This Monthly Webinar Series Featured

• Expert analysis of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other federal spending bills and regulations that could fuel a significant change in how cities pursue economic development goals.
• Stories and strategies from local leaders who are using federal dollars to create more inclusive economies.
• Open discussions amongst practitioners looking for smart, practical guidance to shape the flow of federal funds

Webinar 3: How Cities and Counties are Organizing to Optimize their ARPA Resources

In the third SP2 webinar, How Cities and Counties are Organizing to Optimize their ARPA Resources, attendees:

• Learned what is happening to date in terms of ARPA implementation and the choices facing local governments for approaching their allocations.

• Explored potential actions local leaders can take to achieve more strategic impact.

• Heard how Erie County, PA is successfully navigating their consultations with local stakeholders and building an effective plan for deploying funding, that is particularly strategic, collaborative, and innovative.

Slides from this presentation can be downloaded here.

Webinar 2: Identifying and Tracking Federal Funds for Inclusive Recovery, Oct. 26

In the second webinar, Identifying and Tracking Federal Funds for Inclusive Recovery, researchers from the Urban Institute led a discussion about the range of federal economic recovery funds that local governments can use to support an inclusive recovery.

• Participants heard about tools and methods for tracking how federal funding flows to cities.

• Lessons were shared from research on federal relief and recovery programs during the Great Recession.

• Panel discussion took place with local leaders on how they are aligning federal funding opportunities with their inclusive recovery strategies.

Webinar 1: How ARPA Funds and Other Federal Funds Can Support Inclusive Economies

The webinar featured Lourdes German, an expert on municipal finance, speaking about how cities are meeting ARPA’s equity requirements. She was joined in conversation by Ashley Swearengin from the Central Valley Community Foundation and Georgeanne White from the city of Fresno about how Fresno’s DRIVE plan is guiding city spending.