In the last quarter: 

• Staff finished the Microbusiness COVID-19 grant funding which was fully distributed in a prior quarter.
• The Board of Supervisors accepted a $200,000 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, added an additional $250,000 from the general fund and voted to approve moving forward with Nevada County's Recreation and Resilience Master Plan.   
• A letter of intent to the California Strategic Growth Council Regional Climate Collaborative Program (RCC) which supports capacity building for under-resourced communities in California was successful.  If funded, this project will bring key partners and stakeholders together to form a collaborative to create a Forest Health Resource Hub. 
• After meeting with Pioneer Energy, county staff decided more information is needed and moved this to FY22/23 for further discussion and a decision about proceeding.
• Sierra Business Council (SBC) government affairs team represented Nevada County interests in the Governor's Forest Task Force, California Emerging Technology Fund Broadband task force, and has been invited to represent rural regions in the Entrepreneurship and Economic Mobility Task force. 
• County staff continued to administer ARPA-funded Community Resiliency Grant awards to nonprofits, small businesses, and special districts, including Round II funding specifically focused on providing capacity building support services to small businesses. 
• Member designated funding requests submitted to congressional representatives for economic development priorities of the Independence Trail reconstruction and Higgins area sidewalk and pedestrian improvements are no longer moving forward and will not be receiving congressionally dedicated allocations.

In the next quarter staff will:

• Continue to coordinate with key partners and develop the strategy to submit a successful Regional Climate Collaborative Grant Program grant for the June 2023 deadline.
• Develop a strategic approach to grants to maximize Nevada County's ability to pursue viable funding opportunities. 
• Bring together a grants committee to help identify key funding priorities. If a potential match for funding to a nonprofit, business, or agency is identified, county staff will provide a warm hand-off of that grant opportunity. 
• Engage in activities such as the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), the Nevada County Conservation Summit, the Nevada County Economic Resource Council Summit, and more to engage partners and stakeholders to help shape future economic development policy within the County.