Community-led Recovery: ARPA Funds in Oregon

Congress passed the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), a historic opportunity to build back our communities and economy after the COVID-19 pandemic while having the potential to address the deeply embedded inequities in access and voice in our democracy. The DBE coalition launched an RFP to distribute funds to organizations using participatory democracy practices to allocate ARPA funds in their community. Each awardee received $10,000 to carry out their work, in addition to shared learning and capacity-building opportunities. Youth are uniquely impacted by COVID-19 and are vastly underrepresented in government decisions made on their behalf. That’s why Youth Voice Youth Vote PB (YV2 PB) was launched in 2022. YV2 PB invites youth ages 13-25 in the region to design and vote on $500,000 in COVID-19 relief and recovery projects. YV2 PB promises to expand civic leadership and organizing skills while enhancing and rebuilding community, relationships, and mental health outcomes.