American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Small Business reimbursement grant

Utilizing $2 million of Concord's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, the City of Concord will provide one-time grants of $5,000 to 370 small businesses. 

Round One of this grant was distributed in fall 2022. Applications for Round Two closed on Aug. 11 and will be announced soon.

Read the full press release. (July 10, 2023)

Learn more at ConcordFirst.com


Nonprofit Grant Application

At its March 7 meeting, the Concord City Council allocated $7 million in one-time federal funds to 22 local nonprofits serving the Concord community. The funds come from the overall $27 million that Concord received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). 

Read the press release, which includes the list of grant recipients.

What is arpa?


In an effort to assist individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and state and local governments in dealing with the public health and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress approved the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) in March. ARPA provides federal stimulus funds intended to address the ongoing economic recovery following substantial financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

The City of Concord received $27 million in one-time federal ARPA dollars; $8 million has been spent on pandemic recovery efforts. The City Council is in the process of allocating the remaining $19 million.  

concord arpa allocations

At the Council's Sept. 27 2022 meeting, the City Council identified the funding categories, dollar allocations to spending categories, and the process for allocating funds within each spending category. 

  • $7 million: City Projects, Public Safety and Special Events
  • $7 million: Support for Nonprofit Organizations 
  • $3 million: Support for the Unhoused
  • $2 million: Support for Small Businesses 

The funding for nonprofit organizations will be provided in amounts between $50,000 and $2 million. Applications were accepted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 28, 2022, and the awards were announced at the March 7, 2023 Council meeting.

The funding for small businesses will be distributed in two rounds -- one in fall 2022 and one in spring 2023. The $5,000 grants will be offered to businesses with 25 or fewer employees and can be used to reimburse select operating costs such as rent, utilities, and payroll. More information is available here.

The funding for the unhoused will be added to the $2.4 million that Council previously allocated in spring 2022, for a total of $5.4 million, and will be used for funding projects and priorities following the completion of the City's strategic plan on addressing homelessness, which will commence in spring 2023. 

The funding for City projects, public safety and special events was allocated at the Feb. 7, 2023 Council meeting. Review the full list of funded projects.

Survey Results

Thank you for participating in our surveys! We received nearly 900 responses. The information collected through these surveys and the City's community meetings was summarized and presented to the City Council on April 26, 2022.

Survey Results:

More Information


Through the efforts of the National League of Cities and state associations such as the League of California Cities, the bill included $130 billion in federal stimulus funds for local governments. This money was divided evenly between counties and local government agencies, and funding was provided to cities based on 2019 population size. Concord expects to receive $27 million for COVID-19 response and recovery.

By law, all of the local government funds must be allocated by December 31, 2024 and spent no later than December 31, 2026.