The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided an unprecedented $120 billion in flexible fiscal recovery funding to city and county governments to use for pandemic relief and longer-term, transformational investments. Guided by the federal government’s equity policy, localities were encouraged to target resources to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and make investments that address systemic inequities. Many municipalities still have ARPA resources to allocate, and they face a looming deadline of December 31, 2024 to obligate the funds.

Please join Race Forward, the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, and the U.S. Department of Treasury for an educational session on how cities and counties are using their ARPA funds to make investments that advance racial and economic equity.

During the session, local officials who are members of the GARE network will describe how they are centering equity throughout the process of selecting, designing, implementing, and evaluating ARPA investments. In addition, representatives from the Treasury will provide an overview of program guidance and data updates, and the Institute will present findings and resources from its research examining equity in ARPA investments.

Speakers:

• Dr. Rashaad Abdur-Rahman, Director of State Strategies, Race Forward (moderator)
• Sarah Treuhaft, Director of Policy and Partnerships, Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy
• Shireen Malekafzali, Chief Equity Officer, San Mateo County
• Marc Coudert, Climate Adaptation & Resilience Manager, Office of Resilience, City of Austin
• Mira Patel, Director of Strategic Partnerships, U.S. Department of Treasury
• James Bond, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Treasury

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Presented by the Budget Equity Project (an initiative of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy), Race Forward, the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), and the U.S. Department of Treasury.