Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund Guidance Now Available

The Department of the Treasury released guidance for the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund program established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The program allocates $10 billion for eligible governments to carry out critical capital projects that directly enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Capital Projects Fund Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States describes in detail how your government may obtain and use these funds. A key priority of this program is to make funds available to recipients that would like to make investments in high-quality, affordable broadband infrastructure and other digital connectivity technologies. This pandemic has shown us that broadband infrastructure is indispensable for access to critical services and participation in aspects of daily life, including remote work, telehealth, and distance learning. At the same time, recipients have flexibility to use funds for certain capital projects other than broadband infrastructure that enable work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options. The guidance provides information about eligible areas for investment and technical standards, and encourages projects in economically distressed areas, supports community empowerment, and encourages strong labor practices. Although this is not a competitive grant program, states, territories, and freely associated states must first submit a simple application establishing recipient eligibility. The Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund application portal will open on September 24, 2021.