SEAP Releases Updated American Rescue Plan Local Funds Tracker

ATLANTA – The Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) released an updated version of its American Rescue Plan (ARP) Local Funds Tracker. It monitors the allocation of recovery funding in states and localities around the country and now includes all 50 states. The tracker, published in 2021, is a part of SEAP’s ongoing efforts to ensure community engagement and equity are at the heart of spending decisions.

Along with showcasing remaining funds, another significant upgrade to the tracker is its capacity to detail the projects to which local officials have allocated funds, providing community members with much-needed transparency.

“At SEAP, we are aware of the critical need to bridge the divide between the government and the community, and we know transparency plays a key part in closing this gap,” said Sarah Beth Gehl, SEAP’s Executive Director. “We created this Local Funds Tracker to ensure community members know there’s still time to make their voice heard in ARP spending decisions.”

Data from SEAP’s newest report, Pandemic to Prosperity, developed in collaboration with FairCount and NCoC, reveals vast opportunities for Southern governments to consider or reevaluate existing expenditure priorities. Notable data points from the report include:

• 35% of Americans who are late on rent/mortgage said they feared losing their home. In MS, WV, and FL, it is about 50%.
• 20% of Mississippians, 16% of Kentuckians, and 15% of Georgians reported their household went hungry in December.
• 34% of Americans report symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from 11% in 2019. The South had 4 of 5 states with the highest rates.

As the ARP program’s two-year anniversary approaches, SEAP and its partners organized a week-long campaign, including a free webinar, to keep city leaders and community advocates up-to-date and share useful resources. Click here to register for the webinar and find more details. Follow the hashtag #ARPinAction2023 for more | @seapnews

About the Southern Economic Advancement Project
SEAP is your partner and resource. SEAP amplifies existing organizations’ and networks’ efforts to broaden economic power and build a more equitable future. Broadening economic power brings attention to how race, class, and gender intersect in social and economic policy in the South. SEAP explores policy ideas designed to address these connections directly. SEAP focuses on 12 Southern states and marginalized/vulnerable populations within the region.

–END–