Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday announced that she is awarding $50 million to help charities and faith-based organizations recover revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic.

The money comes from the $1.9 billion Alabama received as part of the federal government’s CARES Act passed in March with the intent to help the country get through the economic effects caused by COVID-19.

The $50 million announced by Ivey on Thursday will be split into two $25 million programs: The Alabama Nonprofit Grant Program and the Alabama Faith-Based Grant Program.

The maximum amount an organization can receive under either program is $15,000, and the application window is open from August 3 to August 14.

Grants will be handed out on a first come first served basis, and organizations cannot list as an expense on their grant applications anything that has been previously reimbursed by another form of government aid such as a PPP loan.

Both programs will be administered through the Alabama Department of Finance.

“Nonprofits and faith-based organizations are truly the backbone of our great state,” said Ivey in a statement on Thursday.

“Alabama relies on these entities to be equipped to serve our communities in ways where the state is either unable or incapable of doing so. Unfortunately, many of these groups often have a hard time keeping critical funds flowing in normal circumstances, and the pandemic has exponentially increased their struggle to remain operational,” she continued.

“It is simply the right thing to do for our state to ensure Alabama nonprofits and faith-based organizations can recover in order to benefit the citizens they serve,” the governor concluded.

Groups interested in applying can go to this online portal and select “Nonprofit” or “Faith-based” to get more information on how to apply for the grants.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95