PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE |May 18, 2021

The Treasury Department issued its “Interim Final Rule” for the use of federal money distributed to local governments as part of the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). All PEG operations should be in contact with financial authorities in their local and state government to take advantage of the significant amount of aid relief from the Federal government in the Act.   

ARPA authorizes up to $350B in relief for local governments – and the aid can be spent in areas that are significant to PEG operations.  Public Health communication, and the accommodations necessary to operate meetings remotely qualify for aid – but just as significantly, local governments can supply aid to non-profits that have seen losses as a result of the pandemic.  For many organizations who have had to increase costs to accommodate meeting and remote production demands, this could mean significant relief. Additionally, digital literacy programs and outreach qualify for funds under ARPA. 

Towns and cities under 50,000 in population will generally have relief distributed through their state government – otherwise cities should be able to apply for the relief directly from the Treasury Department. Here's a table of grant allocations for municipalities. 

In either case, you should have a conversation with local decision makers about the use of ARPA funds for the important work that you do moving forward – and the cost of serving the public during the pandemic.