WashingtonPierce County
See how Pierce County performed on our equity assessment of its ARPA Local Fiscal Recovery Fund investment strategy.
Total Equity Focused ARPA Funds
$136,660,091$136,660,091
Overall Score
High
Featured Case Study
Pierce County, Washington invested $9.5 million in ARPA funds to launch the Pierce County Business Accelerator, a program aimed at strengthening small businesses, particularly those owned by BIPOC entrepreneurs, women, and veterans, and building generational wealth.
ARPA Equity Assessment of Pierce County, WA
Overall Equity Focus
HighWas racial and economic equity an explicit focus of the jurisdiction's ARPA investment strategy?
95% of locations met this criterion.81% of locations met this criterion.86% of locations met this criterion.Equity Decision Making Tools and Resources
HighAre equity tools, frameworks, and structures in place to support equitable investment project identification, design, and implementation?
38% of locations met this criterion.Pierce County established three goals when promoting equity in the community: 1) reach as many adversely affected groups as possible; 2) focus on BIPOC, homeless, seniors, and youth; and 3) use county resources to implement and track equitable outcomes.
24% of locations met this criterion.In August 2021, the County passed two resolutions that aimed to demonstrate a countywide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Resolution No. 2021-108s began the development of the Countywide Equity Index, which measured factors such as accessibility, livability, education, environmental health, and the economy to help inform policy, program, and budgetary decisions. Resolution No. R2021-109 established an Equity Review Committee to provide the Pierce County Council with recommendations to promote a more culturally competent county and incorporated a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy to inform all aspects of decision making.
31% of locations met this criterion.As a part of Resolution No.2021-109, the Equity Review Committee set up an analytical framework that reviews proposals and recommends them to incorporate an Equity Note to reaffirm the Pierce County Council’s commitment to community inclusivity. The Equity Note includes an examination of how equitable opportunities are identified and how a proposed policy will impact equity. It also assesses its potential impact on the demographic information of targeted populations, change in intended outcomes, unintended consequences, and a plan for measuring impact.
51% of locations met this criterion.Pierce County has multiple staff and offices dedicated to equity, including a Community Engagement Coordinator, who serves as a liaison to the Equity Committee; the Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs, who make recommendations to the County on promoting equity in refugee and immigrant communities; and an Equity Review Committee who monitor and review data analysis conducted by the Executive's Criminal Justice Workgroup.
31% of locations met this criterion.Pierce County created a Countywide Equity Index (R2021-108s), a tool measuring accessibility, livability, education, environmental health, and the economy across the County. An Equity Note is an additional tool developed by the County to analyze policy making and budgeting. Equity Notes also look at the impact of the proposed project by measuring factors such as targeted populations, intended outcomes, and unintended consequences.
48% of locations met this criterion.72% of locations met this criterion.38% of locations met this criterion.Community Engagement
HighDid the jurisdiction engage community members in decision making about the ARPA funds, conduct targeted outreach to historically excluded communities, and implement strategies to reach underserved communities?
94% of locations met this criterion.64% of locations met this criterion.54% of locations met this criterion.Equitable Labor Practices
MiddleDoes the jurisdiction use best practices for ensuring public investments deliver family-supporting jobs to residents who have faced barriers to good jobs and economic prosperity?
36% of locations met this criterion.16% of locations met this criterion.70% of locations met this criterion.29% of locations met this criterion.11% of locations met this criterion.Equity Investments
HighDid the jurisdiction make investments that have the potential to advance equity by targeting the communities most harmed by the pandemic and addressing systemic inequities?
62% of locations met this criterion.71% of locations met this criterion.64% of locations met this criterion.82% of locations met this criterion.63% of locations met this criterion.81% of locations met this criterion.45% of locations met this criterion.33% of locations met this criterion.32% of locations met this criterion.64% of locations met this criterion.64% of locations met this criterion.31% of locations met this criterion.67% of locations met this criterion.56% of locations met this criterion.50% of locations met this criterion.Transparency & Accountability
HighDoes the jurisdiction set performance goals, collect data to monitor progress toward equitable outcomes, and provide the public with information about how funds are being used?
55% of locations met this criterion.70% of locations met this criterion.64% of locations met this criterion.75% of locations met this criterion.