Cook County received $1 billion from the federal government to help with COVID-19 recovery and beyond. With participation from residents, stakeholders, community groups and elected officials, we have prioritized this important funding to address the most pressing needs and to have transformative, lasting impact.
Cook County's Guiding Principles and Values Regarding American Rescue Plan Funds
To ensure the best use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources, Cook County has targeted numerous County policy priorities through an equitable lens and implementing best practices learned from distributing over $400 million in COVID-19 Relief in 2020 and 2021.
Cook County American Rescue Plan At-A-Glance
The American Rescue Plan Act is one of the most impactful pieces of federal legislation passed since the New Deal in the 1930s. This federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act allocated over $1 billion dollars to Cook County, which will help us recover from the pandemic and continue building a sustainable, affordable, and equitable future for our residents.
Cook County American Rescue Plan Community Engagement
Community input has been essential for ensuring American Rescue Plan funding best meets Cook County resident needs. Cook County conducted a broad community engagement process beginning with this website, an online survey for the public to outline funding priorities and numerous virtual public meetings.
Programs being put forward over the next three years are the product of countless meetings, thousands of community responses, and hundreds of policy ideas and billions of dollars in proposed initiatives.
On July 4, 2021, Cook County created an interactive survey for the community to provide input on ARP funding. The Community Engagement Report analyzes feedback Cook County received from online surveys and a series of town hall meetings and listening sessions. It is the first in what will be a series of such reports, as the County intends to secure ongoing public feedback throughout the three-year process of allocating funds.
“We look at the American Rescue Plan Act as funding for all of our residents—not just for Cook County government. This means we will spend funds equitably with the largest benefit to the most people over the longest amount of time.”
- Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
Upcoming Events
Details for upcoming ARPA related events will be posted here.