Mayor Sarno announced $2.2 million in 11th round of ARPA Funding

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Mayor Domenic Sarno and the City American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) team announced the city of Springfield’s eleventh round of ARPA funding awards, totaling approximately over $2.2 million.

According to a news release sent to 22News from the City of Springfield, the eleventh round of ARPA funding awards is going to 23 small businesses, totaling $1,395,000, and 16 nonprofits, totaling $888,820.70. Also, $350,000 is being awarded under the Build Back Springfield program to help support the redevelopment efforts of a vacant and historically significant building on Maple Street. 

Through all eleven rounds of ARPA awards, 88% of business applications that were awarded have been to either minority and/or woman-owned businesses, and 66% of total award funding has been to either minority and/or woman-owned businesses.    

Mayor Sarno states, “This is now especially important and why we moved quickly to award and allocate these funds due to some Congressional leaders now looking to clawback these much-needed relief funds to deal with their debt ceiling situation.” 

“This 11^th round of ARPA awards announcement is the culmination of my administration’s efforts to get this much-needed relief and assistance out to our residents, business community, and nonprofits ASAP.  I am proud of my administration’s efforts in getting this funding out into our community to those in need.  This is all about supporting that good four-letter word, JOBS!  No other community in the Commonwealth or the nation has been as proactive and deliberate in getting this relief out to our residents, businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhoods in need that have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.  I am also proud of the fact that 88% of total funding for small businesses has been awarded to minority and/or women-owned businesses.”

“My administration has awarded millions directly to our community, especially to our local neighborhood small businesses, which are the backbone of our neighborhoods and provide economic viability for our city,” said Mayor Sarno. 

The small businesses that were awarded include:

The nonprofits that were awarded include:

In November 2021, Mayor Sarno, CAFO TJ Plante, and CDO Tim Sheehan announced the Build Back Springfield program that invested $15 million to focus on recognizing the economic, environmental, and cultural value of preserving old and local landmark buildings and structures.

Wednesday’s announcement included the awarding of $350,000 to a Build Back Springfield project to support the stabilization of the vacant and historically significant building at 169 Maple Street.   

Mayor Sarno also provided an update on the direct cash assistance for Springfield households. Over 3,000 house applications have been approved with a total of $4.2 million that is being directly awarded to Springfield residents/households. Over 19,000 applications for direct cash assistance had been received, and the ending applications continue to be reviewed for eligibility.     

 Mayor Sarno stated, “Once again, I thank our residents, businesses, and nonprofits for their continued patience and understanding. The volume of requests and needs has been enormous.  Again, I would like to thank Congressman Richard Neal, who was once a mayor and always the heart of a mayor, President Biden and Congress for their efforts to bring this much-needed direct relief to the city of Springfield.”