Officials from The Northwest Fund, which announced in December it would give out a total of $300,000 in grants to to Northwest Philadelphia community groups that help keep their neighborhoods safe, have been pleasantly surprised with the interest the grant opportunity has generated.

Katey Metzroth, who works for the Fund, said 83 organizations submitted grant proposals. Since then, the nonprofit, which helps neighborhood groups build community and make their areas safe, has whittled that number down to 58.

"It's crazy, actually," Metzroth said. "It just shows how much people need resources, I think, right now."

Organizations such as East Mt. Airy Neighbors have moved on to the next round. Now, those 58 organizations must submit an extended version of the proposal they've already submitted, with a little bit more information about what they would do with the funds.

That is due Feb. 11.

Metzroth said fund officials intend to make site visits to each and every one of the organizations that are still eligible for a grant.

"We feel it's really important to see firsthand—what are the spaces that people are operating out of?" Metzroth said. "We need to see how people are using their resources and just what they're able to do with what they have."

The fund originally planned to announce grant recipients by Feb. 28. But because of the sheer volume of applications, Metzroth said that date could be pushed back one or two weeks.

Groups can request up to $20,000, but will only be eligible to receive up to 10 percent of their operating budget.

Metzroth said the organization probably won't be able to provide a full $20,000 award, since it wants to spread out its money as much as possible.

Some organizations that have applied, she said, have a very grassroots operation in place, and Metzroth said those organizations—many of which solely use volunteers—can quantify their volunteer hours in such a way that could allow them to receive more than 10 percent of their budget.

"We were really, really pleased to see all of these organizations pop out of the woodwork, as far as groups that are doing really interesting work in Northwest Philadelphia," Metzroth said.

Organizations from neighborhoods such as Chestnut Hill, Roxborough, Manayunk, Oak Lane, Nicetown, East Falls, Germantown and Olney were eligible to apply for the grants. A congressional appropriation from the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) allowed the organization to receive the $300,000.