Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp Announced a Major COVID-19 Recovery Grant from the Biden Administration

Grant to fund historic citywide jobs and stimulus program

On Thursday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m., Mayor Adrian O. Mapp held a virtual press conference to announce a $24 million COVID-19 recovery grant awarded to the City of Plainfield by the Biden administration. This federal grant is the largest ever secured by Plainfield and will be used to fund a historic citywide jobs and stimulus program, The Plainfield Recover: Jobs and Financial Assistance Program, which is focused on supporting the residents who were hardest hit by the pandemic. The Plainfield Recover: Jobs and Financial Assistance Program will provide the following:

● An average 2% municipal tax cut for all residents for 2022.

● A municipal tax cut totaling $1 million for our seniors in need for 2021.

● Financial assistance totaling $1 million for struggling renters upon the lifting of the eviction moratorium.

● Grants for small business owners totaling $1 million representing more than triple the total funding from the previous program. All Plainfield small businesses will be eligible for these grants.

● Funding for boots on the ground for local community-based organizations to provide assistance to underserved Plainfield residents in the areas of food security, homelessness, youth programs, access to arts and culture programs, and more. This funding will total $1 million.

● Hiring and training of unemployed and underemployed Plainfield residents to conduct grassroots outreach for a massive citywide vaccination campaign.

● Hazard pay to city employees who had to work in-person every day and risk their health to provide services to our residents during the height of the pandemic. This population is inclusive of PMUA truck drivers and operators who worked daily picking up solid waste from the homes of residents.

● Funding to expand broadband access for underserved families.

“Today is a historic day for the City of Plainfield. We are so grateful to the Biden administration for this unprecedented level of grant funding that will help our city recover and build a stronger and more equitable future,” stated Mayor Adrian O. Mapp, City of Plainfield. “We will meet this moment and use this grant to embark on the most comprehensive jobs and stimulus program ever undertaken in Plainfield. While we will prioritize the residents who were most impacted by the public health crisis, The Plainfield Recover: Jobs and Financial Assistance Program will touch every member of our community. As we continue to battle the pandemic, I am so proud that we will be able to hire our unemployed residents to do outreach for a citywide vaccination campaign. This trailblazing initiative will put our people to work and help to get our residents vaccinated. Our community will only recover if we lead our own recovery. None of this would be possible without the hard work of my administration who worked for months to secure this important funding and to increase the initial award from $9 million to nearly $24 million.”

The City of Plainfield was notified of the grant award by the Biden Administration in late May 2021. While some of the programmatic details are still being finalized, The Plainfield Recover: Jobs and Financial Assistance Program initiatives will go into effect this year and continue into 2022. The grant will be paid in 2 installments of approximately $12 million each. The program will also supplement and build on existing recovery programs.