Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 22, 2025Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 22. Photo: Alex Wroblewsk/AFP via Getty Images

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission will administer a new Community Assistance Grant Program to help reduce poverty and promote self-sufficiency.

Why it matters: The program is designed to fill funding gaps for “projects that fight childhood food insecurity, address unemployment, promote education, offer resources for victims of crime, and provide housing, nutrition or emergency services to promote self-sufficiency,” according to a news release Monday announcing the effort.

State of play: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will ask the Arkansas Legislative Council for $15 million to fund it, but it’s not yet listed on the council’s agenda.

Eligible community-based nonprofits will be able to apply for up to $1.5 million per year.

Yes, but: Applicants will be required to match grant awards with cash, in-kind labor or in-kind land.

What they’re saying: “If we’re going to help every corner of our state thrive, then the effort is going to come from the bottom up – not just from the top down,” Sanders said in the news release.