry
Urban Forestry staff have removed dead and hazardous trees and ash trees in parks since 2017. This funding will be used to replace dead, hazardous trees, storm damaged trees that have been removed in Bike Skills Park (Robbinsdale Park), by Jackson Pond and at Dakota Soccer Fields.
- Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation – $5,000 – P&R Beautification
This funding will be used for replacement plant materials in the existing landscaped medians on Mt. Rushmore Road. Numerous trees and shrubs have died off from the road salt spray, age, and harsh environment of a landscaped median.
- Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation – $5,000 – RSVP Program
RSVP is sponsored in part by a federal grant through the Corporation of National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS funds can only be used to work with volunteers over the age of 55. The expansion of the RSVP program to accept volunteers of all ages has created a need to find specific funding for recruiting, training and coordination of non-senior volunteers. The purpose of this grant will be to sustain volunteering in our community and support volunteers of all ages, but particularly volunteers under 55. This aspect of the program is called RSVP+.
“The Stearns Foundation awards will have a major impact on the continued beautification efforts in our community as well as help support our very active RSVP program,” said Rapid City Grants Division Manager Jamie Toennies. “The FEMA grant award under consideration will go a long way in helping to upgrade and streamline our fire codes and supporting technologies.”
The Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation has given over $9 million to local nonprofits since 2000. This year, the organization has partnered with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation in the grant awards process. Grant awards, determined by the Gwendolyn L. Stearns Foundation Board, usually range from $5,000-$30,000. Stearns was a longtime Rapid City resident and philanthropist known for her support of health care, education, community nonprofits and cultural and social initiatives.
