Portland received $208 million from the U.S. government's American Rescue Plan, giving us the opportunity to make key investments in our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession.
Now is the moment to invest in and reimagine a city that is thriving and prosperous and centers underserved communities, especially Black and Indigenous people, people of color, Portlanders with disabilities, immigrants, refugees and undocumented Portlanders. Our actions today can help Portland emerge as a more equitable, vibrant and sustainable city.
Explore data about how we're spending the money
Rescue Plan Open Data: Investing in Portland is a website where members of the public can follow a project's progress through data. The data highlights specific city communities, City Council investment priority areas and citywide equity outcomes.
Priority areas and projects
Three priority areas were identified for the first round of local relief funds ($104 million) based on American Rescue Plan eligibility, City Council priorities and Economic Recovery Task Force input. The second round of local relief funds (another $104 million) was allocated in 2022.
In addition to these three priority areas, $36.8 million was given to backfill revenue loss to provide continuity of City services to Portland residents and to provide resources to deliver American Rescue Plan programs - including infrastructure for Data-Informed Decision Making and Rescue Plan Data Governance. $1.6 million was invested in City employee resilience and supportive health services and resources.
Read more below about the different projects at the City of Portland funded with American Rescue Plan money. Click on a project name to visit its webpage. Each project is listed under an equity outcome.
PRIORITY AREA 1
Houselessness response and Household stabilization ($101.5 million)
Equity outcome: All people in Portland feel secure and stable in their current homes.
Affordable Housing Land Banking
Affordable Housing Preservation
Match2: Utility Debt Relief
82nd Avenue Careers and Stable Housing
Equity outcome: All houseless or unsheltered people in Portland are given stable and secure shelter with access to health services.
Equity outcome: All people in Portland are able to connect to resources and to one another via dependable internet and devices.
PRIORITY AREA 2
Business and Commercial District Stabilization ($30.4 million)
Equity outcome: All business operators in Portland, especially those hardest hit by the pandemic, feel supported in continuing to operate sustainably.
Small Business Stabilization: Repair Grant and Restore Grant
82nd Avenue Business Anti-Displacement
Old Town Reactivation by Environmental Design
Equity outcome: All people in Portland have the skills and support to gain stable employment and afford basic life necessities
PRIORITY AREA 3
Community health and safety ($26.3 million)
Equity outcome: All people in Portland have safe and inclusive outdoor spaces for recreation, business, and socializing.
Upstream Services for Families Impacted by Gun Violence
Play Streets
Parks Community Safety Capacity and Infrastructure
Equity outcome: Artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color receive support and funding to continue to practice their art in Portland.
Equity outcome: All business operators in Portland, especially those hardest hit by the pandemic, feel supported in continuing to operate sustainably.
Business Restoration
Equity outcome: All people in Portland receive safe, inclusive, and responsive health and emergency services with access to resources to meet their basic needs.
Portland Street Response Expansion
Collaborative Community Resilience
Annual Reports to U.S. Treasury
As a large city, Portland is required to submit annual reports – called “Recovery Plans” – to the U.S. Treasury each summer. These reports include information about our progress selecting and implementing the projects funded with this Rescue Plan grant. We provide both financial information and performance data to help the U.S. Treasury understand who we are partnering with to implement projects, and the progress and impact of individual projects. Complete performance data can be found on our Open Data website: Rescue Plan Open Data (arcgis.com).
2023 Recovery Plan
2022 Recovery Plan
This report was submitted to US Treasury on Friday, July 29, 2022. It is available in Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, English, and Chinese (Simple).
2021 Recovery Plan
Available in Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, English, and Chinese (Simple).
Background information
What is the American Rescue Plan?
The American Rescue Plan, also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law in March 2021. The City of Portland received $207.9 million of local relief funds in two installments. The first allocation was received in May 2021, with the second in 2022. Categories eligible for relief included:
Public health emergency and economic response, including assistance to households, small businesses and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality.
Government services, based on the reduction in revenue due to the pandemic.
Investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.
Premium pay, up to $13 an hour, for eligible workers performing essential services to respond to COVID-19, capped at a maximum benefit of $2,500.
Guiding principles
Ground process, priorities and outcomes in the city’s core values of anti-racism, equity, in-language access and transparency to ensure benefits for Black, Indigenous and people of color communities and the most vulnerable Portlanders.
Prioritize investments in relief and stabilization activities that are informed by data and address houselessness and houselessness prevention, community health and safety, and COVID 19 economic challenges for individuals, businesses and communities.
Act as effective stewards of financial and other resources by ensuring the city can provide critical services, aligning investments with other public and private investments, including regional collaboration and positioning the community for longer-term recovery.
Economic Relief and Stabilization Coordinating Council
The Economic Relief and Stabilization Coordinating Council formed in March 2021 to identify, coordinate and deliver on the first round of key economic relief and stimulus priorities in line with City Council direction, community input and near-term opportunities. The Economic Council coordinated across City bureaus to achieve shared priorities, reduce duplication and confusion, and provide options and recommendations to City Council, who then voted on American Rescue Plan investments.
Economic Recovery Task Force
Following Mayor Ted Wheeler’s declaration of emergency in March 2020, the City of Portland formed a COVID-19 Economic Relief and Stabilization Framework and identified teams to guide the city’s response to the economic impact of the pandemic through recommendations and collaboration.
Consisting of nearly 70 business, community, foundation, labor, public and workforce leaders, the Economic Recovery Task Force advised on collaborative economic stabilization and recovery interventions, including American Rescue Plan priority areas.
Additionally, the City of Portland convened five "action tables" to respond to Portland’s challenges. The people who joined these tables worked together to identify and implement strategic solutions. City bureaus also conducted engagement with their advisory bodies to inform their proposals.