The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides relief funds to state, local and tribal governments that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
NEU information
State NEU funding, points of contact and local government guidance.
ARPA-SLFRF reports
Reports for the Legislature, grant agreement status and SLFRF recovery plan.
Track a project
Current progress for ARPA-SLFRF-funded projects and initiatives in the State of Oklahoma.
What is ARPA-SLFRF?
In an effort to mitigate the adverse fiscal consequences of the recent pandemic, the U.S. Congress provided two rounds of general fiscal assistance to state and local governments. The first provided a total of $150 billion through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; PL 116-136). The second round of assistance was enacted in the America Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA; PL 117-2). The ARPA provided $362 billion in general federal assistance payments to state, local, tribal and territorial governments. This assistance was provided through four channels: the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund, the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund.
Funding through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) permitted governments to respond to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts by providing assistance to households, small businesses, nonprofits and impacted industries; providing premium pay to essential workers; providing for general government services to the extent of reductions in government revenues; and making necessary investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.
There is a total of $3.19 billion in ARPA SLFRF funding. The State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) provided $1.87 billion to the State of Oklahoma for investment, while the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (LFRF) provided $238 million to non-entitlement units (NEUs) of local government.
To ensure funds were allocated in a responsible and transparent manner and in accordance with federal guidelines, the Oklahoma Legislature worked in collaboration with Executive Branch leaders to form the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding.
The Joint Committee received and evaluated proposals through a vetting process and engagement with stakeholders, including members of the Executive Branch, state agencies, community organizations and public submissions.
Projects were assigned to the working groups within the Joint Committee. Once the working groups vetted the projects, they passed them on to the Joint Steering Committee for evaluation and recommendation. Projects were then sent to the governor for final approval. To date, all ARPA SFRF funds have been appropriated.
Under the SLFRF program, recipients must obligate all award funds by Dec. 31, 2024, and expend funds by Dec. 31, 2026, with the exception of projects within the Surface Transportation projects and Title I projects eligible use categories, for which recipients must expend funds by Sept. 30, 2026.
FEATURED ARPA-SFRF PROJECT
Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health Behavioral Health Center
Estimated completion: December 2026
ARPA funding allocated: $39.4 million
In partnership with OU Health, the University Hospitals Authority and Trust (UHAT) broke ground on the new children’s behavioral health center at the downtown OU Health Campus on Nov. 1, 2023. At a total estimated cost of $140.6 million, this facility is a critical step toward addressing the urgent mental health needs of Oklahoma’s children.
Watch the project in real time
View building progress in real time with these livestream construction videos, courtesy of UHAT:
