Overview

In October 2021, as part of Realizing Arlington’s Commitment to Equity (R.A.C.E.), a working group of community leaders, Arlington County representatives, and United Way of the National Capital Area developed a process to evaluate community needs through the lens of racial equity. A series of discussions led to recommendations for a co-designed process to reform how the County Board awards discretionary human services funding, seeking transparency and accountability as key values to rebuild trust between Arlington County Government and the community.

To move the process forward, the County Board adopted a resolution supporting a racial equity-based competitive process for Board-awarded community and human services funding to help address inequities in Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities while improving systemic impacts for all. As such, the County Board anticipates allocating $1.25 million for FY 2027 in support of this grant.

Purpose

The Opportunities Grant is intended to support Arlington nonprofits in implementing programs or projects which will create opportunities for Arlington residents to thrive, while reducing, eliminating, and preventing inequities in direct response to demonstrated community or human service needs. Grant funds may be used to support specific programs or projects or the day-to-day functions of organizations that demonstrate how such funding will enable their operations to better meet the direct needs of the communities they serve.

To reduce long-term, inequitable outcomes, significant research has identified specific areas where focused attention and improvements can yield more equitable outcomes for individuals and families. These focus areas include the following:

• Stable - Economic Security - Do individuals have stable income, employment, and housing; are basic needs met; and can they be resilient when faced with emergent needs?
• Growing - Education Quality & Access - Are there opportunities to grow in knowledge and ability at every stage of life (early childhood, K-12, university, etc.)?
• Healthy - Health Care Quality & Access - Are basic needs - physical, mental, dental - accessible and affordable, and is the environment healthy?
• Safe - Safety - Can individuals thrive in a safe home and community, and do legal systems work effectively and with fairness?
• Connected - Social Connection and Community - Do individuals have opportunities to build meaningful social connections within and outside of their direct communities?

Sources: 

Allen, Marc, Joseph Zheng, Jenny Huang, Morgan DeLuce, Tess Hendelman, and Chris Chang. “Mobility Experiences.” Mobility Experiences, December 3, 2024. https://mobilityexperiences.org/. 

Urban Institute. “Upward Mobility Framework.” Urban Institute | Upward Mobility Initiative, 2022. https://upward-mobility.urban.org/framework.

Nonprofit Eligibility Requirements

• 501(c)(3) designation
• Serving Arlington residents – if your organization is not physically located in      Arlington but serves County residents, the proposal and request should      reflect the proportion of clients served who are Arlington residents; all      outputs and outcomes should be specific to Arlington County residents
• In good standing with the County, responsive during grant cycles when previously      awarded funding, and no unresolved performance or compliance issues

Proposal Structure

Size of Request. There is no cap on requests. However, applicants are encouraged to consider how to maximize funding with smaller requests. Proposals over $50,000 per year must respond to additional questions reflecting on the scalability, sustainability, and readiness of the proposal. The County anticipates awarding up to four (4) proposals with larger requests. High-scoring large requests may be asked to scale their proposal to a smaller award than requested. 

Collaborative Proposals. Proposals may be submitted as a collaboration with multiple organizations, when collaboration yields a demonstrated greater collective impact than one organization’s efforts would support. Only one submission is required for a collaborative proposal, but separate signed grant agreements will be required for all participating organizations.

How to Submit. Proposals will be submitted online, through the County’s Submittable portal. Note that in Submittable, every proposal has one owner. The owner will be the primary point of contact for all follow-up information. You may transfer ownership of a proposal. You may also add collaborators to support the drafting of the proposal. However, only the owner will be able to submit the proposal. 

Timeline

• · Tuesday, November 25, 2025: Grant application released 
• Virtual Technical Assistance Sessions:
•       Overview of Application Process: Thursday, December 4, 2025, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
•       Office Hours with County Staff (15-minute slots available via advanced registration)
•                Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
•                Monday, December 15, 2025, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
• Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 11:59 pm: Proposals due
• January to February 2026: Review phase
• April 2026: County Board approves awards (Tentatively)
• July 2026 – June 2027: FY 2027 Grant period

Awards

Review Process

Staff Review Panels. All completed proposals received will be divided among review panels of at least three (3) County staff reviewers. Reviewers will independently score and comment upon their set of proposals, although reviewers will have access to and may read all proposals. All staff reviewers will meet to discuss the merits of the proposals and form recommendations for funding. Award recommendations will be based primarily on rubric scores, but adjustments may be made for:

• community input
• equity considerations
• the diversification of award focus areas
• significant identified need
• level of responsiveness as a grantee in the past.

Community Focus Groups. Executive summaries of all proposals will be shared with focus groups comprised of Arlington community members. The focus groups will meet to discuss the proposals which they believe best address the most relevant community needs in the most effective ways. The feedback from community members will be used to help inform responsive and community-centered funding recommendations.

Award Recommendations

Recommendations will be made to the County Board based on the reviewers’ feedback. The County anticipates awarding up to four (4) larger requests, with the remainder of the available funding going towards requests under $50,000. This is subject to change based on reviewers’ recommendations.

Grantee Process

Before funding is disbursed, all awardees will need to:

• When applicable, have a valid business license and have no overdue County business license taxes per the Commissioner of Revenue. Once selected for a grant award, organizations may contact the office below to verify:

Arlington County Business License Division Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22201 Telephone: (703) 228- 3060 E-mail: business@arlingtonva.us

• Work with a County representative to submit a W-9 form and confirm payment instructions if not registered in the County’s financial system.
• Sign a grant agreement with the County Manager. A sample grant agreement is included at the end of this application package.
• Attend or watch the recording of a grantee kick-off training in June 2026.