Advancing an Equitable Recovery through
the American Rescue Plan Act
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In spring 2021, the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law, providing nearly $2 billion to the City of Chicago and $1 billion to Cook County in direct, flexible funding to combat the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our region—in addition to billions more in direct funding for specific uses (e.g. vaccination programs) and to sister agencies, plus potentially billions more via competitive funding streams.
Since March 2021, Civic Consulting Alliance and our partners have committed significant resources to support the City and the County in planning for effective investment of these transformative funds to maximize their impact on the issues most critical to our region’s future. In recent months, our collaborative focus has transitioned to turning these plans into action.
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Developing Strategic Foundations for Investment
In spring and summer 2021, Civic Consulting Alliance partnered with Mayer Brown, BCG, and EY to support the City to develop frameworks to guide investment of ARPA funds. This framework and accompanying research were key inputs to the City’s 2022 budget and its Chicago Recovery Plan, backed by ARPA and new municipal bond funds. At the same time, we collaborated with Cook County, its contractor Guidehouse, and our pro bono partner Slalom on a comprehensive process to identify, review, and prioritize initiatives to receive ARPA funding. This work informed the County’s 2022 budget and its Roadmap to Recovery. Read more about this work in our 2021 Impact Report.
Building Project Management Infrastructure
From November 2021 to April 2022, Civic Consulting Alliance and our pro bono partner EY helped to develop and stand up a central program management office (PMO) at the Mayor’s Office to guide implementation of the Chicago Recovery Plan initiatives. This included: outlining key milestones for 2022; developing materials to onboard new City PMO staff; and, with pro bono support from Slalom, integrating data systems to streamline reporting and track spending. In parallel to this effort, Cook County worked with its contractor Guidehouse to build and launch a PMO to guide implementation of its Roadmap to Recovery priorities.
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"The resources we received from the American Rescue Plan Act were a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support our Chicago Recovery Plan and move our equitable economy forward. I'm grateful to Civic Consulting Alliance for providing immediate capacity and expertise to support the City's decision making processes. Their invaluable partnership has helped ensure that ARPA resources are aligned with our equity-focused goals."
- Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor, City of Chicago
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Accelerating Implementation of Priority Initiatives
Equipped with strategic roadmaps to guide their efforts, the City and the County will now focus on implementing their priority recovery initiatives. Civic Consulting Alliance will continue to invest significant staff and pro bono partner resources in this next phase of recovery work. The illustrative list of projects below is only the beginning of the critical work ahead.
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Federal Grant Coordination - In January and February 2022, staff supported the Mayor’s Office in creating and launching a structure to centrally coordinate federal grant applications across City departments and agencies. Effective coordination is especially important as the City pursues significant competitive federal funding opportunities via ARPA and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
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Investing in South and West Side Commercial Corridors - From January to April 2022, we worked with the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to strengthen commercial corridors on the South and West Sides, leveraging ARPA, Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF), and other funding sources. We provided research, analysis, and strategic frameworks to equip the City to select and implement refreshed commercial corridor activation strategies.
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Municipal Capacity for Capital Improvements - In 2021, our staff and pro bono partners invested in a Cook County Bureau of Asset Management initiative to provide technical assistance to suburban municipalities for infrastructure investments. Since April 2022, we have aided a second project with the County, to design a program that will amplify its support to ensure the effective deployment of historic levels of federal and state funding for crucial capital improvements (e.g., transportation, public buildings, water/sewage infrastructure). The program integrates multiple County Bureaus, and prioritizes assistance for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 or that are historically disinvested.
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Data Visualization for Place-Based Investments - In April 2022, we launched a data visualization project to support Cook County’s multi-year effort to make transformative, place-based investments with ARPA and other funding in historically disinvested communities. With support from our pro bono partners Analytics8 and KPMG, we are developing a dashboard that visualizes measures of disinvestment across suburban Cook County municipalities, as well as existing County assets and resources. This dashboard will support the County’s selection of communities for investment.
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Intergovernmental Coordination - Significant new funding for gun violence prevention is available to the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois via ARPA, creating an opportunity to substantially increase investment in community-based public health approaches to violence prevention in 2022. From August to October 2021, the City, County, and State engaged Civic Consulting Alliance to develop systems to facilitate efficient and effective intergovernmental coordination on violence prevention across funding streams. Read more about this work in our March 2022 newsletter. In April 2022, we kicked off a second phase of work to align on common evaluative metrics and an approach to sustainably build capacity in violence prevention organizations.
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“Civic Consulting Alliance is a vital part of our region’s civic infrastructure, providing critical resources that Cook County and other institutions have relied upon in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis to drive forward change and to engage diverse stakeholders in shaping the path ahead.”
- Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President
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A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity
The resources made available via the American Rescue Plan Act are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more equitable Chicago region by addressing challenges—including poverty, community disinvestment, and inequitable access to opportunity—that were exacerbated by the pandemic and that must be rectified to build a better region.
At this pivotal moment for Chicago, Civic Consulting Alliance’s services are in greater demand than ever. Our nimble capacity and expertise are a critical component of Chicago’s civic infrastructure, and enhance the City of Chicago and Cook County’s ability to invest these transformative recovery funds in catalytic initiatives to make our region more just, equitable, and resilient. We are deeply grateful to our partners and our philanthropic donors, whose ongoing support enables us to sustain the staff and cross-sector relationships that make this work possible.
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Welcoming New Board Member: Amy Yuhn |
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Civic Consulting Alliance is pleased to welcome Amy Yuhn to our Board. Visit our website to learn more and to see our full list of Board members.
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Amy Yuhn is U.S. Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Communications and Community Development for CIBC. She leads all advertising, sponsorships, digital marketing, events and communications activities for CIBC in the United States. Amy is a member of the U.S. Executive Committee, the U.S. Inclusion and Diversity Advisory Council, and CIBC’s Global Leadership Team.
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Fellow Spotlights: Elise Lamarre and Annie Zhou
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What project work were you involved in during your time at Civic Consulting Alliance?
EL: I supported a project to develop a sustainable governance structure for a new 211 phone line to better connect Chicago and Cook County residents to health and human services.
AZ: I conducted best practice research to inform policies and procedures for the new Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), Chicago's first community-led Commission for oversight of the Chicago Police Department and related agencies.
What will you take away from your time at Civic Consulting Alliance?
EL: I learned how to effectively engage and reach decisions with a wide range of stakeholders with diverse priorities. Throughout my fellowship, I was struck by the commitment people have to making Chicago a better place, and I loved working with our clients on such an important initiative.
AZ: I learned about Chicago’s public safety landscape, gained insights into using management consulting tools to develop solutions to big challenges from the ground up, and deepened my appreciation for the importance of building meaningful relationships with coworkers and clients.
What was your most memorable experience during your time at Civic Consulting Alliance?
EL: Most of my fellowship was done virtually, so spending one day in the office was a highlight! I appreciated having the opportunity to brainstorm and collaborate with my supervisor in person.
AZ: I really enjoyed getting to know the Civic Consulting Alliance staff over coffee chats and working together in the office. I also loved participating in the team's annual 'Office Olympics' staff meeting!
How has your time at Civic Consulting Alliance helped you develop professionally?
EL: My fellowship has been extremely formative professionally. I've grown my self-confidence, and my experience reaffirmed my passion for work that helps Chicago become a place where everyone can thrive. I have truly loved my time at Civic Consulting Alliance and am so grateful to everyone I’ve met and worked with!
AZ: As I explore future career paths, this fellowship grew my understanding of the variety of possible career trajectories in the public sector. My experience also strengthened my problem-solving skills and ability to tackle unfamiliar topics.
Civic Consulting Alliance Fellowships are full-time positions that typically last between three months and a year. Fellows are integrated into project teams for a unique professional development opportunity. In partnership with Northwestern University, we provide a semester-long Undergraduate Fellowship. Please visit our Fellowships page to learn more about our range of fellowship opportunities.
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Thank you to our funders! |
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Civic Consulting Alliance is grateful for the critical support of all of our funders. Since our last newsletter, we were thrilled to receive philanthropic commitments from the following corporations and foundations: |
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The Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust |
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General operating support to advance Civic Consulting Alliance's mission, and support for management of the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities |
General operating support to advance our work to strengthen the City of Chicago and Cook County's internal capacity to use federal recovery funds for an equitable and inclusive recovery |
General operating support to advance Civic Consulting Alliance's mission |
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General Operating Funders |
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Civic Consulting Alliance is grateful to our general operating funders, whose support empowers us to maintain our flexible and responsive capacity to get big things done. |
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