MassachusettsBoston

Boston established a set of key values to drive ARPA investment decisions that included: 1) advancing racial equity; 2) supporting transformative solutions to providing services; 3) creating good jobs in growing industries; 4) promoting climate justice; and 5) continuing equitable health responses. The City’s approach has emphasized prioritizing lower income residents of color most impacted by the pandemic and communicating with these underserved residents to ensure they can access the resources they need.

In 2019, fomer-mayor Martin Walsh issued an executive order affirming the city’s commitment to racial equity. The executive order requires every city cabinet, department, agency, and office to apply a racial equity lens to their efforts and develop goals and strategies to advance racial equity. Additionally, in 2016, Boston passed a citywide language access policy.

The City’s focus on equity in ARPA spending decisions built upon nearly two decades of work institutionalizing an equity focus throughout government operations, beginning in the health department and expanding to a citywide Resilience Strategy in 2017. The City is leveraging ARPA resources to actualize Mayor Wu’s vision for a local Green New Deal .

With 10 staff members, Boston’s Equity and Inclusion Cabinet works to transform policies, programs, and practices to benefit every Boston resident. In 2020, the City established the Chief of Equity and Inclusion position, which played a central role throughout the ARPA funding allocation process.