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The CARES Act created a tax credit to keep employees on payroll during the pandemic. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently warned employers to look out for scammers using the credit to promise tax savings that are too good to be true.

Our Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) dashboard shows that 10.5 million loans out of 11.5 million have been fully or partially forgiven. The average PPP loan was $42,000, so getting it forgiven (meaning you don’t have to pay it back) could be a big financial benefit.

The spread and uncertainty of the pandemic increased stress and anxiety for many veterans, especially for those who experienced homelessness or mental health issues, such as PTSD. To help, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received $34.4 billion, much of which was aimed at assisting states, nonprofits, and other organizations build nursing homes and facilities for veterans facing homelessness.

Local governments have received a total of $350 billion from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to support pandemic efforts – that’s a lot of money. We've built new maps to help you explore the spending from this huge program in your city, county, and town.

Recipients of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) first reported on how they were spending the money in January 2022. Reporting took place a second time in April 2022. Here we look at some of the key differences between the two reporting periods and how local governments are spending the money.

Organizations receiving contracts from the federal government are classified by types of industries based on the North American Industry Classification System. These categories allow the government to understand the kinds of businesses receiving federal contracts. For example, the Department Health and Human Services gave a contract for ventilators to Ventec Life Systems, Inc., which is classified in the “Surgical and medical instrument manufacturing” category. The Department of Education gave a COVID testing kits contract to Emed Labs, LLC, which is classified as “medical laboratories.”

Federal agencies have distributed most of the pandemic funding through grants, direct payments, and loans. However, the agencies have also signed contracts to buy goods and services related to the pandemic.

Many people found themselves underemployed or unemployed during the pandemic. For example, in April, 2020, unemployment was 14.7%, impacting 23 million people. To address these issues, many state and local governments used funding from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) to create or expand programs that provided job training and connected people to potential job opportunities.

We talk a lot about the big pandemic relief programs, like the $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program. But what about the smaller programs that received funds to help fight the effects of the pandemic?

Many state and local governments have used money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) to expand the number of beds in shelters and support services, and create new programs to address the growing problem of homelessness. Read on to see how two states, two counties, and two cities are using these funds to address the challenges people experiencing homelessness face.