ALABAMA Elliot Knight, Alabama State Council on the Arts Executive Director: “The newly awarded grants are among $57 million in support being provided to organizations across the United States through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP)…‘Support from the National Endowment for the Arts is vital to enriching our communities and expanding the quality of life for Alabamians… As arts organizations across the state continue to reopen and return to in-person operations, Alabama will greatly benefit from this federal investment in the arts.’” [Alabama NewsCenter, 2/7/22]

ALASKA Amanda Gornik, Gold Creek Child Development Center Director on grant money from the American Rescue Plan enabling child-care providers to hire more staff and expand capacity: “‘We’re expecting to be at full capacity, staff-wise, and we’re starting to increase our [student] numbers as well.’” [Alaska Public Radio, 3/4/22]

ARIZONA Ned Norris Jr., Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman: "The Tohono O’odham Nation is grateful for this much-needed competitive allocation of (block grant) American Rescue Plan funds…the greatly needed funds will bring significant upgrades to the reservation’s infrastructure including improvements in water delivery and residential housing construction.” [Tucson Sentinel, 3/8/22]

ARKANSAS Alan Morse, Ritter Communications CEO, on eight rural broadband installation grants to expand internet access across Arkansas funded by the American Rescue Plan: “We are eager to help these communities and the state bridge the digital divide and bring state-of-the-art broadband services to business and residents there.” [KATV, 03/8/21]

CALIFORNIA Kevin Tilden, California American Water President, on American Rescue Plan relief for Californians who fell behind on water payments during COVID-19: “We are pleased to be able to partner with the SWRCB to offer this assistance to our customers throughout California who missed bill payments in the eligible period.” [Business Wire, 2/22/22]

COLORADO                                                                        Debra A. Johnson, RTD General Manager and CEO: “RTD will leverage [American Rescue Plan] funding to optimize people power by recruiting and retaining talent to bolster transit-service delivery that enhances day-to-day lives of residents and visitors across the Denver metro region.” [Denver 7 ABC, 2/7/22]

CONNECTICUT Dr. Veronica Maria Pimentel, OB/GYN on Medicaid extension for new mothers funded by the American Rescue Plan: “That gives us a lot more leeway trying to figure out how to help our patients take care of themselves.” [The Hartford Courant, 3/7/22]

DELAWARE Kelly Kline, Selbyville Public Library Director, on American Rescue Plan Capital Relief Fund grants: “We are also just really delighted to have people coming in now since the pandemic, and we can’t wait to have our new facility to welcome you there.” [47 ABC News, 02/21/22]

FLORIDA Katie Shultz, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Senior Director of Community Investments: “We are funding churches, we are funding food banks, programs that are providing medical services, shelters, drug and alcohol rehab centers, after-school programs [through the American Rescue Plan] — those programs that are key to this community and have become even more essential during the pandemic.” [WFTS Tampa Bay, 3/4/22]

GEORGIA David Bridges, Georgia Rural Center Director: “We are pleased and grateful to have received [American Rescue Plan] funding for these projects that will positively impact quality of life for people in these rural communities.” [The Albany Herald, 3/1/22]

GUAM Joe Sanchez, Guam Department of Education Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, on school supply allotments funded by the American Rescue Plan: “The intent is for next school year, students should not have to pull out of pocket to buy their own school supplies (and) teachers should not have to pull out of their pocket to buy any of the supplies for schools.” [The Guam Post, 3/9/22]

HAWAII Matt Gonser, Chief Resilience Officer for the City and County of Honolulu: “We all recognized and observed here locally, in terms of the inequities that both surfaced and the disparities that I think we understood were out there…we have an opportunity, a multi-year program, to think about these really important relief and recovery dollars.” [Hawai’i Public Radio, 10/22/21]

IDAHO Sean Simmons, Orofino Mayor, on American Rescue Plan funding enabling water-distribution upgrades: “These funds will be going to inflow and infiltration studies on our collection system. Orofino is fairly old … so we work on it a little bit each year and do what we can.” [The Lewiston Tribune, 3/3/22]

ILLINOIS Juliana Stratton, Illinois Lieutenant Governor, on the Illinois Emergency Homeowner Assistance Fund Program: “This relief is a critical tool that will support Illinois families, enabling them to remain in their homes while strengthening communities.” [The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 2/28/22]

INDIANA Jessica Bastin, Madison County Engineer: “We want to get the plans in place and start funding projects for the future… [The American Rescue Plan] is a great opportunity, we want to look at areas that are underserved, where the gaps are and look at expanding existing [utility] districts.” [The Herald Bulletin, 3/8/22]

IOWA Jessica Pratt, Cedar Rapids Community Development Director, on American Rescue Plan funding for workforce development programs: “We’re very excited to bring in kind of the last dollars to get that across the finish line.” [Daily Iowan, 3/8/22]

KANSAS Melanie Landis, Ottawa Director of Finance: “We’ve spent months and months taking a look at [American Rescue Plan funding]. We tried to pick those projects that make the biggest impact upon our citizens that they can see.” [The Ottawa Herald, 2/26/22]

KENTUCKY Dr. Kevin Cosby, Simmons College President: “It's a win not simply for Simmons, it's a win for Black students who are behind when it comes to higher education...Simmons College does not have housing, Simmons needs housing. Our state and our city received ARP money; Simmons is eligible for those ARP monies.” [WLKY, 11/10/21]

LOUISIANA Mike Danahay, Sulphur Mayor: “The funding is absolutely a necessary thing…we’ve been impacted greatly by COVID. The water’s going to be funded in the current fiscal year. The next fiscal year, the water plant improvements. Certainly, we want to focus on wastewater as well.” [KPLC, 5/3/21]

MAINE Tanya Emery, Bangor Economic and Community Development Director, on American Rescue Plan-funded workforce development programs: “There is a strong demand for labor and a relatively easy access point in these areas. This is an incredible opportunity for the community.” [The Bangor Daily News, 3/3/22]

MARYLAND Paul Weidenfeld, Washington Metro Area Transit Authority General Manager and CEO: “[American Rescue Plan funding will be used] in our continued preparation to keep the region moving as many re-enter the workplace and resume leisure activities.” [WTOP, 3/4/22]

MASSACHUSETTS Jaysen Goncalves, Luanda Restaurant Co-Owner: “We are very thankful for having received the [Restaurant Revitalization Fund] grant. It was very helpful during a very tumultuous time. The effects of the pandemic are still being felt, especially for a lot of small businesses like ours.” [The Brockton Enterprise, 2/27/22]

MICHIGAN Mary Townley, Michigan State Housing Development Authority Director of Homeownership: “The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund program will ensure thousands of Michigan homeowners avoid the personal devastation of foreclosure while also helping communities across Michigan reduce the secondary impacts foreclosures can have on neighborhoods, local governments, and social services networks.” [MLive, 2/15/22]

MINNESOTA Kim Berggren, Brooklyn Park Director of Community Development: “Some of the funds are being directed toward violence intervention and interruption activities and so we’re seeing that happen now already with community groups out in the community interrupting the most violent activities that are happening.” [CCX Media, 1/14/22]

MISSISSIPPI Walter Michel, Mississippi State Senator: “We’re getting a mandate from Congress that they really want to get broadband in the rural areas, and Mississippi will certainly benefit greatly from that.” [WLOX, 11/11/21]

MISSOURI Jim Jones, Blair Oaks School District Superintendent: “Ultimately, we are using the additional revenues to best meet the overall needs of our students and district... Virtual education expenditures over the last two school years have exceeded $120,000. The [American Rescue Plan] monies allowed the district to address this expenditure without reducing the number of on-campus teachers for in-person instruction.” [The Jefferson City News Tribune, 3/6/22]

MONTANA Laurie Francis, Missoula Community Care Team Executive Director, on services provided through American Rescue Plan funding: “We're working to make sure that people who are not able to be in permanent stable housing have access to medical care, social care, and the opportunity to move toward housing while they are living in various areas around the community.” [KGVO, 3/8/22]

NEBRASKA Alyson Hanish, University of Nebraska nursing instructor, on American Rescue Plan funding to promote resilience and mental health in the nursing workforce: “We’re in a complicated environment, [American Rescue Plan funding] is part of the puzzle…an investment in nurses.” [3 News Now, 2/19/22]

NEVADA Zach Conine, Nevada State Treasurer: “With these additional funds, the Treasurer’s Office will be able to ensure that 2,400 children will be provided with life-changing grants to recover stronger from the pandemic.” [The Nevada Independent, 2/10/22]

NEW HAMPSHIRE Natalie Darcy, Keene Human Services Manager: “The program helps fill a hole in assistance coverage since the pandemic began…there wasn’t anything out there for homeowners for the past two years.” [The Laconia Daily Sun, 3/3/22]

NEW JERSEY Tim Sullivan, New Jersey Economic Development Agency Chief Executive Officer, on the state’s Sustain & Serve program funded through American Rescue Plan funds: “Not only does this program help fuel our state’s overall economic recovery by enabling restaurants to hire and retain staff, but it also supports organizations that are providing nutritious meals to people statewide who may not otherwise have access to them.” [Trenton Daily, 2/16/22]

NEW MEXICO Richard Hanway, Las Cruces RoadRUNNER Transit Operations Supervisor: “We anticipate still having to do a lot of that cleaning, just to build the public confidence in our system to make sure that they understand that transit is a safe option for them to use... With the federal grant covering some operational costs, funding would be freed to develop new services and projects.” [Las Cruces Sun News, 3/9/22]

NEW YORK Rika Levin, Ossining Mayor: “[American Rescue Plan funding will provide] efficient and effective opportunities to disperse these funds on behalf of the Village of Ossining’s 27,000 residents … to fund future projects for a broad range of categories.” [The River Journal, 3/2/22]

NORTH CAROLINA Machelle Baker Sanders, North Carolina Commerce Secretary, on American Rescue Plan funding to kickstart tourism sector recovery: “North Carolina's hospitality sector is dependent on a strong economic recovery…North Carolina will create a more resilient economy for these industries and the thousands of small businesses and workers that rely on visitor spending.” [The Center Square, 3/4/22]

NORTH DAKOTA Michelle Gee, North Dakota Department of Human Services Director of Economic Assistance: “The [American Rescue Plan funded] program can also assist with weatherization, so making homes more efficient, obviously to reduce the heating costs that the households are incurring. And we can also assist with furnace repair and replacement for qualifying households as well.” [KFYR TV, 2/7/22]

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS David D.L.G Atalig, Northern Mariana Islands Secretary of Finance: “We’re talking a lot of money, up to $6,000 per family that can qualify. This is great for the commonwealth... The EITC is part of the [American Rescue Plan] bill.” [The Guam Daily Post, 3/9/22]

OHIO Shelley Dickstein, Dayton City Manager: “This is a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... [This funding] is a change to do transformative things [for the community.]” [NPR, 10/19/21]

OKLAHOMA Darry Stacy, Cleveland County Commissioner: “This gives us an opportunity that we've never had before in Cleveland County. It is unprecedented. The amount of dollars that will be coming to our community, to our county, and give us the ability to take a step forward in doing many things that we have never done before." [KOCO 5, 10/21/21]

OREGON Brett Yancey, Springfield School District Chief Operations Officer, on American Rescue Plan funding for summer programs addressing lost learning caused by the pandemic: “Springfield students benefited greatly from the summer programming, as reported by students, families, and faculty. We also believe the important course recovery and support options provided at our high schools contributed to the modest increase in graduation rates here in Springfield.” [Oregon Public Broadcasting, 3/1/22]

PENNSYLVANIA Nathan Silcox, Hampden Township Commissioner, on Pennsylvania’s Emergency Medical Services COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program funded by the American Rescue Plan: “Hampden Township EMS is under the same constraints as EMS providers across the commonwealth, and these funds will be extremely benefit to ensuring that we continue to provide the needed coverage to our community.” [Penn Live, 02/09/21]

PUERTO RICO The White House: “The American Rescue Plan provided nearly $1 billion in emergency food assistance for Puerto Rico, and the island will see a permanent, annual increase of over $463 million for its food assistance block grant going forward.” [Fact Sheet, 1/20/22]

RHODE ISLAND Sabina Matos, Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor, on grants funded through the American Rescue Plan: “These past two years have taken a significant toll on our small business community. Some small businesses have shut their doors and others are barely getting by. This grant program couldn’t come at a better time.” [Providence Business Journal, 1/31/22]

SOUTH CAROLINA Molly Spearman, State Superintendent of Education, on American Rescue Plan monies funding career pathway partnerships throughout the state: “Whether you are a current student looking ahead to a future career or a parent or community member who needs skilled training for the available jobs in our economy, this partnership will provide you with the tools and tuition free resources to be prepared.” [WPDE, 2/9/22]

SOUTH DAKOTA Robin Schrupp, Rawlins Municipal Library Director: “It’s basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from the American Rescue Plan Act... The upgrades to the library are very important. It’s important to us to stay involved and up to date. If you don’t do that, then the kids aren’t going to be coming because it’s all old news to them. So, if we have up-to-date information and technology, they’re going to be coming, and they’ll enjoy their experience.” [Capital Journal, 7/19/21]

TENNESSEE Cara Kumari, Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Development Disabilities spokesperson, on the state’s Enabling Technology program, which received American Rescue Plan funding: "It really helps in the long run, to serve more people, when we’re serving the people who can and want to be served by technology, with technology as opposed to having a person there. And, therefore, those direct care staff in-person resources can go to those who need those resources. So it is a piece of a much larger puzzle when it comes to dealing with work workforce shortages.” [The Tennessee Lookout, 1/17/22]

TEXAS Paul Villareal, Hidalgo County Tax Assessor-Collector, on a statewide homeowner assistance program: “The reason that I really wanted to promote it is because I wanted to make sure that our Hidalgo County taxpayers, and maybe the rest of the Valley, can take advantage… Millions of dollars came through our office, and I urge everybody that can qualify to really take advantage. We want to make sure that we can hopefully help the community here with those funds.” [MyRGV, 3/5/22]

UTAH Carlton Christensen, Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees Chairperson: “If we had not received these funds, we’d be thinking more about how we recover as an organization, and it would have delayed our response to the future by a number of years. This allows us to continue to move forward with the confidence we hoped and anticipated.” [Fox 13 Salt Lake City, 2/25/22]

VERMONT Mary Ashcroft, Rutland Selectboard Chairwoman: “Big picture stuff, because it looks like we’re going to have enough money to do some big picture things, but also, you know, the smaller things that we can do, like getting those filters and purifiers for town office.” [Vermont Public Radio, 9/20/21]

VIRGINIA Levar M. Stoney, Richmond Mayor: “[American Rescue Plan funding] represents a blueprint for building back better and stronger through strategic, intentional and equitable investments that deliver on the promise of a quality of life our residents want, need and deserve.” [The Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10/12/21]

WASHINGTON Breean Beggs, Spokane City Council President: “We are putting these dollars to work for everyday people. I think that’s maybe the difference for our people and other places around, is it’s really going to the people that need it the most, and it will have the broadest impact in our community.” [KXLY, 3/8/22]

WEST VIRGINIA Joseph Solberg, Tygart Valley United Way Finance and Grants Director: “It’s a separate phase funded by the American Rescue Plan Act…we can help more agencies, and, for the agencies we help, we can help them more.” [The Fairmont News, 3/1/22]

WISCONSIN Carver Harries, Ashland Area Development Corporation Executive Director, on the Partner Up grant program to connect employers and child care providers, funded by the American Rescue Plan: “Everybody wins. The employer is able to recruit more candidates for their job openings, the family has a much better deal, paying for child care, and the child care center is better able to make ends meet.” [Ashland Daily Press, 3/8/22]

WYOMING Crystal Reynolds, Tribal Archaeologist for the Wind River Indian Reservation’s Historic Preservation Office, on grants to help Indigenous culture programs recover: “There’s a lot of really good information that has either been lost due to people passing on, or oral histories not being remembered or recorded... [This program] can help reconnect the tribe with its past.” [The Casper Tribune, 3/8/22]

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