Twelve Flint residents have been appointed to serve on Flint’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Advisory Committee, including at least one representative from each ward. The committee members were chosen through a blind selection process using a scoring rubric to evaluate their applications.

The committee will help evaluate ARPA community grant proposals and make award recommendations related to the $15.6 million available for community grants as part of the City of Flint’s overall allocation of ARPA funding. The committee’s recommendations will be reviewed by the Mayor and Flint City Council, who will make the final decision on funding awards.

The ARPA Community Advisory Committee is intended to give residents a voice in the grantmaking process, ensuring that funds are awarded in a way that builds a stronger, more equitable economy as Flint recovers from the pandemic. Only Flint residents are eligible to serve on the committee, and Flint home addresses have been verified for all committee members.

“We made every effort to remove bias from the committee selection process in order to give residents a seat at the table, and I want to thank the committee members who have stepped up to serve our community in this way,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “I look forward to reviewing the committee’s recommendations to fairly and equitably dispense these much-needed funds for the benefit of Flint residents.”

Committee members will serve terms of up to six months or less and will receive a stipend for their time, thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. The Community Foundation and Ruth Mott Foundation have also agreed to lend staff support for ARPA Advisory Committee meetings and the ARPA process alongside the City of Flint administration and the Flint City Council ARPA Ad-Hoc Committee.