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Some of the larger federal pandemic relief programs, like the Education Stabilization Fund, were created to help schools and students. But state and local governments have also used State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) money to support education projects.

Millions of Americans were out of work during the pandemic, especially in its earliest days. In April 2020, the unemployment rate hit 15 percent. To help people who were unemployed, Congress passed three unemployment assistance programs. Two of the programs increased existing benefits, while the other expanded benefits to people like self-employed and gig workers, who typically aren’t eligible. As of April, 2022, approximately $664 billion had gone out to the states. See how much unemployment insurance your state received.

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.