ARPA Team

The City of Lowell is committed to ensuring an accountable and transparent process in our efforts to fund eligible and impactful projects using ARPA funding.  The City Manager established the ARPA Team, functioning through the Finance Department, in order to administer and disperse American Rescue Plan funding in an accountable manner that strategically addresses the short-term and long-term needs, impacts, and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The City will attempt to maximize the use of these funds, as well as leverage additional funding for public health, public safety, and economic development. 

The ARPA Teams' goal is to ensure that this funding will be used for eligible purposes, as well as conduct all spending within the statutory period for the use of federal stimulus funding from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund under CFDA No. 21.027 (ARPA Funds) under Section 603 (b) of the Social Security Act, as amended by Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARP Act”).

In an effort to help guide the City Council and City Manager through their deliberations, the ARPA team is responsible for:

• Ascertaining the eligible uses of ARPA funds
• Gathering data on community needs and potential projects
• Working with federal, state, and local partners, public and private, to identify eligible, impactful and sustainable investments within the City of Lowell
• Publishing Request for Proposals (RFPs) focused on specific areas of recovery, accepting ARPA RFP Grant Applications, and guiding applicants through the process
• Assessing and scoring ARPA RFP Grant Applications for completeness, applicability, and award
• Announcing grant awards, guiding award recipients through the process of accepting the grant, and the contract process
• Guiding recipients through the process of filing for payment
• Conducting audits to ensure that funds are being used according to U.S. Treasury guidelines