About ARPA

About American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds

The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law on March 11, 2021, includes State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) – the source of Baltimore’s $641 million allocation. 

The Treasury Department has dispensed all ARPA funding to Baltimore City. 

By law, the City committed all funds on December 31, 2024. 

• For an introduction to how local relief funds (SLFRF) may be used, visit this Treasury fact sheet.
• For more detailed guidelines about allowable uses, visit the final version of the federal regulations.

Equity and Qualified Census Tracts 

In its guidance for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the United States Department of Treasury emphasizes the disproportionate negative impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency on low-income communities and people of color. The U.S. Treasury encourages cities to use ARPA funding to prioritize these communities. Directing funds to Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) is one strategy the U.S. Treasury identifies in its guidance to help remedy the negative impacts of COVID-19 on low-income communities and people of color and to advance equity.

What are QCTs?

Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) is a designation used by the United States Treasury and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to define underserved and disproportionately impacted communities. QCTS are census areas where at least half of households have lower income than most of the surrounding region. For more information about QCTs, please visit the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website.