Thurston County COVID-19 Recovery Fund

Introducing the Thurston County COVID-19 Recovery Fund

In 2021, Thurston County was awarded $56.4 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). An initial Recovery Plan to assist Thurston County in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic was drafted in 2021. The Recovery Plan was updated in 2022 including the total use of funds and project details. The Recovery Plan is updated annually in July.

Recovery Fund Community Survey

Thurston County deployed the ARPA Recovery Fund Community Survey from September 16 to October 28, 2022. The goal of the survey was to inform the public of County COVID-19 spending, and to gather community input and priorities for the Board to consider as they make allocation decisions. The community survey allowed survey-takers to prioritize potential Recovery Fund project areas, and the opportunity to make comments and project suggestions.

There were 431 survey submissions. This was a non-scientific survey. Commissioners reviewed the community survey results, as well as comments and suggestions, and took all input into consideration when making COVID-19 Recovery Fund project funding decisions. These survey results order potential project areas by vote totals, weighed by priority.

Affordable Housing
Mental Health Services
Homeless Services
Water & Sewer Infrastructure Projects
Environment & Sustainability
Parks & Recreation
Eviction & Rental Assistance
Decrease the Thurston County Court Backlog
Broadband Infrastructure Projects
Nonprofit Organization Grants
Childcare Business Grants
Thurston County Job Development
Substance Abuse Grants
Small Business Grants
Agricultural Market Grants
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Arts & Culture
Tourism

Recovery Fund Project Approval

As of April 2023, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners has approved $43.8 million in COVID-19 Recovery Fund projects and earmarked $12.7 million for Recovery Fund Projects under consideration.

Chart showing $43.8 million, or 78% of Thurston County's total COVID-19 recovery funds have been approved by the Board of Commissioners for particular projects. The remaining $12.7 million, or 22% has been earmarked for future projects.

Recovery Fund Project Areas

Thurston County COVID-19 Recovery Fund Projects are grouped into project areas (see below), following expenditure and reporting guidelines from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Check out the Recovery Plan for descriptions of approved projects, approved amounts, and expenditure data.