FY22 Federal Funds

In response to the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has passed three unprecedented relief packages.

Page Sections

CARES Act (March 2020) - $2.2 trillion stimulus

$181+ million for Boston:

Coronavirus Relief Fund: $121 million
Federal Emergency Management Agency Funds: $14 million
K-12 Funding - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund): $32 million
Other smaller grants (Age Strong, FEMA, Arts): $14+ million

Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (December 2020) - $900 billion stimulus

$150+ million for Boston:

K-12 Education- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund II): $123 million
Emergency Rental Assistance/Housing: $20.7 million

American Rescue Plan Act (March 2021) - $1.9 trillion stimulus

$700+ million for Boston:

Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: $424-$560 million (estimate)
K-12 Education- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund III): $276 million
Emergency Rental Assistance Relief/Housing: $30 million
Potential for other small targeted grants

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CARES and CARES-Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law on March 27, 2020. CARES provided additional funding to Boston using existing federal funding formula grants for City departments, including the Department of Neighborhood Development, the Age Strong Commission, and the Boston Public Schools.

The Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) provided funds directly to local governments. Boston was awarded $120.8 million from CARES-CRF, which were limited to:

Necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency of COVID-19,
Related costs not accounted for in the most recent adopted budget, and
Costs incurred between March through December 2020.

The second stimulus, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, provided an additional $900 billion in stimulus relief and extended the availability of CARES-CRF funding by one year, through December 31, 2021. This second stimulus package provided a second round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funding to the Boston Public Schools, as well as a brand new Emergency Rent Relief program awarded to the Department of Neighborhood Development.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 is a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill providing hundreds of millions in federal funding to the City, the Boston Public Schools. and other local organizations through December 2024.

Eligible uses of ARPA funding are broader than CARES-CRF funding and include:

Revenue replacement to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs;
Urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control;
Assistance to small businesses, households, and hard-hit industries, and economic recovery;
Addressing systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic on certain populations; and
Investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

In May 2021, the City received $212 million from the U.S. Treasury. We expect to receive the remainder of funds over the next year. In partnership with the Boston City Council, the City has already allocated $136.5 million, about 25% of total expected ARPA funds, for two main purposes:

In the FY22 operating budget the City has dedicated $55 million to offset local revenue declines during the pandemic to ensure flexibility, stability and fiscal resiliency, as well as make near-term investments to expand and create vital city programs to Reopen, Recover and Renew our City post COVID-19.
Additionally, $81.5 million has been appropriated as emergency relief to City and community programs and initiatives, focused on public health, the economy and resources for individuals and families hardest hit by the pandemic.

For the remaining ARPA dollars, the administration has established an Equitable Recovery Coordinating Committee, made up of stakeholders from across City government to ensure equitable, transparent, and accountable distribution of these funds for economic and social recovery.

Equitable Recovery Coordinating Committee

The City has established a group of internal city stakeholders to coordinate, vet, and oversee all federal funding. The Equitable Recovery Coordinating Committee is a cross-functional committee of departments will coordinate and plan for sustainable investment by:

coordinating equitable decisions through an equity framework
maximizing resources and avoiding duplication of efforts
ensuring citywide compliance and oversight of all funds including federal reporting
prioritizing sustainable investments
creating a public reporting dashboard to report spending to the public, and
managing internal and external requests for funding.