Overview

Implementation

State and Federal Resources

ARRA Quarterly Reports

Briefings

Announcements

Frequently Asked Questions

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 mean for Dallas? – The City of Dallas will benefit from formula funds already allocated, in the amount of $86.8 million, through direct funding of City of Dallas Programs and through projects within Dallas funded through other agencies. For details regarding City of Dallas proposed ARRA-funded projects, view this Council Briefing (April 1, 2009).
   
   Texas state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and educational institutions will have the opportunity to compete for billions more in competitive grants and loans.  The City of Dallas will submit applications for approximately $364 million in competitive grant funding.  ARRA funding is available for a wide range of projects including infrastructure improvements, technology upgrades, energy efficiency, job training, law enforcement, housing, and health care.  Additionally, the ARRA contains approximately $300 billion in tax cuts and tax incentives for individuals, businesses, and governments.



2. How does the funding work? – The ARRA is designed to inject money quickly into the economy by using pre-existing programs, criteria and funding methods. Some of the money will be distributed directly to federal agencies. Other portions will go directly to states and local governments using pre-existing funding formulas. Still other portions will be available from federal agencies through a competitive application process.



3. Who decides how the money will be distributed? – For the programs administered by federal agencies, those agencies will publish their criteria and decision process online.
   
   For programs administered by state agencies, decisions will be made under the same process currently used by those state agencies, which includes objective criteria and a rigorous review and approval process.
   
   The vast majority of programs available under the ARRA have pre-existing rules and regulations regarding appropriate uses of funds and appropriate funding criteria. As a result, state and local agencies have much less discretion over the distribution of the funds than they might otherwise.



4. Who is eligible to receive funds? – Depending on the program, educational institutions, local governments, nonprofits, state agencies, and businesses may be eligible for funding. For detailed information regarding funded programs and eligibility, visit www.recovery.gov.



5. How do I apply for stimulus funds? – Each federal department’s website lists eligibility criteria and application guidelines for the ARRA funds distributed through its programs.  In some instances, organizations can apply directly to the appropriate federal department for competitive grants.  The City, however, is not disbursing any funds outside of existing programs, so we will not be soliciting proposals for use of ARRA funds in new programs.  There may be contracting opportunities under existing programs such as the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing ARRA funds. As they arise, a request for qualifications will be issued.



6. How can I track City of Dallas ARRA spending? – The City is committed to being open and transparent in its use of ARRA funds.  To that end, the City will continue to refine this website and will include tools that will allow you to track and monitor the progress of any of its ARRA-funded projects.



7. How quickly will ARRA funds be disseminated and spent? – The timeline varies depending on the program.  Most funds have to be spent within 2 years and in some instances, contracts must be awarded within 120 to 180 days.  Specific details regarding timelines will be published on federal department websites.



8. Where can I find more information about individual programs contained in the ARRA? – Each federal department has detailed information regarding its programs and ARRA funding on its website.



9. Where can I find the full text of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009? – You can access the full text of the federal stimulus bill by visiting The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 web site.