New Castle County Uses SimpliGov to Process Emergency Federal Grant Funds

Streamlined Program Passed Its Independent Audit with Flying Colors and Surpassed Larger Counties and States in Its Efficiency.

New Castle County had the responsibility to dispense funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to municipalities and fire companies throughout their county. Within two business days, this county government in Delaware successfully launched an automated workflow and online form to make it easy, compliant and efficient for the municipalities and fire companies to submit requests for reimbursement for COVID-19 expenses. The county set a record for the fastest turnaround time, and it was able to accomplish this feat by using the SimpliGov platform.

Challenge

  • Manage distribution of a grant 10 times larger than any it had ever implemented
  • Process had to adhere to voluminous CARES Act grant requirements
  • Federal guidance underwent major changes on a frequent basis
  • Reimbursements had to be tracked well after initial grant award

Solution

  • Customizable fields helped tailor digital application forms for a wide variety of unique services
  • A variety of internal departments, citizens, and CBOs could complete and submit applications remotely from any device
  • Workflow automation streamlined and recorded extensive correspondence between finance, legal, and applicants in evaluation of complex submissions
  • “Certification letters” automatically generated and delivered to approved applicants
  • Dashboard enabled internal managers and external auditors to easily retrieve all correspondence, documentation, and budget information for each grant award

Results

  • $322.8 million distributed to the community over a two-year period
  • More than 1,000 grants issued to internal agencies and residents
  • Partnership with the state resulted in delivery of critical emergency services during the pandemic
  • County passed rigorous federal government audit 
New Castle County workflow automation digital forms esignature
Population

575,494

Use Case

Grant Distribution

Department

Finance, Legal

Municipality

County

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