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Last year, Evanston was allocated $43 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
Since then, the city has been working to develop a comprehensive community-guided Evanston ARPA Plan.
In order to identify how best to spend the funds, the city began by hosting three town hall meetings in coordination with community partners Evanston Cradle to Career, Evanston Community Foundation, Evanston Early Childhood Council, Northwestern University and Evanston Latinos.
Two major capital projects are making bids for a slice of Evanston’s ARPA funding: The Aux is seeking $1 million to renovate a building at 2223 Washington St. into a hub for Black businesses. And Northlight Theatre wants $2 million toward the construction of a theater complex at 1012-16 Church St.
City staff members developed an ARPA plan that was accepted by the City Council on March 14 and it is available online. The city has until Dec. 21, 2026, to spend the federal money. Learn more on the city’s website.