The Chicago Community Trust Unveils Dashboard Detailing How City, State, County are Spending Federal Economic Recovery Funding

The Chicago Community Trust Unveils Dashboard
Detailing How City, State, County are Spending
Federal Economic Recovery Funding

CHICAGO – The Chicago Community Trust today unveiled a first-of-its-kind
dashboard that centralizes data showing how the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and Cook County are leveraging federal COVID recovery dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Coronavirus Response
and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (CRRSAA), and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to work toward an equitable and inclusive recovery in the Chicago region.

Developed with the intention of holding local leaders accountable for a more equitable and inclusive economic recovery, the Federal Recovery Funds Dashboard gives the public a view into how the combined total of $11.5 billion in federal COVID recovery dollars is allocated.

In past economic recoveries, Black and Latinx communities have not recovered at the same rate as white neighbors. Since the Great Recession of 2008, Black and Latinx communities have faced persistently high unemployment levels, lower income, and less wealth through homeownership and retirement that continue to lag compared to their white counterparts.

“By providing additional clarity around how federal funds are being disbursed
locally, we can begin to understand if we’re working toward our collective goal of an equitable and inclusive recovery,” said Andrea Sáenz, interim president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. “This dashboard centralizes the data, so everyone can access a transparent resource to understand where the money is going and for what purpose.”

Analysis of the spending data shows that although each government entity in
Illinois has allocated or appropriated all of the more flexible discretionary federal funds, most of the targeted recovery dollars have not yet been spent. Each level of government has until the end of 2026 to do so.

 The dashboard tracks federal funds allocated to support community investment, housing, workforce development, household investment, and community safety in the Chicago region – all vital to narrowing the
wealth gap.

The dashboard includes a map that illustrates spending geographically and
demographically for selected programs, allowing users to analyze whether allocations are equitable based on poverty rates and racial and ethnic breakdowns.

The Trust will continue updating the dashboard throughout the life of recovery
related spending and will be developing a set of metrics and indicators to track over time to assess if these resources are effectively narrowing the gaps between Black and Latinx households, businesses, and neighborhoods compared to their white counterparts. The dashboard will soon be updated to include federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Federal Recovery Funds Dashboard was developed in partnership
with the Urban Institute and is supported by a grant from the Kresge Foundation through the Shared Prosperity Partnership.

To view the dashboard, visit https:// tinyurl.com/yc38845h.

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